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Listen to Harry, Meghan Exchange Vow; Markle to Give Speech at Reception; Santa Fe Community Devastated by School Shooting; First Lady Released from Hospital; Another View of the Royal Couple as They Head to 2nd Reception; Soldier Saved by Prince Harry Attends Wedding. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired May 19, 2018 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00] CLARISSA WARD, CNN ANCHOR: This is just a visual feast. It's been nonstop beauty, beauty, beauty, both in the physical sense and also in the emotional sense with that exceptionally moving, moving ceremony.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: They could not have picked a better day. Both inside and outside of the chapel, it's just been spectacular. They are very much in love, as you can see how they're looking at each other. Once they exited the chapel, it was just fantastic.
WARD: The kiss.
LEMON: Flowers and kissing and love all around.
Let's -- speaking of the love all around, how about we listen to the exchange of the vows.
WARD: Do, let's.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE HARRY: I, Harry, take you Meghan.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: To be my wife.
PRINCE HARRY: To be my wife.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: To have and to hold.
PRINCE HARRY: To have and to hold.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: From this day forward.
PRINCE HARRY: From this day forward.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: For better or for worse.
PRINCE HARRY: For better or for worse.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: For richer, for poorer.
MEGHAN MARKLE, BRIDE OF PRINCE HARRY: For richer, for poorer. UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: In sickness and in health.
MARKLE: In sickness and in health.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: To love and to cherish.
MARKLE: To love and to cherish.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: Till death us do part.
MARKLE: Till death us do part.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: According to God's holy law.
PRINCE HARRY: According to God's holy law.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: In the presence of God.
PRINCE HARRY: In the presence of God.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: I make this vow.
PRINCE HARRY: I make this vow.
Meghan, I give you this ring.
MARKLE: Harry, I give you this ring.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: I, therefore, proclaim that they are husband and wife.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: The cheer.
LEMON: Yes, congratulations.
You know, I watched her hand, she wasn't even shaking.
WARD: No tremble.
LEMON: Yes.
WARD: I definitely would have been shaking.
LEMON: It was as if -- I mean, a number of people made the point, including Richard Quest, that they did all of this in front of everyone. But imagine, I mean, but pulled it off without --
WARD: Well, that's the thing. Even --
(CROSSTALK)
WARD: And it did feel that way. I was inside the walls of the castle and it really felt intimate. You didn't feel in those moments necessarily that the eyes of the world were on you. This was a husband a husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend before they said, "I do," expressing their love, with such poise, such grace. We're going to see them again, Don. This is the exciting thing.
LEMON: The second reception.
WARD: One more hour until we get to see them again.
LEMON: Well, they snuck in one more kiss in public. This is on kiss count, right.
(CROSSTALK)
WARD: Will we get a third?
LEMON: Now we're on reception count. Also, she's going to be speaking at the reception.
WARD: Which is highly unusual, can I just say. At most British weddings, not very common for the bride to speak. But, again, this is what we're seeing from Meghan Markle. She -- or the Duchess of Sussex, I should say. She's a trail blazer.
LEMON: You said highly unusual. Unusual in a good way.
WARD: Absolutely.
LEMON: And I think Max Foster can attest to that. He has been out and about.
Max and I have been up since the wee hours. We're still here. I have gotten to, you know, get a couple hours sleep.
You have not, sir. How you holding up? Are you going to the next reception? What's going on?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you say that. Don, you flew in last night, came to the wedding of the century, and you're just going to rock out later on in fantastic shoes, I might add. Not the ones he has on now, the ones he had on earlier.
What we've seen today is Meghan Markle really assert herself at this wedding. She has done it in her own way. It's up to us to sort of read the symbolism into that. There's certainly some there. Don's seeing some there. I've seen some there. It continues tonight because we've just learned that Meghan Markle will be giving her own speech on behalf of herself and her family at the reception, the party reception later on tonight at Frogmore House. So this is Meghan Markle, the independent woman, but marrying a prince in her own way and rocking the royal household.
WARD: Max, it strikes me that people must be impressed by Meghan to show such poise, such grace, under such pressure, under the scrutiny of billions of people, and with no other family members other than her mother there. From the crowds that you've been talking to, are people impressed?
