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CNN Live Event/Special

CNN International: Queen Elizabeth II Laid to Rest in Windsor Castle; CNN Enters Recently Liberated City of Kupyansk; Mark Frerichs' Family Praises U.S. President Joe Biden for Securing His Release. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired September 19, 2022 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to continuing coverage of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. I'm Bianca Nobilo live. Tonight

In the past few hours Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest here in Windsor. Ending the day of national mourning with a private farewell. By the British royal family. It ushers in a new era under King Charles III, who today said goodbye to his mother for the final time.

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NOBILO (voice-over): From the poignant service at Westminster Abbey to the spectacular military procession, it was a day marked by deep respect for a beloved monarch, who served her country and Commonwealth as its queen for more than seven decades. CNN's Max Foster reflects on this momentous day in history.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Prime ministers, presidents, leaders and dignitaries from around the world. More than 2,000 inside London's Westminster Abbey join together in chorus.

"The Lord Is My Shepherd," reputedly the queen's favorite hymn, sung during her wedding to Prince Philip in this very hall when she was a 21-year-old princess. The younger royal generation, Charlotte and George, joined the procession.

Their attendance something the Prince and Princess of Wales took time to consider, CNN understands.

Decades of meticulous preparation and centuries of tradition, the queen was instrumental in planning this funeral. Her family escorted the coffin drawn by 142 Royal Navy personnel, the short journey from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. Draped in the royal standard and topped with the Imperial State Crown,

the sovereign's orb and scepter. Amid the wreath, a handwritten note from the king, "In loving and devoted memory, Charles R," the R short for Rex, the king.

JUSTIN WELBY, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: Few leaders receive the outpouring of love that we have seen.

FOSTER: After readings and blessings for two minutes, the attendees, the choir and the nation all fell silent. Big Ben tolled 96 times. Guns unloaded as the procession continued on its final journey. Crowds lined the streets all the way along the route from London to Windsor. The military flanked the three-mile long walk leading to the castle.

At the end of the ceremony, the crown, the orb, the scepter were removed by the crown jeweler, separating queen from her crown for the final time.

For the first time performing the ritual on camera, the most senior official in the royal household, the Lord Chamberlain, broke his wand of office and placed it on the coffin, symbolizing the end of his and the monarch's service.

The queen was then lowered into the royal vault and, by her request, the sovereign piper, who for decades played for Elizabeth every morning as her personal alarm clock, sounded the final lament at Her Majesty's request.

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NOBILO: CNN's Richard Quest has been following each stage of the queen's funeral today and he joins me now live from Westminster.

Richard, this was a monarch like no. Other Britain's longest serving, admired the world over. Elizabeth the Great, as the former prime minister called her. She

Did what we saw today. Give her the proper farewell that she deserved?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: It did that. And an enormous amount more. Bianca. Think about it. Over 10 days and just about nothing went wrong. Everything went exactly according to plan, from the Balmoral, the departure from Balmoral, to the lying at rest in Edinburgh. The service at Holyroodhouse. All the way down here to London. And the lying in state at Westminster Hall --

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QUEST: -- along with the hundreds of thousands of people who took part in the largest queue that we have seen, to pay their respects. And then today, thousands, up to 6,000 participants in the various processions. Flawless, it went by. And the royal family, Bianca, had to do their private mourning in public.

NOBILO: An element of the ceremonies today was seen by the public for the very first time. They were televised for the very first time. Which aspects struck you as most significant to see unfold?

QUEST: I think the starkness, the abbey was brilliant. But we have seen funerals in the abbey before. This was bigger and grander. Windsor was more intimate. But the three things that I take first.

Firstly, Charles' face, the king's face. This was etched in pain and grief as he realized the weight of history, as he called. It. Right the way through. The queen never showed. That when she went to funerals, she did not have that same look in the face that Charles had. He was pained, that's the first thing.

Secondly, the sheer size of what we saw. The pageantry, the numbers involved spectacular. But the simplicity of that end, that in St. George's Chapel, when the crown is removed and the Lord Chamberlain broke his wand, that is it.

How much more final do you want?

Take away the, crown the orb and the sector. The trappings of monarchy. And you break the crown and you send the casket down into the vault. These were very powerful moments.

NOBILO: Now the form of a state funeral and these events that are expected when the sovereign dies. Has to have a certain shape. But then the monarch does get to decide what they want. They get to choose what hymns are, played what songs. Elements of the proceedings.

