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Don Lemon Tonight
King Charles III Vows To Serve "With Loyalty, Respect, And Love" In First Address As Monarch; King Charles' Goddaughter Speaks To CNN; Trump And DOJ Submit "Special Master" Proposals To Judge. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired September 09, 2022 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Moments ago, Vice President Harris, her husband, arrived, at the British Embassy, in Washington, to sign the condolence book, for Queen Elizabeth the Second. The President signed the book on Thursday.
The Vice President bought a bouquet of flowers, and spoke to the staff, about what she said was a great loss, not just for the United Kingdom, but the world. She said, the Queen was always so sincere, and that she lived what it means to be strong and wise.
Stay with CNN, as we continue to remember the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth.
The news continues. Want to hand over to Don Lemon, who's at Buckingham Palace, tonight.
Don?
DON LEMON, CNN HOST, DON LEMON TONIGHT: A very emotional day, around the world, and especially here, today. Thank you, Anderson. I'll see you later.
This is DON LEMON TONIGHT, live from London, where CNN's special coverage of the death, of Queen Elizabeth continues.
History is being made, before our very eyes. These are the moments, people will talk about, for years to come. Charles, who has spent his life, preparing for this, addressing the nation, for the first time, as King, in a rare display of royal emotion, talking about his mother, and what she meant to the country, and her family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING CHARLES III: To my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey, to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you.
Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: King Charles, yes, King Charles acknowledging how much the nation and the world have changed since his mother was crowned, and the challenges he faces ahead, in a Britain that is very different from the one he was born in. He'll be officially proclaimed King, in a matter of hours.
Charles also addressing his family, naming William and Kate, Prince and Princess of Wales, Kate taking on the title, and her mother-in-law - that her mother-in-law Diana had - excuse me, and sending a message to Harry and Meghan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING CHARLES III: I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: But you could really sum up today with a kiss, an anthem, and an address. A kiss from a woman, in the crowd, as Charles greeted his subjects, outside Buckingham Palace, and an anthem that started in that crowd, and ended at St. Paul's Cathedral.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(VIDEO - PEOPLE SINGING "GOD SAVE THE KING" NATIONAL ANTHEM)
God save our gracious King!
Long live our noble King!
God save the King!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love you, Charles.
(VIDEO - LONDON - PEOPLE SINGING "GOD SAVE THE KING" NATIONAL ANTHEM)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I'm outside of Buckingham palace, tonight, with CNN's Richard Quest; and Bonnie Greer, the former Deputy Chair of the British Museum.
Nic Robertson will join us at Balmoral Castle, in Scotland.
Good evening to one and all.
Richard, I'm going to start with you. For the first time in 70 years, a king of England addresses the world. What kind of message do you think Charles sent, in this incredible emotional address, today?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: There were three bits to it. There was the tribute to his mother. There was his own personal pledge, for lifelong service. And then, there was the housekeeping bit, of tidying up the titles.
But what was really important, I think, the most significant point, of what he did today, was he reaffirmed this idea of a constitutional monarchy.
In other words, people who were worried about him, interfering with ministers, and sending letters, and wanting to be meddling? He said, today "No. I know that my role is within the parliamentary democracy, my constitutional role." And that's why he also said, "I will not be able to do as much with my charities and my issues."
LEMON: We're so used to saying "Prince Charles."
QUEST: Oh, I - don't start me on that. I mean, I can't--
BONNIE GREER, FORMER DEPUTY CHAIR, THE BRITISH MUSEUM, PLAYWRIGHT, NOVELIST, AND CRITIC: All our lives, you know?
LEMON: Yes.
QUEST: Well and that's - and that's an important point--
GREER: Yes, yes.
QUEST: --because Charles has been very much part of our lives, like the Queen was. It's not like it's a stranger has just walked in.
LEMON: Right.
GREER: I mean, I call him, Charles, is I've met him a couple of times. And you do - you can't do that. But now you can't call him that. He's King.
LEMON: He's King.
GREER: He's King Charles, yes.
LEMON: We have to call him King, right?
GREER: Yes.
LEMON: More from the King, today, Bonnie, and then we'll discuss. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING CHARLES III: And wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the Realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavor to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:05:00]
LEMON: Bonnie, he has been working on this speech, for years, really decades. How did he do?
GREER: I don't think he has been working on it, for decades. I disagree. I think that this is absolutely of the moment. Because remember, this is his ascension. And that always means the death of a parent.
LEMON: Right.
GREER: So, this is a man, we're watching, being able to balance both of these, at this moment, and telling us he's going to do his duty. And, I think, he made - he did this, at the spur of the moment, because you can't prepare. It was a very, very, it was a very complex speech. On the surface, it looked very nice. But it was not.
LEMON: He was--
GREER: It was very complex.
LEMON: He was speaking to many different audiences.
GREER: Many. About five or six.
LEMON: And they were listening for differing things.