FOSTER: You know, I think people are just amazed by her. Particularly when, you know, she hasn't been around that long. If you think of Kate Middleton and Prince William, they knew each other for years. We got used to her for years. We knew they were going out for years. She took a very long time in saying yes to Prince William, who was entirely, a decision in her hands. William said, you know what you're taking on, it's up to you, I'm not going to try to force you in any way to marry me, it's up to you.
Meghan Markle's different. You know, they had a six, seven-month relationship. And it was between continents. And they spent a lot of time apart. She hadn't had a chance to get used to the system. But maybe, just maybe, that's what helped her. She was told she could have whatever wedding she liked. Obviously, in tandem with Harry. But this has definitely got her stamp on it. Perhaps not knowing the system has allowed her to have the wedding she wants. As a result of that, she's created a new type of royal wedding, which is so much more inclusive than anything else we've seen before.
[13:05:09] LEMON: All right, Max, thank you very much. We appreciate that.
Again, we're paying close attention for the next reception. That's the knee's-up reception.
WARD: That's the knee's-up reception.
LEMON: They let it all hang out.
As we standby to see the newlyweds one more time, I want to bring in our panel of experts. Former deputy editor of "Vogue, U.K.," Emily Sheffield. The royal commentator, Richard Fitzwilliams. And "People" magazine's chief foreign correspondent, Simon Perry.
Hello, all of you.
WARD: Hello.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Thank you for joining us.
WARD: Emily, beautiful day, right?
EMILY SHEFFIELD, FORMER DEPUTY EDITOR, VOGUE, U.K.: Beautiful. You've really lucked out, I must say.
WARD: Beautiful day, beautiful dress, if I may say.
SHEFFIELD: Thank you very much.
WARD: What did you make of Meghan's choice? Were you surprised? Givenchy. Were you expecting a French fashion?
SHEFFIELD: I think it was the best-kept secret. I think no one guessed actually. There's been so many names bandied about. Clare Waight Keller was not one often put in the hat. I think Givenchy, which is a French house. She was born in Birmingham. She's very well liked in the fashion industry. She was at Chloe before she went to Givenchy. I think the dress, you know, we all knew, we heard Meghan would keep it very simple and classic, and I think she said in 2016 that classic and simple is the name of the game with wedding dressings. I think you could not have gotten more classic and simple than what she wore today.
LEMON: This is going to be, as you said, classic over time. We were talking earlier, five decades from now, this dress will still look beautiful and current.
SHEFFIELD: Absolutely, still beautiful and current. Actually, Givenchy designed for Audrey Hepburn and she was his muse. I don't know if anyone remembers "Funny Face" --
WARD: Yes.
SHEFFIELD: -- where Audrey wears that beautiful dress with the boat- top neck. This dress is not the same, but is similar, has echoed of it. That dress worn by Audrey 30, 40 years ago is still timeless today. I think the understatement in the dress was very Meghan. I think she's really approached this wedding with so much poise and elegance.
WARD: Poise is the word, isn't it?
SHEFFIELD: Absolutely.
(CROSSTALK)
WARD: I mean, the grace of this woman under all this extraordinary pressure. With everybody looking at you.
(CROSSTALK)
WARD: And the confidence.
SHEFFIELD: And the confidence, natural confidence. Harry looked more nervous than she did today. And he's used to this. I suppose she is too, she's a Hollywood star. But she looked so natural, like she was really enjoying it. One of the best moments, when they went up to the carriage and came away from the people, and you saw her lean forward and go, ah.
WARD: We did it.
(CROSSTALK)
SHEFFIELD: I thought that was -- she let a breath out because they've been waving for so long.
LEMON: I think she was overwhelmed, too --
SHEFFIELD: Overwhelmed. LEMON: -- to see all of the people out on the roof.
SHEFFIELD: Yes. Absolutely.
LEMON: Richard, Simon, how are you guys?
RICHARD FITZSIMMONS, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Well, how could one be, other than saying that it's rather like the Victorian commentator's comment about the royal wedding. It rivets mankind. And this was absolutely thrilling. Fascinating, too, the list of guests and what they were wearing. But also so touching and moving. You were mentioning Meghan's extraordinary poise and the fact that she is such a stylish beauty. In fact, this came across I thought so vividly.