Where do we see the late Queen Elizabeth's fingerprints today?

QUEST: Oh, they were all over it. First of all, the entire panoply of what we saw today had to be approved by the queen. Let's look at the individual bits. The, music for example. "The Lord Is My Shepherd," the choice of prayers, the choice of who was in the, room, who was in the abbey.

She made it very clear that she wanted certain people who had had honors. Certain people who had been part of her life. To be. There and that followed through to Windsor, where we have the crown heads of Europe and we had various people who were important to the queen.

And then we have things like the dogs, the two corgis. And the horse, the pony, Emma. That were, there waiting for her funeral cortege. And then even things down to the flowers on top of the coffin.

Now Charles chose many of the flowers. But the queen had made it clear what she wanted. They know that's their funeral is not just a private moment of grief. While you and I might sort of select a prayer or two for our final sendoffs, we might make our views known, they know it is a major occasion.

So they are intimately involved in every aspect of. It which is both extraordinary but rather morbid when you think that Charles is now having to basically plan his own funeral.

NOBILO: I did think that today, too, with King Charles and Prince William watching all this unfold, knowing that, if the order of events unfolded as expected, they both understand that they will be having a funeral of this scale. And that must be quite strange.

You have been asking everybody this great question all of today.

What was the spine-tingling moment for you?

QUEST: For me, the absolute spine-tingling moment was that bit at the end. When the sceptre and orb is removed, the wand is broken. And the coffin is lowered. And it was, the moment within that was Charles' face, just the sheer sadness of it.

If I have to choose a second it is the bit I always adore at any service in the abbey or St. Paul's Cathedral. It is after the state trumpeters have done their herald and then it goes seamlessly into the national anthem.

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QUEST: As a Brit, the heart soars when you hear that, with the sheer power and majesty of it.

NOBILO: Richard Quest in Westminster, thank you so much.

Thousands if not millions of people have played a part in the queen's funeral. However big or small. But her final farewell was a private family affair away, from the cameras. CNN's Isa Soares was in Windsor, as Queen Elizabeth was laid to rest beside her late husband. And she reflected on this historic day.

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ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Bianca, it has been a day of really mixed emotions. Of course. From that very solemn moving service that we saw Westminster Abbey. To that procession, just perfectly timed and beautiful, from London all the way down to Windsor, up The Long Walk.

I was on The Long Walk with my team for most of the, day and we saw from this morning in fact, people camping. Some children in sleeping bags, others with their picnic baskets. They have come prepared, had newspapers and books. Really wanting to be part of this moment, wanting to pay their respects to the queen.

Whilst it was kind of lively in the early hours of the morning, that kind of changed as soon as we started queuing. The helicopter and we started, hearing of course and seeing the queen make its way up to The Long Walk, that three mile long walk to Windsor Castle.

The mood changed very quickly. It became so solemn, it became silent. Then I saw children on their parents' shoulders, a little girl in a beautiful yellow princess dress. A little boy dressed as a police man, lots of Union Jacks.

And just people paused, paused for a moment. And that moment was to say thank you, outpouring of. Love an outpouring of gratitude right there. For a queen that is so dear to so many. A queen, of course, who has had a life of duty and service.

And that was really what we saw today, a testament to. That. My crew and I paused alongside them. I got goose bumps on the back on my neck. It was such a moving moment. Quite chilling, in fact. And something that none of us will ever forget.

One lady said it best today, "We did the queen proud."

And you know what I think the queen, like she said in Paddington Bear and that little video, she's been saying, thank you. If you are watching. Truly moving day, of course. That ends what has been 10-plus days of tributes to the late Queen, Her Majesty. Bianca.

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NOBILO: Our Isa Soares.

This morning's service was also one of the largest diplomatic gatherings in decades. Hundreds of foreign royals, heads of states and dignitaries came to pay their respects. Speaking ahead of Monday's funeral, U.S. President Joe Biden had this personal reflection about the British monarch.

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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She was the same in person as she - as her image -- decent, honorable and all about service. And our hearts go out to the royal family, to King Charles and all the family. It is a loss that leaves a giant hole.

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NOBILO: Sir Peter Westmacott is a long serving British diplomat and author of "They Call It Diplomacy: Forty Years of Representing British Abroad." He also served as deputy private secretary for King Charles when he was the Prince of Wales. And he joins me now.

Great to have you on the, program sir. Thanks for joining us.

