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CNN Live Today

Press Prepares for McCartney Wedding

Aired June 10, 2002 - 10:19   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: In honor of the McCartney nuptials that are set to take place tomorrow, we went through our video vault, and look at this treasure that we found. Old Beatles footage; you can see Paul McCartney and John Lennon there singing "All You Need is Love," and then that cut-away, Mick Jagger, who also in the news. Of all people. Looks like he is going to be Sir Mick Jagger.

Our Richard Quest is standing by in London. Are you in London or are you in -- you're in Glaslough, where the wedding will take place.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm in Glaslough. I'm indeed in Glaslough outside Castle Leslie, where the wedding will take place. Interesting story, that. Apparently, according to reports, it is the prime minister that's put forward Mick Jagger for his knighthood. If he does get it, and we will know next week, June 15 is when the queen's birthday honors list is to be announced.

If he does get it, he will of course be in good company with not only Sir Elton John, but of course also Sir Paul McCartney who is just now, just roughly about 40 minutes away from seeing Sir Paul and Heather Mills, his fiancee. They have been described as being like love-struck teenagers, lively and bubbly, as they're walking around the 17th century castle where they will hold their wedding ceremony tomorrow.

Some 300 guests, 98 percent of those are described as friends and family. Although I'm not sure who else you would invite to your wedding besides friends and family. Be that as it may, in just about 40 minutes time, they are expected to come up here, where there will be the most amazing bun fight (ph), as we say, with photographers and with cameras. You can't see it from where you are, but take it from me, there must be a good -- 60, 70 people in front of me, waiting for that opportunity. And as always on these things, the torturous negotiations are underway of where they will stand, which way they will look, how they will do this. And that's all going on at the moment.

Now, one other little point to bring you, and an interesting point. Paul McCartney's last wife, Linda McCartney, who of course passed away from breast cancer, now her family, the Eastman family, have also been invited, and we understand some of them are now in the castle and will be there.

So, along with Paul McCartney's children, both three from his marriage with Linda McCartney and also his step-daughter, Heather, from Linda's previous marriage, and what's interesting about it is there have been so many rumors, so much speculation of whether there was family rifts, were they all talking to each other.

It does appear, Daryn, that on the day all parties will at least paper over the cracks and the best foot forward will be put -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Such a lovely thought, Richard. Tell me more about this castle that they have picked to get married in. Why here?

QUEST: Right. Well, it is a 17th century castle. It's owned by the Leslie family. Sir John Leslie, known as Jack, he was the one that gave the game away earlier last week when he said, he told everybody it was going to be here and it was going to be on Tuesday. Apparently Paul McCartney thought that was hilarious. He recognized he wasn't going to be able to keep this a secret forever.

Interestingly, there are various rooms, the blue room, the red room. They're all extremely luxurious. They all have a unique quality about them. This isn't your standard three-star hotel. This isn't your Hilton or Ramada Inn, you know. You've got four-poster beds, and if you ever look around some the rooms, as you see from the web site, you get a very good idea of what it is. Now we do know that although they spent the night together last night, at least this is what -- I say we know, who am I kidding?

KAGAN: Where are you hanging out, Richard?

QUEST: Well, they told us they spent the night together last night but of course tonight would be highly inappropriate, most unlucky. So tonight one will be in the blue room, one will be in the red room. Maybe another in the green room. Who knows exactly which way it'll all go around. But we do know they will be in castle. The ceremony is expected to take place roughly this time tomorrow. That gives the time to get the people from Britain, from Liverpool, from inside Dublin or Belfast and bringing them down to the castle.

KAGAN: Richard, I understand by going on the website, we can get a 360 view of at least the red room. You get an idea of how luxurious this room is. But I also understand that no matter how luxurious, none of the phones have clocks, phones or televisions.

QUEST: This was very much a deciding point for the McCartneys. For Paul McCartney. The idea of no phones, no televisions, so I could be around here for hours and no one has in there has any idea of what we are saying. Also, the idea of no locks was supposed to be appealing to them. They wanted this to be a family environment. After all, it is a wedding. I mean it may a media fighting circus for the rest of us. But Paul McCartney, he's only been married once before, and that marriage lasted some 30 years. So from his point of view, it is a major event.

Also, we are waiting to hear confirmation of what the ceremony is going to be like, who will take part. We believe and we hear rumors that Ringo Starr may have sort of rewritten, or at least done a new version of, "All You Need is Love," which is going to be performed. It is just speculation and gossip at the end of the day. We will know more facts in about a few moments: in about 40 minutes. We will know then, because let's face it, if McCartney and Mills, when they're standing just over there, aren't able to tell us the facts, then we are in deep trouble.

KAGAN: Absolutely. We will put in for battle pay for you for putting up with the all world media out there, Richard. Thanks for being so brave and taking on the assignment of the McCartney wedding. As you heard Richard mention, we do expect Paul McCartney and Heather Mills to come out. When they do, you will see it live on CNN.

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