But also Harry. I thought he was deeply emotional. At one point, dabbed his eyes. No question he was feeling a tremendous amount of admiration.
LEMON: You used the word fascinating. What was fascinating? What did you see?
FITZWILLIAMS: If you saw the body language, Harry was I think on the verge of tears because someone he loved, who had been under a lot of pressure in the last week -- and if you consider this as a culmination of months of planning. And they were going to be wed by the archbishop of Canterbury. And his father was, after all, the last wedding. Interesting, Meghan, as a feminist, and a very, very attractive one, was making sure the original plans, because her father's name was still on the order. In the original plans, she was going to go up solo halfway. I think that's very significant.
WARD: Very significant. What a striking image it was to just see her arriving, that beautiful train behind her, on her own. Empowered. Beautiful. I mean, it was really quite moving.
I guess the question becomes -- we haven't talked about this yet. Where does Diana's legacy fit into all this? What would she have made of this extraordinary ceremony?
SIMON PERRY, CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: She'd have been very proud of her son, firstly. And thrilled that he's found such a woman in Meghan that he has found. She's -- like you were saying, you know, she walked up two-thirds of the way on her own and she's very clear that was going to be a decision from the start. This is one symbol, one of many ways she slightly changed things. Slightly modernizing things, if you like, bringing today's royal family in today's world.
Look at Pastor Curry, for example, bringing a bit of America over here. OK, they hadn't met him before, didn't know him personally, but it was a great suggestion from the archbishop of Canterbury. Lit up the place.
[13:10:31] LEMON: Yes.
PERRY: Made it very American, very -- (CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I think there was a lot of America --
WARD: Absolutely.
LEMON: -- interwoven into this ceremony. I think that's what made it extraordinary and unique. As an American, I have to say that.
But people say every little girl grows up wanting to be a princess, and, oh, my gosh, she's so lucky, she won the lottery. But I think the royal family won the lottery.
SHEFFIELD: I think so.
LEMON: They need her as much as she needs them.
SHEFFIELD: Absolutely. Absolutely.
LEMON: They get as much out of it, maybe more.
SHEFFIELD: No, it's great. She's an incredible sort of modern American woman. Who's earned her own money. She's got quite feminist thoughts about women succeeding. She's come over her own challenges in her life, I would say, as Harry has. He lost his mother, age 12.
LEMON: His parents were divorced.
SHEFFIELD: His parents were divorced.
(CROSSTALK)
SHEFFIELD: He walked behind his mother's coffin in front of millions of people. For any 12 year old. He has spoken very movingly last year for mental health charities. Admitting to his own mental health.
(CROSSTALK)
WARD: And talking about how no child should really have been put through that.
SHEFFIELD: He said he was glad to have made his mother proud. I think he's probably got mixed feelings about what he went through. Honestly, she's this wonderful modern American woman. Then there's this very traditional British family. And they're coming together. I think it really is going to be --
(CROSSTALK)
WARD: How does her style compare to Kate's? It seems she's a little more fashion forward maybe than Kate. Kate's a little safer in some of her choices.
SHEFFIELD: A little. She comes from that Hollywood world where she's used to going out on the red carpet. Although, she's fashion forward, Meghan, she's -- it's not outrageous. It's very elegant. WARD: Right.
LEMON: She's a little more glamorous.
SHEFFIELD: A little more glamorous.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Both equally as --
(CROSSTALK)
SHEFFIELD: Yes.
LEMON: Good fashion.
SHEFFIELD: Yes.
LEMON: But it's just different fashion.
SHEFFIELD: Slightly different. Got that slight more American red- carpet flare to it.
LEMON: Right.
WARD: Right.
SHEFFIELD: But I have to say, in the choice of dresses, Kate Middleton when she was getting married --
WARD: Alexander McQueen.
SHEFFIELD: She was Alexander McQueen. It was also incredibly classic. It was a bit of a bigger dress. There was the heir to the throne getting married. Again, today, she wore McQueen. And it's amazing.
WARD: Do you -- you talk about the heir to the throne issue. Do you have the sense Meghan and Harry were able to have a bit more fun to this, were able to weave in new modern ideas with old traditions because he is not the immediate heir to the throne?