SIR PETER WESTMACOTT, FORMER BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S., TURKIYE AND FRANCE: Thank you for having me.

NOBILO: From the day after, we had the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, I was so struck by the statements that we heard in the House of Commons, from the prime minister and the previous prime minister, Boris Johnson, from the former prime minister to him, Theresa May, as somebody that monitors politics all the time, to see that kind of magnanimous approach and politicians giving these heartfelt tributes and being quite united across the benches. It was quite striking.

It's not something you see every day. I suppose the funeral was another example of, that of a monarch able to bring together heads of state, diplomats and politicians in a way that very few people can, if anyone. WESTMACOTT: I think you are right, Bianca. It was that sort of

occasion. It has been 10 days like no other for the United Kingdom. At a time when the country was feeling unhappy, a bit restless, high inflation economic problems and energy prices, divided over Brexit and so on. It was feeling -- things were not going very well.

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WESTMACOTT: And suddenly the death of our queen brings everyone together, hundreds of thousands of people spending up to 15 hours walking along the banks of the River Thames, to show their respect for a few seconds while she lay in state in Westminster Palace.

So it has been an extraordinary time, we have seen the politicians come together. An extraordinary week as well. Because remember in the space of five days, we had one prime minister leaving, office a new prime minister swearing allegiance to the queen.

Then another monarch taking the place of the, queen and the prime minister having to swear allegiance to him, too. So this has been a moment of some dramatic change, in the United Kingdom.

And I think you are right it has brought people together. We have, witnessed today, an event like no. Other we have seen in. History and probably that we will never see again. In any country. Because of the specialness of it, because the monarch was there.

The queen had a lifetime of duty and service and faith. Commitment to her family and her people. For 70 years. And people turned out voluntarily.

Of, course autocratic dictatorships can turn out millions of people at the point of a gun. But these were millions of people, there because they wished to show the respect and affection for the queen. So it has been a special time. And I do think you are right that it has brought people together. At a time when the people of this country rather needed it.

NOBILO: Let's talk about that change. And what you referenced there. What the people might need. Much has been made over the past week or so about perhaps the fact that Britain is struggling slightly with its identity. Because of after Brexit, the war on the European continent, we've had quite a turbulent period in our politics as well.

And then to lose the monarch that has provided this astonishing continuity for seven decades, it can be quite discombobulating. Other than being sad as well.

As somebody who has so much experience in diplomacy on the world stage, do you think that does have an impact, losing a monarch that is synonymous in so many ways of what Britain is and what it stands for?

WESTMACOTT: A number of people have been looking up the (INAUDIBLE) statement about Britain as a country which has lost an empire and yet to find a role. That particular speech got even worse because it suggested that the idea that the United Kingdom could carry on all by itself, just with the Commonwealth, was simply nonsensical.

So I think that those issues have been brought back to the surface by recent events. And what we've got is a government also, talking quite bravado kind of speech. And there is a mismatch a little bit between what the politicians are saying and what we are seeing in terms of the response to the death of the queen and the arrival of a new king.

So will the new government, the new prime minister, find a way of bridging the gap, if you like, between the extraordinary outpouring of affection and respect for the monarchy and the question marks that still exist about the United Kingdom's role in the world outside the European Union?

Talking a good talk but yet to discover, yet to show to its partners, what it really means.

NOBILO: Today was a singular day for many reasons. It was poignant, emotional but also so many hundreds of dignitaries, heads of state and royals descending on one place.

And instead of meeting for the UNGA or a summit or a discussion on climate, they were coming together, for, yes, political we reasons but also personal reasons, to remember a monarch. And there were discussions on the sidelines.

What is the soft power or diplomatic value of something like what we saw today?

WESTMACOTT: I think the potential is very significant. But I would caution a little bit of restraint in thinking that this was a magnificent occasion for meaningful funeral diplomacy, so to speak.

We had, for example the suggestion that the British minister Liz Truss and President Biden would have a bilateral -- it did not happen, possibly because the president came without as full panoply of advisers, the secretary of state and so on.

But I think also because this is also an occasion that is about the queen. I think probably the prime minister concluded that this is something that she should show in her own actions, not seek to make it into a working session, a series of working bilaterals. There was not much time, either. by the way, I would say.

But I think the overwhelming sense was that we must not lose sight that this is a tribute to the queen. And the politics and foreign policy and bilateral political relationships, they can be dealt with on another occasion.

