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CNN Live Event/Special
The State Funeral Of Queen Elizabeth II. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired September 19, 2022 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CONNER, DEAN OF WINDSOR: Of the fountain of the water of life freely. He, that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son.
JONATHAN RIVIERE, RECTOR OF SANDRINGHAM: Remember, oh Lord, thy servant Elizabeth, who has gone before us with a sign of faith, and now rests in sleep. According to Thy promises, grant on to her and to all who've reposing Christ, refreshment, light, and peace, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
KENNETH MACKENZIE, MINISTER OF CRATHIE KIRK: Merciful Father, and Lord of all life, we praise thee that thou has made us in thine image, and that we reflect the truth and light. We give special thanks for the life of thy daughter, Elizabeth, for the mercy she received from thee and for the example that through her life of service, love, and faith she has set before our eyes.
Above all, we rejoice that thy gracious promise to all thy servants, living and departed, that we shall rise again at the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We pray that in due time, we may share with our sister that clearer vision when we shall see thy face, in the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
RIVIERE: Father of all, we pray to thee for those whom we love, but see no longer, grant them peace, let light perpetual shine upon them. And in thy loving wisdom and almighty power work in them, the good purposes of thy perfect will, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
MARTIN POLL, CHAPLAIN OF THE ROYAL CHAPEL, WINDSOR GREAT PARK: Our Lord, support us all the day-long of this traveler's life until the shades lengthen and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then, Lord, in thy mercy, grant her safe lodging a holy rest and peace at the last through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
CONNER: Lord God Almighty, King of creation, bless our king and all members of the royal family. May godliness be their guidance, may sanctity be their strength, may peace on earth be the fruit of their labors, and their joy in Heaven, Thine eternal gift, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. God save our gracious sovereign and all the Companions living and departed of the most honorable and noble Order of the Garter, Amen. As our savior has taught us, so we pray. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
[11:35:00]
CHOIR OF ST. GEORGE'S CHAPEL: Singing The Motet.
(Imperial State Crown, Orb, removed from queen's coffin)
[11:40:00]
(Imperial State Crown, Orb, removed from queen's coffin)
THE HYMN: Singing Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation.
[11:45:00]
(King Charles places the queen's company camp colour on the coffin)
CONNER: Like as a father of beauty with his own children, even so, is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him. For he knows we're off we are made, he remember that we are that dust.
The days of man are about his grass, for he flourisheth as a flower of the field for as soon as the wind goes over it, it is gone. And the place thereof shown no it no more. But the merciful goodness of the Lord endureth forever and ever upon them that fear him and his righteousness upon children's children.
Go forth upon my journey from this world, a Christian soul. In the name of God, the Father Almighty, who created thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, who suffered for thee. In the name of the Holy Spirit, who strengtheneth thee. In communion with the blessed saints, and aided by angels and archangels and all the armies of the heavenly host that I portion this day, be in peace, and I dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem, amen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thus, it has pleased Almighty God, to take over this transitory life, unto His Divine Mercy, the late Most High, Most mighty, and most excellent monarch, Elizabeth II. By the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other realms and territories, queen, head of the Commonwealth, defender of the faith, and sovereign of the most noble Order of the Garter.
[11:50:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let us humbly beseech Almighty God to bless with a long life, health and honor, and all worldly happiness, the most high, most mighty, and most excellent monarch, our Sovereign Lord, Charles III, now, by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom, of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of his other realms and territories, King, head of the Commonwealth, defender of the faith, and sovereign of the most noble Order of the Garter.
MOST REVEREND JUSTIN WELBY, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: Go forth into the world in peace, be of good courage, hold fast that which is good. Render to no one evil for evil, strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak, help the affected, honor all people. Love and serve the Lord rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be amongst you and remain with you always, amen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voiceover): Really stunning service in St. George's Chapel, King Charles III clearly moved, now exiting with Queen Consort, Camilla, and other members of the royal family starting to usher out as well. So many moments that we really have never seen before the Queen's casket being lowered.