FITZWILLIAMS: Absolutely, right. This was not a state occasion as Charles and Diana's was. It wasn't a semi-state occasion as William and Kate were. And there's no doubt at all that you could see the personal touches from the guests. Apart from, Sir John, the prime minister, then he was guarding --
(CROSSTALK)
FITZWILLIAMS: -- William and Harry after their mother's tragic death.
What I was fascinated by, just the dress, which I absolutely adored, may I say. But the links in that veil with every nation in the commonwealth, all 53, the floral designs. Harry and Meghan are going to be a dynamic charitable duo, in Britain, and in the commonwealth and in the wider world. And of course, he is a youth ambassador for the commonwealth. You can see such an exciting future. Think how thrilling it will be for those in the various countries who --
SHEFFIELD: And they're going on tour in September, around the commonwealth.
LEMON: Let's put a final bow on this for us, Simon. Because people -- everyone was wondering what kind of nod they would give to Diana. Best and biggest is Prince Harry. Because he picked up her with the Invictus Games, how charitable she was, and who he chose to marry, I think that was the biggest nod.
(CROSSTALK)
WARD: And she was such a champion of life.
(CROSSTALK)
PERRY: Like Richard was saying about the commonwealth, they're going to go out there with developing countries and other countries around the world, the commonwealth. She's made that symbol on her dress. That will have gone down very well with the queen, by the way, I'm sure. And do what is similar to what Diana did and take that message, especially attacking things like HIV in difficult parts of the world, yes.
[13:14:41] LEMON: Thank you very much, Emily Sheffield, Richard Fitzwilliams and Simon Perry. Really appreciate it. Thank you.
Again, we are less than an hour away from the newlywed Duke and Duchess of Sussex, they're going to be departing the royal castle. So make sure you stay tuned to that. They're going to be going to the second reception. We're back in just a moment. We're covering the royal wedding from Windsor, England.
But, first, here's a moment of singing of "Stand by Me" at the royal wedding. If I can get my words out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We'll have more open the royal wedding and reception in a moment.
But first, we want to bring you up to speed on the school shooting that has devastated the Santa Fe, Texas, community. The governor of Texas will hold a news conference within the next hours. Investigators now believe the gunman acted alone. And 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis is charged with capital murder and aggravated assault of a public servant. Police say he used two guns, legally owned by his father. Officials say suspected explosive devices at and near Santa Fe High School do not pose a threat.
We're learning more about some of the victims. Ten are dead. Ten others wounded. The injured include Santa Fe school resource officer, John Barnes, who is recovering at a hospital. Substitute teacher, Cynthia Tisdale, was killed in the attack. Also killed, Pakistani exchange student, Shabiki Sheikh.
CNN correspondent, Erica Hill, is in Santa Fe for us.
Erica, what is it like for many people now?
[13:20:31] ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you can imagine, Fredricka, both you and I have covered far too many events like this. We're seeing up and down the street at businesses, signs, posting their thoughts, saying their prayers are with Santa Fe. We were talking with folks at a local doughnut shop today and a barber shop One of the women we spoke with is a cafeteria worker in the school. She had a tough time sleeping last night. She referred to them as her kids. Another gentleman, named Walter, who we met in the barber shop, was getting his hair cut. He found out about it. He was in North Houston. He said it was tough to concentrate on his job after he learned about it because his nieces were at the school. But he said, beyond the sympathy and beyond feeling frustrated, he was feeling irritated. He said, look, this is a culture down here, we're hunters, we have guns, we're responsible. He was irritated someone would take their own frustrations out on other people in this manner. Another gentleman we met said the same thing. His sister goes to school here. He graduated from here in 2011. She's a senior. She wasn't there yesterday. He said his parents were more shaken up than she was. She's still trying to process it.
Frankly, Fredricka, most people here are still trying to wrap their head around this has happened in their community.
WHITFIELD: It's still early. It's only been a day. But have we learned anything about memorial services that are in the planning stages?
HILL: As you point out, it is still early. We're still getting positive identification on the victims. We are waiting for that to come from their families when they're ready to put the information out there.
We can tell you there's a vigil planned for today. There's also blood drives which people have been at both today and tomorrow at one of the hospitals. So they'll be focusing on that.
And of course, the other question is, where does the investigation stand. As Fredricka was saying, we're only about 24 hours into this. We started off with a lot of information coming out. We know the suspected shooter is cooperating. That being said, there remains a number of unanswered questions.