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WESTMACOTT: But nevertheless, of course, you come together, whether you are in a bus or in Buckingham Palace or in Westminster Abbey. And it must help form relationships. Sometimes it can help solve a few problems and lower tensions between individuals. And, of course, some of the most troublesome representatives of the

most troublesome governments were not Here nevertheless, I think the opportunity for people to talk to each other, inevitably, especially at such a positive moment, which is a mixture of both mutual respect for the queen but also a celebration of a new king, those opportunities are real.

And they must help at least with the personal relationships, even if the policy discussions have to be left for another occasion.

NOBILO: And you were, lastly to you, deputy private secretary to King Charles when he was Prince of Wales.

What kind of king do you think he is going to be?

There's elements of sovereignty and being a head of state that have to remain and have to be consistent. But somehow within those structures and not being able to express opinions, there is obviously a personality and a unique aspect that each person brings to the role.

What do you expect from him?

WESTMACOTT: Well, the new king who had a very long apprenticeship, waiting for the role, has a number of real interests and more than that, a number of very important issues that matter to him and matter to the people of this country.

And perhaps even more widely. So he spent a huge amount of time looking after, let's say, young offenders, promoting volunteering, helping find start-up capital for young business people who cannot get money from banks, telling the world he has done this for 20 or 30 years, now, telling the world about the risks to the planet from CO2 emissions if we don't take climate change seriously.

I think he will have to park some of those concerns and issues and organizations of which he is patron. But I will be surprised if he lets drop completely the very important international role that he has carved out for himself, almost by accident but through conviction.

Of being an important spokesman at the COP Conferences in Glasgow and speaking to the G20 in Rome. There secretary John Kerry hopes that he will go to Egypt and carry on speaking up on climate change. I should think it is perfectly possible, subject to what the British government advises the new king, that he will carry on doing those things.

And otherwise he will be himself. He will engage with people. He loves people, he likes talking to people. He will be, visible he will be warm. He will be a breath of fresh air in a sense without that being in any sense disrespectful to his mother.

He will be the head of a slimmed down monarchy and there will be fewer people on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and there will be fewer people if you like on the civil list of drawing taxpayers' money.

But it will be purposeful and slimmed down and there will be members of the royal family doing what the British people expect of their royal family in the future as well as what has happened in the past and following in the traditions of how things have been done beforehand.

NOBILO: That is fascinating to hear from. You someone that knew the king and worked with him. Sir Peter Westmacott, always a pleasure speaking to. You thank so much for talking with. Us

WESTMACOTT: Thank you, Bianca.

NOBILO: And still to, come. Tonight Ukraine is fighting to free more cities from Russian occupation. CNN goes inside one newly-liberated town to witness firsthand the horrors Russian forces left behind.

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NOBILO: Ukrainian officials are uncovering more horrors in Izyum, a city that was recently liberated from Russian forces. On Monday, officials removed almost 150 bodies from mass burial sites. They say most of the dead were civilians and two of them were children.

One official said that the bodies showed clear signs of violence.

In the meantime, a Ukrainian military official said that they successfully reclaimed a village in the Luhansk region. Russian forces are bombarding towns and villages that they fled, such as Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region. CNN visited days after its liberation and our Nick Paton Walsh shows us what the Russian forces left behind.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY (voice-over): There's no respite in victory here, an artillery battle still shaking the liberated city of Kupyansk.

This occupation's slogan, "We are one people with Russia," seems comic. Now the Ukrainians have chased the Russians across the bridge and further south.

A shell has landed under 100 meters from us. Another swiftly follows. It's unlikely Moscow can retake places lost in the past weeks. So this is about vengeance and spite.

This prisoner has claimed to be local but they think he's a Russian soldier, deserting or left behind.

What else Moscow left behind is far uglier. These tiny rooms were their detention center, where as many as 400 prisoners were held at one time, we are told, eight or nine prisoners per cell. Booby traps now in their place, a warning written next to this room. So he's writing "grenade" on the wall. As they move through these cells, they're finding booby traps left, it seems, by occupying forces. That one in there, a grenade left under a tray of half-eaten food. And it just shows you the hazards that ordinary people are going to find coming back, a place like this used as a key detention center by the Russians.

But across this town, the damage is extraordinary but also, too, is the risk of unexploded ordnance and potentially booby traps.

