Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Golden Jubilee Weekend Wraps Up this Evening
Aired June 04, 2002 - 11:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And with the latest on the finale to the jubilee in London, let's bring in our Christiane Amanpour.
Christiane, why security in the water?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's security everywhere. As you can imagine, it's going to be pretty hard to patrol such a huge group of people. But they have tried, obviously. Any time the queen is around there's heavy security, and particularly in a post September 11 world, the security is even greater.
There are marksmen on Buckingham Palace and in all the buildings that are looking over this long mile where the parades are coming down. What we have here now is a continuation of several hours of parades that have been going on here in front of Buckingham Palace. And right now is what's known as the services parade. Here we have representatives from everything from the prison service to the Red Cross to all sorts of military regiments to the Fire Brigade. We saw the life boat, the Coast Guard Service. And right now behind us, I think, was just -- in any event, before was the Royal British Legion.
Let me bring in Robert Jobson, who is the royal commentator and has been assisting us through this long Jubilee weekend. Robert, what is different, do you think, this time around, the last Jubilee was in 1977, and this has got a completely different flavor.
ROBERT JOBSON, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Well, this really is an inclusive flavor. Everybody wants to be involved. The queen wanted that as a major message to get across. And look, the crowds are amazing. It has really made me proud to be British, and I think it is a great party.
AMANPOUR: Well, listen, a lot of people in the palace were quite worried that this would not turn out to be anything like it is.
JOBSON: Well, they were estimating numbers around 200,000. They didn't expect a million people in the streets of London, but this is a truly historic moment, and people wanted to join in, and be part of it.
AMANPOUR: Well, let me ask you why is it a historic moment. Everybody has been making a big deal about this Jubilee, not just in England, but around the world, a lot of coverage. Yet, some people will say that a monarchy is anachronistic, outdated. Why is this important?
JOBSON: Well, they can say what they like. The bottom line is British constitution works. We have a prime minister on the political side, but the queen is the head of state, and it's a way of the British people celebrating being British. The chance to wave their flags, and join the party. They're not just celebrating monarchy here. They're celebrating 50 years of stability in the British way of life.
AMANPOUR: In the 1950s, when the king of Egypt was about to be deposed, he's recorded as saying that in a few years, there will only be five queens left. The queen of hearts, the queen of clubs, the queen of spades, the queen of diamonds, and the queen of the House of Windsor. He probably never imagined that it would last another almost 50 years. What is the secret to the longevity, because even all across Europe, the monarchies exist, but they are nothing like this one. They have all sort of reduced their roles, become much more proletariat, if you like.
JOBSON: I think the secret is the queen is the pinnacle of a triangle. The bottom of that triangle is the British, and work up in a system that works, and it's a supported system. And she is -- as head of state, is a figurehead. But we are able here to celebrate the British way of life, and I think that is what it is all about. We're not just celebrating monarchy, we are celebrating being British.
AMANPOUR: Daryn, our anchor in Atlanta, asked me last hour if I was able to talk to the queen, what would I ask her. I think I have changed my mind about what I would ask her. I would ask her why she thought it was important, why the monarchy in England was important. What do you think she would say to that?
JOBSON: Difficult question. I think she believes the monarchy symbolizes the British way of life. The way of family, the way of religious services, and I think that she thinks it celebrates being British. I think that's what she would say.
AMANPOUR: All right. Robert, thank you very much indeed. So this is going to be another couple of hours of parades, and then this ends at about 6:00 our time, when there will be a fly-past by vintage and modern British fighter planes, and of course, the Concorde as well. Britain owns one of the Concordes, the other is owned by France, and the Concorde will fly over here, and then there will be the traditional royal wave from Buckingham Palace, and that will have wrapped up this long, four-day weekend Golden Jubilee here -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Christiane, for the record, you are allowed to edit your list of questions until you land the big interview, so that is just fine.
AMANPOUR: I changed my mind.
KAGAN: That's fine. It is -- women reporters' prerogative to do just that. Our viewers have been writing in questions that they would ask the queen if they had the big interview, and one of our viewers wrote in, she would ask the queen, what do you carry in your purse and do you need to carry identification?
So when you land the big interview, you might want to put that maybe at the bottom of the list of questions that you will ask.
AMANPOUR: Yes, at the bottom. No, no. Some people are really interested in that. What does she have in her purse?
JOBSON: I don't think it is money.
AMANPOUR: We don't think it's money.
KAGAN: I don't think so either. And apparently Christiane, there's great fascination with the queen's purse, so as we go to break, we will be taking more viewer e-mail and more comments on the purse. Christiane Amanpour in London. Thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