CNN's Rosa Flores has been digging on this and joins us with more details -- Rosa? ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, as you mentioned, there's a
lot of information that has been out, but there are still a lot of questions. Normally, by this time and, unfortunately, we've covered so many of these, by this time, we would know more.
Here's the latest. We are expecting the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, to be here on site within the hour. This is where that press conference will be happening.
Let me lay the scene here for you. Back here in the school, in the back of the school, you'll see that's where the command center is. That's where all of the law enforcement agencies have been convening. That's where the command post is. As we keep on panning, now, this is the parking lot of the school and you see a lot of vehicles here. All of these vehicles stayed here after the shooting. We are informed the owners of these vehicles will be able to get their vehicles home soon today. Possibly at noon. Again, a lot of this information still very fluid.
Back to some of those investigative threads. Some of the new things we've learned is that this individual acted alone. We heard a lot about bombs and explosive devices. Now those authorities calling those devices juvenile and unsophisticated -- Erica?
HILL: We also know, Rose, in terms of the guns that were used, police saying those were taken legally. They were legally owned by the shooter's father. Are we hearing any more from his parents or the family at this point?
FLORES: You know, we know that the family has sought counsel. So there are two attorneys that are now representing the family. But we have heard little from them other than the fact that they do say they want all of the facts to come out first and that the parents of this individual are considered victims as well.
And about the weapons, we know that a shotgun and a .38 revolver was used in this particular shooting. We really hadn't heard about a revolver being used in any of these cases before. So that in particular stands out.
We hope to learn more in this press conference that's coming up because, again, there's a lot of details about how this transpired that we still don't know about.
HILL: We'll be waiting for that as well.
Rosa, thank you.
I also want to update you. We're getting confirmation of one of the other victims. And 17-year-old Chris Stone, one of the students killed in the mass shooting that happened behind me here at Santa Fe High School. His sister, Mercedes, spoke with CNN, saying her brother was adventurous and protective of his sisters. Chris Stone, among those whose lives were taken yesterday. He was 17 years old.
Joining us with a closer look at the investigation, what could be happening at this time, CNN law enforcement analyst, retired FBI supervisory special agent, James Gagliano.
As we look at this, and as Rosa pointed out, it was interesting how quickly information coming out, and now things have quieted down. The FBI saying this is going to remain a crime scene for some time. It's not uncommon to withhold some information. But are you surprised we haven't heard more even just today?
[13:25:44] JAMES GAGLIANO, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I think as we've seen a number of these recent active shooter incidents, Erica, the difficulty in trying to distill or glean the motive. That's what's going on back here. This crime scene, sobering work for law enforcement. Just to put this into context with where we're at, this is the second-worst shooting in Texas state history. The first is what law enforcement generally considers to be the first mass shooting, major mass shooting in American history, August 1st, 1966, the Texas Clock Tower shooting in Austin, 16 casualties, 31 wounded. That incident was 52 years ago. We generally credit that incident with being what basically propelled the United States and other countries around the world to set up and put together SWAT teams and start preparing for these things. We saw that basically unfold yesterday.
HILL: You're pointing out the work going on behind us. We've been monitoring a situation here. We're not sure what's happening. But we see law enforcement officials and we see folks here who are gathered outside the school just in the last 10 minutes or so.
I want to pick up on something you just said. You and I talked about what changed after Columbine and what has changed with every shooting we followed since then in terms of the response. Not just the investigation but the response. Is there anything that you know of that has changed even in just a few months, just since February, since what we saw in Parkland, in terms of what we saw yesterday here?
GAGLIANO: Sure, the model for law enforcement back in the '60s, let's say from that Texas Clock Tower shooting forward, was contain and negotiate. Set up a perimeter. Be patient. Maintain the perimeter. Don't let anybody get in or out of it. Then negotiate. What we found recently is most of these individuals are not looking to negotiate. These are not barricaded subjects. There's no negotiation. So that changed the law enforcement model. It meant we had to go to the sound of the guns. We've seen it spectacularly fail in other places. It's easy to Monday Morning quarterback. If you look at Orlando, the Pulse Nightclub, you look as recently at Parkland what happened there where law enforcement didn't make immediate entry and people, victims, ended up being additional casualties. We have to find a sweet spot in that. Sometimes in these events, the last two in particular, Parkland, here in Texas in Santa Fe, surprisingly, the shooter, the criminal, did not take their own life or die by suicide by cop. Now there's going to be a wealth of information. Obviously, this guy has confessed. We'll try to understand what his grievances were.