They're discovering two other scars from torture. This former prisoner is introduced to us by the Ukrainian security service. He says he was imprisoned about a month ago as he was once a cook in the army.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is the room where I was interrogated. They put me on this chair. There the investigator sat and there was the guy with the telephone and another one who helped.

WALSH: The telephone was an old wind-up model, used to send electric shocks into him. He thinks his interrogator was experienced from the Russian security services.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They told me, "You think you are tough? Let's find out how tough."

I was also shot with some kind of pistol, here and in the leg.

WALSH: They asked him who he was in touch with from the army. The Russians burned their interrogation records hurriedly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The main thing is to survive and to withstand. It took me 1.5 weeks to recover when I got out. They promised I'd only see the sun and sky again if they forced me into a minefield.

WALSH: Elsewhere, signs of the mindset fueling the Russian invasion. They found time to paint this mural, a Russian soldier; see the "Z" on his arm, next to the flag of the former Soviet empire, burnished in flames.

Pause a moment here in the bloodshed and ruin and consider how truly odd this is. They were only here a matter of months, yet so speedily tattooed this building with their machinery of pain.

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WALSH (voice-over): So much here clearly beyond use, so few locals huddle in its empty husk. Winning does not heal the wounds; it just gives them enough time to feel them.

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NOBILO: Nick Paton Walsh joins me now from Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.

The Kremlin says accusations of war crimes are a lie. Tell us what evidence there is on the ground.

WALSH: Well, slowly, certainly from around the mass burial site around Izyum, I should say, before that, of course, there was substantial evidence around Bucha and the capital of Kyiv of all kinds of crimes by Russian soldiers from the Izyum mass burial site.

Officials say they are slowly uncovering people's bodies that show signs of violent death, possibly signs of torture, too. I should point out in Kupyansk the torture that Russian officials were accused of there is something which frankly Russia has a history of in Chechnya and other places where the military has been deployed.

So clearly Russia is trying to suggest that so much of this is inaccurate. But there is a lengthy back history to it and significance evidence being collected by investigators, including U.N. investigators. So possibly this informs part of Russia's attempts to distract and misinform.

But clearly at this stage the narrative in Ukrainian hands, as they begin to tragically move through areas that are now being deoccupied after months under Russian control.

NOBILO: And President Zelenskyy has pointed out in the media today that even though it might seem to people like there could be a lull in the conflict, that certainly is not the case.

What does he mean and what do you think he is planning next?

WALSH: It is more a lull in the counteroffensive. I mean there had been thought that when they began their counteroffensive in the south we might see multiple fronts open up and, of course, it was Kharkiv that got the brunt of Ukrainian military force.

The issue now is, are we seeing an operational pause on various fronts as Ukraine regroups and assesses its progress?

Or are we potentially going to see in the near future some extra new fronts being launched?

I can tell, you certainly, here in the Donetsk area around Kramatorsk there are continued clashes; there seem to be some limited progress by Ukrainian forces here. They also seem, near Kupyansk, to be pushing farther, south. And there is, it seems, minor progress in the south.

None of the large strategic pushers that we saw around Kharkiv, certainly. But that may be to come imminently and the ultimate question here is, where does Ukraine choose to push. And does Russia actually have any conventional military force left to apply to defending these areas.

Or are we slowly seeing the collapse of their military positions here, like many Western officials warned would happen in the late summer and early autumn?

NOBILO: Nick Paton Walsh for us in Kramatorsk, thank you. A powerful earthquake to a report, now just off the west coast of

Mexico. The 7.7 magnitude quake was felt as far away as Mexico City. People there evacuated from shaking buildings. The earthquake triggered a tsunami alert, warning of waves up to three meters high.

In Puerto Rico, catastrophic damage. That's how its governor is describing the aftermath of hurricane. Fiona which brought a half a meter of rain to parts of the, island causing mudslides and flooding. And destruction. Like this bridge that was ripped away by rushing waters.

More than 1 million Puerto Ricans have lost electricity. The storm is now strengthening again as it sweeps into the Dominican Republic and heads toward the Turks and Caicos, Bahamas and Bermuda.

Still to come, more on our top story, Britain and the world bids farewell to the monarch that (INAUDIBLE) before her.

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NOBILO: "We will meet again," the plaintive, powerful words of the Archbishop of Canterbury at the queen's funeral, reminding us that, even at times of profound sadness, there is hope. Here are some key moments from Her Majesty's funeral.

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NOBILO (voice-over): This is the moment the coffin arrived at Westminster Abbey, carried by members of the Queen's Guard.