[11:55:05]
The family will see the casket again for a private ceremony later. That won't be televised. And also the touching of the royal crown, and moving of the scepter, remarkable.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I think the moment seeing the king at the end there with tears in his eyes, just imagine the moment when we saw the Queen's Piper playing and that symbolism of walking away, that was the moment the coffin was being lowered into the vault in the aisle there. And the family would have seen that. We didn't see that.
And I think that is basically his response. And the reality of seeing the crown taken away and the instruments of state knowing that they're now in his possession. Crown Jewel are currently taking them back to the Tower of London where they will sit until the king's coronation, so that is the goodbye for the nation -- goodbye for the world.
Tonight, there will be this private burial where the coffin will be lifted back up out of the vault and buried in a side chapel. But that will be private, off camera. This is the end of the public part of this extraordinary 10 days.
COOPER: To see the Queen's piper, I mean playing while you know what is happening elsewhere just visually and then to have them gradually walk off and turn the corner.
KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR (voiceover): Incredibly moving. We saw a similar moment in the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral. Major Paul Burns. He was her personal Piper. It was a role instituted by Queen Victoria. He played under her window every day, even if she wasn't in residence.
So he played under her window on the day she passed away and then he played for her once more today. This is such a moving moment. As he walked away, the coffin was lowered, and it was our last goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II.
It is the end of the Elizabethan era, the end of an era. And we have had these two great state funerals today, first at Westminster Abbey, now at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
And there is the King and the Queen Consort, wishing goodbye to the dean of Windsor and thanking them. And really you see the emotion in their faces. This has been a state moment. But it's also been a family moment as well.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You heard from the Dean of Windsor who was presiding over the service, talking about the extraordinary legacy of the Queen. He said, in the midst of our rapidly changing and frequently troubled world, her calm and dignified presence has given us the confidence to face the future as she did with courage and hope.
And there will be many now feeling anxious about the future. The Queen was such a mainstay in the vast majority of people's lives here. 86 percent of people from England and Wales only ever knew the queen as their monarch. And so it does mark the end of an era and a -- and a new chapter.
And I think as you said, Max, when you saw the emotion and the intensity on King Charles's face, that realization really settling in now as we end that 10-day mourning period. And we've seen that symbolic handing over of power.
COOPER: There's also something so -- I mean, the isolated car driving off alone, not the pomp and pageantry that we see -- we saw accompanying the king's mother, Queen Elizabeth, as she was brought to her final resting place. They're driving off into the future together.
WILLIAMS: And the queen, she were buried again in the private ceremony that Max is just referring to, you won't see televised, a private family ceremony. And there we have the Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and George and Charlotte, who plays such a major role today.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: And all the Royals now leaving when they will return for the private ceremony this evening.
FOSTER: There's a reception now with other member -- other royal families up at the castle. So a lot to decompress there. I suspect that the Wales is will want to go home and speak to the kids before all of that. But an extraordinary moment for young Prince George to see his future in a way playing out of his grandfather next to his father, and then he will have the same experience one day. And I know teach -- this is an important thing to see but also quite extraordinary at such a young age, but he seems to handle it brilliantly.
WILLIAMS: And we have not seen this for 70 years. It's the death of the Queen's father. Very few of us have ever seen a state funeral. And, of course, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children have not either, but will one day be back here again for their father.
COOPER: The expression on King Charles's face -- I mean, you can see it in many different ways. Obviously, he is the king now. But it stripping that all the way. I mean, it was just an expression of grief and loss. And you know the realization of seeing your mother's casket descend into the ground.
FOSTER: Also, you know, you've got to think that the queen didn't have any sort of apprenticeship at all. She became queen at age 25. He's had the longest apprenticeship imaginable. So he is -- he's feeling the full weight of that in that moment.