HILL: How did that change the investigation, too? When you have that piece of the puzzle because you have the person who is alive, who has reportedly confessed, according to the affidavit. We have these notes that Abbott referred to, talked about him not only wanting to carry out a shooting but to take his own life. That changes things because it brings a lot of investigation that could have taken months, a lot of that is now here for you.
GAGLIANO: The big part of it, too, is the digital age. The fact with social media platforms, everybody wants to put out their thoughts in a moment's notice. They've apparently gotten some journals this shooter apparently put together. Whether it's a manifesto or in some way explains what was going on in his tormented mind, it speaks to motive. People go, why is that so important? It helps us prepare to prevent the next one. That's the goal always in law enforcement.
HILL: That is absolutely the goal.
James, appreciate it, as always.
Fredricka, we'll keep you updated on what's happening on the ground. We are expecting some information coming out of that press conference, which is scheduled for the top of the hour.
WHITFIELD: All right, thank you, Erica. Appreciate it.
Coming up, we're getting breaking details on the first lady. She is now out of the hospital after nearly a week. A live report, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:34:08] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we have breaking news for you from the White House. First lady, Melania Trump, is now out of the hospital. The White House releasing this statement a short time ago, saying this, quote, "The first lady returned home to the White House this morning. She is resting comfortably and remains in high spirits. Our office has received thousands of calls and e-mails wishing Mrs. Trump well. And we thank everyone who has taken the time to reach out," end quote.
Trump has been recuperating at Walter Reed National Medical Center since she underwent a kidney procedure on Monday.
Correspondent Ryan Nobles joining me right now.
Ryan, did the first lady's communications director or anyone else have anything more to say about her condition, why she was being hospitalized for so long?
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, we are learning a little bit more about the situation involving the first lady. Of course, first, we should point out it is very good news she's back here at the White House and is recuperating after this procedure. But there's been quite a few questions. A lot of concerns really for the first lady about the length of her hospital stay after this kidney embolization, which many medical experts say should only require a short hospital stay, maybe even an outpatient situation depending on the situation with the patient. And Mrs. Trump ended up being in the hospital for more than five days. We've been asking her staff specifically about if they could give us more information as to why exactly she was in the hospital for very long. They're pushing back, saying this is a private matter and they're not going to comment about it.
[13:35:34] This is a statement from Stephanie Grisham, her spokesperson. Stephanie says, "Every patient is different. The medical professionals who have been giving opinions to the media based on one statement are uninformed. Mrs. Trump has a medical team that is comfortable with her care, which is all that matters. Her recovery and privacy are paramount. I will have no further comment beyond this. Anyone else who chooses to speak with the media will only be speculating."
So all we really know, Fred, is specifically about these statements that were put out by the first lady's team. They say this was a minor procedure. It's not something that is going to be a lingering health issue for Mrs. Trump, that she was -- that the procedure was successfully, and she's expected to make a full recovery.
Of course, the president himself made several trips over to Walter Reed to visit with his wife. At one point, he told reporters she was doing very well, and he expected her to be home soon.
What we know right now is they're remaining private about her care, about this procedure, and what the future holds. But at this point, she's back here at the White House, is feeling better, and is expected to make a full recovery -- Fred?
WHITFIELD: We're happy she is no longer at the hospital.
Ryan Nobles, thank you so much for that. Appreciate it.
NOBLES: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in Atlanta. We'll have much more of our special coverage from Windsor in just a few moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone, to our special coverage of the royal wedding where thousands lined the streets to celebrate the debut of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as husband and wife.
[13:39:56] CLARISSA WARD, CNN ANCHOR: What a day it has been. We're hoping momentarily, well, actually in about 20 minutes, to get another view of the newlyweds. They're set to leave Windsor Castle and head to an evening reception thrown by Prince Charles. A more intimate affair than the lunchtime reception.
Nick Watt is joining us.
Nick, the second reception is really where the party starts, am I right?