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NOBILO (voice-over): The service was led by the Dean of Westminster with music performed by the Choir of Westminster Abbey and the Choir of His Majesty's Chapel Royal (ph). The royal family followed the queen's. Coffin the Duke of York and the Duke of Sussex wore mourning suits, as they are no longer working. Royals

Other members of the family were in military uniform.

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NOBILO (voice-over): The Prince and Princess of Wales there, alongside other royals, singing hymns including, "The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended," "The Lord Is My Shepherd" and "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling."

Also in attendance, leaders from across the globe, including Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Japan's emperor. The Archbishop of Canterbury commented on the breadth of love for Her Majesty the Queen, before they all came together for the national anthem.

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JUSTIN WELBY, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: Her late Majesty famously, declared on the 21st birthday broadcast, that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and Commonwealth. Rarely has such a promise been so well kept. Few leaders receive the outpouring of love that we have seen.

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NOBILO: And from Westminster back to, Windsor, the deeply moving scene says the queen in her final homecoming.

Thousands lined the three mile avenue known as The Long Walk at Windsor Castle.

As the queen's coffin made its way to St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle was the place that the queen called home for much of her life. The queen's burial was held privately in the past couple of hours.

And before that, there was more remarkable scenes as Britons bid farewell to the only monarch most of them have ever known.

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NOBILO (voice-over): This is just a snapshot of the crowds as the queen's coffin made its way to the Windsor Castle and eventually into St. George's Chapel.

King Charles following the coffin to its final resting place, a private moment being shared so publicly; fitting, some may say, for a woman who vowed to devote her life to her country and to its people.

During the committal service the imperial state crown, orb and sceptre were removed from the queen's coffin and placed on the chapel's altar. The moment symbolized the end of her seven-decade reign. Then came the somber moment her coffin was lowered into the royal vault.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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, may thy caution this day be in peace and lie dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem, amen.

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NOBILO: That was the last time the queen's coffin will ever be seen in public. And to close the service, music from the piper of the sovereign, who played a final lament.

We will be right back.

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NOBILO: Protests have erupted in Iran after a young woman died in custody. A local new agencies quoted the police say that Mahsa Amini's death was an unfortunate incident and denying that she was harmed.

But few believe that. Iran's morality police detained her last Tuesday. It enforces the country's strict hijab rules and witnesses say they saw police beating her inside their van, which they deny.

State media released an edited video of Amini collapsing, at a reeducation center. Police say the 22-year old died of heart attack. Demonstrations over the incident have gone on for three days now in Tehran, the Kurdish region, (INAUDIBLE) and other areas.

In this video shared by the Free Union of Iranian, Workers protesters took to the streets, chanting "Death to the dictator."

And an American citizen who was held captive in Afghanistan for more than two years is free after a prisoner swap. This was confirmed by a senior White House official. Engineer Mark Frerichs was kidnapped in January 2020 while working in Afghanistan. And he was believed to have been held by the Haqqani Network, a group with close ties to the Taliban.

He was exchanged for an Afghan tribal leader linked to the Taliban, who was imprisoned in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. U.S. security correspondent Kylie Atwood is in New York for us.

How long did it take to secure the trade?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: In the statement that President Biden put out, he referenced years of work on behalf of U.S. government officials and allied governments around the world on this.

But it's very clear in speaking to a senior administration official that the real hard work came in recent months, when it became clear to the U.S. government that the key to securing Mark Frerichs was an Afghan, who was a drug trafficker, serving time in a U.S. prison.

And that is the person who ultimately President Biden decided, back in June, that he would grant clemency for. Now the U.S. government conducted an assessment, a government-wide assessment, to make sure that, if they released him, there would not be any increased threat to Americans emanating from Afghanistan or there would not be any additional fuel added to the current drug trade, happening in Afghanistan. They decided that there would not be any material change to those two

things. That is how they decided to move forward. Of course it took a number of months, however, for this to fully come to fruition and for Mark Frerichs to eventually be released from Afghanistan today and currently on his way to Germany for medical treatment.

NOBILO: And what is Mr. Frerichs' family saying today?

ATWOOD: They are saying that they obviously welcome this and have been praying every single day for the last 31 months that he has been held hostage in Afghanistan, that is 2.5 years.

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ATWOOD: And they're also saying that they believe that he is alive today because of this decision that President Biden made.