GREER: Yes.
LEMON: Yes.
GREER: They heard it too.
LEMON: And what were they looking for?
GREER: Well, first of all, as Richard brilliantly said, "Are you going to meddle or not?" Because Charles writes letters to people, they're called little squirrely Squinkies. So, he can't do that anymore. So he's already said, "Don't worry, I'm not doing that."
The other thing he said is, "I am going to have a co" - I have people screaming at me all day by saying this, "William is my heir. I've given him a highest title that I could give him. And I will do that in front of you, people." And he did. He nominated him, he announced him, in front of the country, and he said, "This is my heir. This is the second boss. This guy's working with me." It's very strong.
LEMON: Yes.
QUEST: Yes.
LEMON: I want to go to CNN's Nic Robertson.
Nic, King Charles spoke about how the Queen balanced her love of tradition, and fearless embrace of progress. You think he's going to be able to strike that balance, in this new era of the Monarchy?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: People might have asked that about the Queen, when she came to the throne. And she came to the throne, at a period, where Europe was in turmoil, coming out of World War II, where the British remnants of the Empire where, it was falling apart, countries were becoming independent, former parts of the British Empire. And she really kept the threads together, through the Commonwealth.
And I think Prince Charles - King Charles. Correct myself, how many times we'll have to do this? Has said, he did - is now a country, during her reign that has now has many cultures, and many faiths, a country whose values stay the same, but it has many cultures, and many faiths.
And I think he spoke to those profound and big changes that happened around. But they didn't happen, because of the Queen, per se. But this was what was happening, in the world around, and the country around. And that shaped how the Queen adjusted her reign, and her view, and how she moved, with the country, as it moved.
And I think very much this is going to be what Prince Charles - again, King Charles is going to have to do. He will have to move with the times, with the world events that will shape the country, and shape the feelings of the people.
The world is going through some very profound changes, at the moment, that period of stability that the Queen's reign, sort of watched-over, and during that sort of post-World War II period has changed. So, King Charles is going to have a much more unpredictable period to reign over.
LEMON: Yes. Many cultures and many fates.
Richard, I was here earlier, with Christiane and Max Foster, and we talked about the diversity that must be addressed, within the Monarchy that has been such an issue, especially as of late.
QUEST: Well, yes. It has been sort of put on the agenda. And there have been variety of commissions and internal working parties that which we never gotten the full details of. And there has been, in the reporting, for example, bullying, which, again, we've not since hosts (ph) cited that.
But when you say diversity, you need to be more precise about the - you know?
LEMON: It's a Commonwealth of many backgrounds.
QUEST: Correct.
LEMON: Yes.
QUEST: Correct. But at the end of the day, you can't help the fact that family is who they are, in that sense. So, when one talks about diversity, we're talking about diversity within the family, we're talking about diversity within the household, the whole area, where change needs to take place. But I pretty much guarantee that Charles is absolutely the person to do that. GREER: Hopefully (ph) on that. And the Commonwealth will change. People are going to declare - countries are going to declare independence, because he's King of about something like 14 nations.
QUEST: Yes, the Realms.
GREER: Yes, Realms.
QUEST: Yes.
GREER: But they're going to declare independence. And he's--
QUEST: Some might.
GREER: Well, I say about three or four. And he's going to be the guy. Let him do it. He's not going to have any problem. And he's going to - he's telling people now, "This is going to go down. And this is the way I'm going to deal with it."
[21:10:00]
And also, I just wanted to push back a little bit, on what was said before. Remember, this is a guy, who'll talk to his plants, and everybody was laughing. So, he's on the case. And, I think, now, I think, little kids are actually going to see what he's about, more than us. Because the guy talks to his plants. He puts wine in his Aston Martin's. He's a totally ecological person.
But also, what's sort of interesting about him, is this is a divorced head - this is a divorced Head of the Church of England.
LEMON: Yes.
GREER: That is unheard of.
LEMON: Yes.
GREER: Now, we can sit back, in our age, and go, "Oh, well, you know, that's cool." No, it is not the way it's supposed to be.
LEMON: Yes.
GREER: So, Charles is breaking all kinds of eggs here. And he's doing it very quietly. And people are waking up to the fact that he's already there--
LEMON: He put wine in once Aston Martin though. It's quite a bit--
QUEST: The point is that he's not - he's going to like - but really good example there, of the marriage with Camilla.
LEMON: Yes.
QUEST: Very.
LEMON: Yes. And mentioned - that was strategic, him mentioning that, she's been his wife for--
GREER: Well, he told the nation.
LEMON: Yes.
GREER: No, he didn't mention it. He told them--
LEMON: Yes.
GREER: --"This is my beloved."
LEMON: And--
GREER: "And I have made her my Queen Consort. She will now be Queen Camilla, and you're going to like it."