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You are absolutely right, Clarissa. This is down to the core 200 in Frogmore House, which is a beautiful house owned by the Crown, just about a half a mile that way. We hear that Meghan is going to give a speech. That is very, very nontraditional for this type of wedding. We've seen a lot of nontraditional moves by Meghan here, walking herself most of the way down the aisle, the imprint that she had on that order of service. Actually made me think a lot about Diana's wedding. She was 19 years old when she was chosen to marry Prince Charles. She was 20 when she married. She was this demure, poor little girl who basically just did what she was told. Meghan, of course, is 36 years old, she's carved out a great career in Hollywood. She's done the jobs that struggling actors do. She's a calligrapher, maybe too many struggling actors do that. But she was a calligrapher. She was a hostess in a restaurant. She has made it. I think what this day is telling us, the speech she's going to give tonight, the whole way she's conducted it, is how she's going to behave as a princess. She's not going to kowtow and do what she's told. She's going to be Meghan. She's going to carry on being who she is.
You mentioned, Don, thousands lining the streets. Thousands are still lining the streets. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe they're holding out hope for that one last glimpse that we should get within the next 10, 20 minutes. I have a suspicion that Prince Harry may be watching the F.A. Cup final right now between Chelsea and Manchester United. We are going to get that glimpse we hope. Maybe that's why the thousands who came here, some of them are still hanging around for one more slice of royal weddings.
We're not going to have another royal wedding for a long time. The next one might be Prince George. He hasn't even turned 5 yet. So people wringing all they can get out of this historic day.
Back to you.
LEMON: I should make the most of it because I've seen a bunch of --
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LEMON: -- that one will be a long time ago.
You missed two important factors of maybe why people are still lining the street. One is processional. Other one has to do with pints, I'm sure.
(LAUGHTER)
But the real question is, do we know --
WATT: Yes.
LEMON: Do we have any idea what Meghan is going to talk about, what her speech might be about at this reception? Any ideas?
WATT: Don, you've stumped me. I have no ideas. I wish I could tell you I've seen the speech. I have not. Just the fact she's speaking is a big deal. A big deal in the royal family, a big deal in the house of Windsor. Hopefully, we'll get little snippets of what she says a little bit later.
Nick, you're a Brit, and you've been covering the royal family for many years. What struck you most about the ceremony itself?
WATT: Well, obviously, the power of the address by Bishop Curry was pretty amazing. That choir, the kind of blending of, you know, African-American culture with British culture, pretty amazing. Two tiny little moments I really enjoyed, Prince Charles taking Doria Ragland, Meghan's mother, taking her hand as they went into the registry. Doria Ragland was the only blood relative Meghan had here today. The other moment I loved was that bouquet that Meghan was holding, there were some flowers in there that Prince Harry picked himself yesterday from the grounds of Kensington Palace.
LEMON: Ah.
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WATT: It was a tear jerker. It was a lovely, lovely day.
LEMON: All right, Harry, you're making all of us look bad. Cut it out, will you?
(LAUGHTER)
Nick Watt, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
We still have a lot ahead here on our special royal wedding coverage. A soldier who says Prince Harry saved his life in the military is one of the many guests invited to royal wedding. We're going to speak with James Wharton, next.
[13:44:13] But first, the special moment when the beautiful bride, Meghan Markle, walked down the aisle.
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LEMON: Welcome back, everyone, for our special coverage from Windsor. It is a beautiful day here. A gorgeous day. A day of love.
Among the many guests at today's royal wedding is a man who has a very special relationship with Prince Harry, Clarissa.
WARD: That is right, Don. The prince was James Wharton's tank commander when the two of them trained together in the British army. Wharton, who is openly gay, says Prince Harry saved his life when he intervened to save him from a mob of his fellow soldiers.
I'll let James Wharton tell you now.
James, tell us the story? What happened?