Now, of course, they are welcoming this prisoner swap that enabled Mark Frerichs to be released. Of course some will be critical of that prisoner swap, because they will know druglord Noorzai was an infamous drug trafficker before he went into prison here in the United States.

But ultimately this is something that is a top priority for the Biden administration. They've been working on a number of cases of American hostages or Americans wrongfully detained abroad. Mark Frerichs is one of those today, who it is a good story for.

His family looks forward to speaking with him, they've not had a conversation with him yet but we'll continue to track in the days to come.

NOBILO: Kylie Atwood, thank you for the update.

A storm is lashing in Japan nearly 10 million people were told to seek higher ground as typhoon Namnadol plowed into the country in the south. At least two people have been killed in the, storm and 300,000 are now without power. Namnadol is the 14th typhoon to hit Japan this year.

And we'll be right back with much more news.

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NOBILO: In the last couple of hours, the royal family said their final goodbyes to their matriarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in a private ceremony. She's now buried alongside her late husband, Prince Philip. CNN's Max Foster has been following all of the key movements here in Windsor and everything for the past two weeks.

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: As you have, Bianca

NOBILO: -- not quite as much as, you Max.

The private burial ceremony that happened around 7:30 this, evening, are we are likely to never find out details of what. Happened

FOSTER: No, I think that is entirely private. Three stages to the day really for the international televised moment in central London, more intimate but still a big event here in Windsor.

That was -- we do know what happened in that burial. But they are officially giving us any, details because that would be seen as not a sacrosanct, moment but a family moment. So we know that both coffins for Philip and Elizabeth were lifted out of the vault and buried in that chapel, alongside the queen's parents and sister.

NOBILO: That, chapel that George VI memorial chapel, is actually really small and intimate and quite simple for a great queen.

FOSTER: Yes, and you have to look through bars, to see it. I don't know when the castle is reopening. An amazing moment for people to go and see the plaque, Queen Elizabeth's plaque in there next to the rest of the family. She wanted to be buried with them, the other kings' and queens' remains in the vaults. That's how she wanted it to be.

NOBILO: There have been so many moments that have moved people, been quite, poignant.

What's been the moment for you?

FOSTER: Today or throughout?

NOBILO: Today.

FOSTER: Today I think it was, Charles, bleary eyed after the coffin was lowered into the vault because you can't read what he is thinking there other than his mother's disappearing but I think also he realizes it is all on, him. Now

NOBILO: Yes that's what I was thinking, too, when I watched it.

[16:55:00]

NOBILO: All of the responsibility is being transferred, almost to him in a very obvious way.

FOSTER: They have had this amazing 11-day transition period where the world's got used to the idea the queen isn't there and he is. There was a bit of emphasis on each of. Them but now it is entirely over to. Him and he has to pick up on the legacy but also the diaries now are switched to him being monarch.

And he has this enormous staff and has to figure out how to deal with it all. Of course he's planned for, it but he has the longest period as an heir to the throne of anyone, ever. That's even more pressure, isn't it? Thought about it, more rather than being dropped into it as the queen was.

NOBILO: Then there's pretty much no, expectations I. Suppose or nobody knew what to expect.

And if we look along the last 12 days, has anything surprised you or, I don't know, caught you off guard, even with the children that we saw today?

FOSTER: The, children I was surprised that the Prince and Princess of Wales brought them along but only last week I was being told not to expect to see the children. But I have also been told, today a lot of consideration went into the decision to bring them in. And obviously the concern, is could they handle it?

These images are going to live forever. But I think it was important for George to be, there, particularly because he could see what is ahead of him. And also to have that history of knowing what happened when the queen died.

The next time it is going to happen is the king and then his father. A lot of people, asking why does Charlotte need to be there?

The monarchy is slimmed down. Charlotte is going to be key support to George for the rest of his life so it is very important that she was there and understood how George felt at the moment.

NOBILO: It's a weird domino. Effect when you described the coffin being lowered into the, vault all the responsibility landing on King Charles and you can see that obviously there is more on William as the Prince of Wales. And George, the generations being elevated and taking on more responsibility.

FOSTER: I think my biggest memory, probably, is going to be the queues. Extraordinary response, all the crowds not just in central London but all the way to Windsor today. And I think that is the biggest testament to the monarchy, as it was.

NOBILO: Max Foster, thank you so much.

And thank you for watching this hour of special coverage. Please stay with CNN. I'll be right back after this break.