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CNN Live At Daybreak

Queen Celebrates 50 Years on Throne

Aired June 02, 2003 - 06:21   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take you live to London. Oh, we're already there, because the queen, Richard, I understand has arrived, along with Prince Charles and Prince William?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, yes. Welcome to London.

We are at Buckingham Palace, the Service of Thanksgiving for Her Majesty, the queen. Fifty years on the throne and 50 years crowned today.

Robert Jobson, our royal commentator at CNN, joins me.

What is the significance of this other than a chance to get a pomp and pageantry going?

ROBERT JOBSON, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it marks the 50th years. I think the queen, a devoutly religious person, wanted to make it with a service of thanksgiving. She's tried to play down the ceremony, but thousands of people have turned up. So they want to remember the 50 years in their own way.

QUEST: And Camille Parker Bowles, the queen's -- Prince Charles's companion -- has been invited by the queen to the Abbey.

JOBSON: A big move. And tonight she will be dining with the queen at Clarence House, the Queen Mother's old residence, which she's going to be moving into with Prince Charles very shortly. So, yes, a big step in the right direction for Charles and Camilla.

QUEST: Why did the queen decide to invite Camilla in her own right, as Charles' companion, to this particular event? And yet they won't sit together or arrive together or leave together, yet we all know they are together?

JOBSON: Well, that, I believe, is a bit of nonsense. She's three rows back behind Prince Charles. But I think there's been a gradual process for the acceptance of Charles and Camilla, and we're almost there, I think.

QUEST: All right, Robert Jobson, our royal commentator, helping us understand what's happening here in London.

We thank you for that.

Now, the queen is due to leave from Buckingham Palace any time now. We just had the household cavalry arriving for the changing of the guard and as you can see, I was hoping that Her Majesty might be watching us, Carol, and might realize that, you know, mom, it's time for you to leave. But we do know that the rest of the royal family is actually in the Abbey waiting for the service. And any time now the queen will leave. And, in fact, the motorcycles look like they're starting to move out. You can just see over my shoulder. So it can't be long before the queen herself on the way to her service of thanksgiving.

COSTELLO: Yes, but, Richard, I think that most Americans would care about Prince William. We're happy for the queen, but I think Prince William would be the prime focus for most Americans.

QUEST: Well, well, what is going to be interesting today is that tonight at that party that Robert Jobson was saying, we will have a picture, and it will be the first time we will have a picture of William, Charles and the queen. So the monarch, the heir to the throne and the heir's heir to the throne, that'll be the first time that we will get a chance to see that.

William, of course, as you know, called the reluctant prince. He doesn't like to be called HRH. William doesn't even use his name. He just goes by William Windsor and doesn't like to be -- he's a very shy young man, is young William, so we're told.

COSTELLO: So we're told.

Thank you, Richard Quest, for bring you up to date.

Great pictures live from London this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired June 2, 2003 - 06:21   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take you live to London. Oh, we're already there, because the queen, Richard, I understand has arrived, along with Prince Charles and Prince William?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, yes. Welcome to London.

We are at Buckingham Palace, the Service of Thanksgiving for Her Majesty, the queen. Fifty years on the throne and 50 years crowned today.

Robert Jobson, our royal commentator at CNN, joins me.

What is the significance of this other than a chance to get a pomp and pageantry going?

ROBERT JOBSON, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it marks the 50th years. I think the queen, a devoutly religious person, wanted to make it with a service of thanksgiving. She's tried to play down the ceremony, but thousands of people have turned up. So they want to remember the 50 years in their own way.

QUEST: And Camille Parker Bowles, the queen's -- Prince Charles's companion -- has been invited by the queen to the Abbey.

JOBSON: A big move. And tonight she will be dining with the queen at Clarence House, the Queen Mother's old residence, which she's going to be moving into with Prince Charles very shortly. So, yes, a big step in the right direction for Charles and Camilla.

QUEST: Why did the queen decide to invite Camilla in her own right, as Charles' companion, to this particular event? And yet they won't sit together or arrive together or leave together, yet we all know they are together?

JOBSON: Well, that, I believe, is a bit of nonsense. She's three rows back behind Prince Charles. But I think there's been a gradual process for the acceptance of Charles and Camilla, and we're almost there, I think.

QUEST: All right, Robert Jobson, our royal commentator, helping us understand what's happening here in London.

We thank you for that.

Now, the queen is due to leave from Buckingham Palace any time now. We just had the household cavalry arriving for the changing of the guard and as you can see, I was hoping that Her Majesty might be watching us, Carol, and might realize that, you know, mom, it's time for you to leave. But we do know that the rest of the royal family is actually in the Abbey waiting for the service. And any time now the queen will leave. And, in fact, the motorcycles look like they're starting to move out. You can just see over my shoulder. So it can't be long before the queen herself on the way to her service of thanksgiving.

COSTELLO: Yes, but, Richard, I think that most Americans would care about Prince William. We're happy for the queen, but I think Prince William would be the prime focus for most Americans.

QUEST: Well, well, what is going to be interesting today is that tonight at that party that Robert Jobson was saying, we will have a picture, and it will be the first time we will have a picture of William, Charles and the queen. So the monarch, the heir to the throne and the heir's heir to the throne, that'll be the first time that we will get a chance to see that.

William, of course, as you know, called the reluctant prince. He doesn't like to be called HRH. William doesn't even use his name. He just goes by William Windsor and doesn't like to be -- he's a very shy young man, is young William, so we're told.

COSTELLO: So we're told.

Thank you, Richard Quest, for bring you up to date.

Great pictures live from London this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com