[13:49:51] JAMES WHARTON, SOLDIER INVITED TO ROYAL WEDDING: It was 10 years ago. I was serving in Canada at the time. Prince Harry was obviously with us. I found myself as his gunner. I sat next to him in a little tank and we had a driver. When you're in that environment, working in a tank, it's a close-knit crew. We became -- we became very close as soldiers working together. One particular day, I found myself in a particularly sticky situation because I was an out gay soldier. I was always out about my sexuality in the army. And there were some soldiers working with us that day from another part of the British Army, who didn't know who I was or know anything about me, but heard that I was gay and took it in a negative, in a negative way, and didn't like the fact that I was gay. Although, everyone I'd ever served with in my regiment was absolutely fine with it. These soldiers confronted me about it and made me feel intimidated about it and made me feel quite worried. I climbed back into my tank where I found Prince Harry at the time doing what Prince Harry did in the time, just doing things. And he said, what's up with you? He could see there was something wrong. I told him the full situation. I told him there were some soldiers outside who weren't very happy with the fact that I was gay, and gave him a few more details. He listened to that and took it all in with an expression on his face and said that he was going to get out and deal with it. He climbed out of the tank and I watched on from the tank, somewhat sheepishly. And he got those soldiers in a line and he gave them quite the stern talking to, to tell them there was absolutely no way that while he was around that was going to be allowed to happen to his gunner. And he defused the situation. You know, he made the day a lot better.
LEMON: What does that say about him?
WHARTON: Well, it shows he's a sensitive man and also a very modern man, I would say. We read in the press and we see on the news suggestions and clues that he has that side to him, that he is a compassionate person, a compassionate member of the royal family. Sometimes people might take that with a pinch of salt or suggest it might not actually be a sincere situation. What I can say about Harry in the time I spent with him and the colleagues in the Army who I'm still in touch with who served with him would certainly vouch that Harry is a very sensitive and very compassionate man and leader.
WARD: Was he -- when you're training with him, I mean, obviously, now sixth in line to the throne, but was he just one of the lads?
WHARTON: When I was his gunner, he was third in the line to the throne, he was 24 at the time. What I feel about the times I spent with Harry, and every time he put on that uniform, I felt he was absolutely stripping himself of his royal title. It was almost his escape from the royal family. He was able to put on the army uniform, the camouflage, and immerse himself in the regiment and the men he served with and almost forget about that other world, which all the men around him had absolutely no understanding of. Obviously, he knew and had lived. When he was with us, he was, of course, one of the boys but he was also a damn good soldier as well.
LEMON: It shows you how progressive he is because you're talking 20, 10 years ago, you know, when people didn't feel the way they do now about LBGT rights. So, it shows you why he picked someone, picked the person he picked, and just how progressive he is.
WHARTON: Well, of course. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was still in existence when this happened. We found ourselves in Canada. We were working with Canadian soldiers. The year before, I was in Iraq with Americans who found me to be openly gay quite fascinating because those soldiers couldn't dream of being that open of who they were because of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Don, I think you're right. What that does demonstrate, 10 years ago, a time different to today. Even in this country, LBGT equality has come on so far in 10 years since then. It demonstrates how forward- thinking and modernly-minded he was as a senior member of the royal family.
LEMON: I feel if he felt that way 10 years ago, how he feels even now about certain things, He's even more progressive. Which is one of the reasons I think he and Meghan will push the envelope when it comes to tradition and backwards thinking.
WHARTON: I completely agree. He's picked up the battle that his mother carried, particularly around campaigning for things like HIV and AIDS. The first public appearance that the happy couple made after they announced their wedding plans was at an HIV center in Nottingham, England, where they were meeting people living with HIV, and many of those people were gay. We members of the LBGT community in this country won't forget that.
WARD: It's an exciting time. One sense is that maybe we're on the cusp of a moment. Maybe there will be more changes ahead and we'll all be watching very closely.
James Wharton, thank you so much --
WHARTON: Thank you.
LEMON: Thank you.
WARD: -- for joining us.
LEMON: Up next, our special coverage of the royal wedding will continue here on CNN. We are minutes away from the newlywed Duke and Duchess of Sussex departing the royal castle to head to their next reception. They've got another reception to go to.
WARD: Yeh.
LEMON: As we wait here, this is a moment from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's exchange of rings.
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[13:55:14] UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: Meghan, I give you this ring.
PRINCE HARRY: Meghan, I give you this ring.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: As a sign of our marriage. PRINCE HARRY: As a sign of our marriage.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: With my body, I honor you.
PRINCE HARRY: With my body, I honor you.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: All that I am, I give to you.
PRINCE HARRY: All that I am, I give to you.
UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST: And all that I have --
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