LEMON: There was also this extraordinary moment, of Charles - the, King Charles, greeting the public outside Buckingham Palace, today. It really feels like the British people want him to succeed. How does he hold on to all of this goodwill, this moment, where someone just planted a kiss on him?
GREER: She was here. That's a royalist crowd, remember. OK, these are the royalists. So, they love him. We have to see what the rest of the nation is going to--
QUEST: Talk about history of people, kissing Charles.
GREER: Yes, always.
QUEST: I mean, remember (ph) Australia, and the woman coming out the surf, on Bondi Beach--
LEMON: I remember that.
QUEST: --planting a big kiss on him. So, there's a lot of history about the models kissing him. And I think there's a huge groundswell of support. That well actually, never mind what they - people think, what will I think? I'm British. Yes. We want to succeed.
LEMON: Nic, did you get a chance to speak to the crowd today?
Nic Robertson?
ROBERTSON: Sorry, I didn't hear - I didn't hear your question.
LEMON: I know.
ROBERTSON: Did King Charles? Sorry.
LEMON: I said - I said, did you get a chance to speak to anyone in the crowd today? Any of the public?
ROBERTSON: Oh, absolutely. We were talking to people, as the sun came up, this morning, people going to work. What one might describe as common ordinary folk, the working people of the town, we were in, Inverness.
People, who were repairing the roads, who were carrying trays of food, to bakery shops, people who were opening those stores, everyone and remembering - but I'm in Scotland a place, where the Scottish nationalist - Scottish National Party here, is incredibly popular, runs the government here, is pushing to have a another independence referendum, pushing hard, a big political fight that is taking on to do that.
And I thought perhaps when I talk to people, today, I might hear, people who were against the Monarchy, who want this independent Scotland, and indeed I'm sure some of those I talked to, do want an independent Scotland.
But they were too a person too, a man and a woman, in admiration of the Queen, and hoping that King Charles can fill the very large shoes, left by his mother. There's hope there. They genuinely feel an affection for the Queen, and they genuinely hope that King Charles can do a good job.
So, from the people that I talked to today, there's a very real sense that this is a change, a time, where there's going to be change that's inevitable, and hoping that the new king can do a good job.
LEMON: Yes. Nic Robertson, at Balmoral, Bonnie, and Richard here, at the Castle, thank you very much - at Buckingham Palace, I should say. Thank you very much.
Much, much more in our special coverage, from here, outside of Buckingham Palace, straight ahead. So, stay with us.
TEXT: QUEEN ELIZABETH II - 1926-2022.
[21:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: And we're back now, in Buckingham Palace. King Charles the Third giving his first address, as a Monarch, as the U.K. undergoes a dramatic and historic transition, following his mother's death. And after 70 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign, questions loom, over what is next, for Britain, with its significant political and economic challenges, on the horizon.
Joining me now, to discuss, CNN Anchor and Correspondent, Richard Quest, back with us; and CNN Presidential Historian, Timothy Naftali.
There is - Timothy, welcome to the program.
TIMOTHY NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN, FORMER DIRECTOR, NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY: Yes.
LEMON: Richard, there's a lot to talk about the future. We talked a little bit, in the segment earlier. But Queen Elizabeth largely managed to stay above the political?
QUEST: She did. She was the constant.
LEMON: Yes.
QUEST: That's the point. She was the constant.
LEMON: But will he - will he do the same?
QUEST: Yes. He said he will today. He said he was clear. He said, "I know my constitutional role, in a parliamentary democracy." And I think the issue is going to be the level of change.
LEMON: Yes.
QUEST: We're no longer in the European Union. There's an industrial strife, at the moment, in Britain, inflation, higher fuel, all the things that everybody else is suffering. But this level of change, on top of that could not necessarily will, but could make people sort of feel, is nothing going well?
LEMON: Yes. But listen, it's easy for him to say. But when you're passionate about issues, it's tough, sometimes, not to comment on them, especially--
QUEST: Oh, no, no--
LEMON: --he's passionate about the environment.
QUEST: --no, no.
LEMON: About global warming.
QUEST: That's one thing, yes, but no.
LEMON: About organic foods.
[21:20:00]
QUEST: No, no, that's not the job anymore. That is the - look, the Queen never gave an interview, in 70 years. Charles has given lots of interviews. I've interviewed him. He's not going to continue. He cannot, Don, he cannot put himself, on one side, or other, of certain issues, because that's going to put him in the middle of political controversy. And the moment you do that, you start playing Jenga, with the British Constitution.
LEMON: Timothy, how realistic is that for him? Do you think Richard is correct about that?
NAFTALI: Well, Richard is absolutely correct. It goes back to a British analyst and writer, called Walter Bagehot.
QUEST: Bagehot.
NAFTALI: Secret - it's the secret of the British monarchy, the mystery of the monarchy--
QUEST: Yes.
NAFTALI: --is that it is an Institution that is unchanging. And so, the personality of the Monarch is not supposed to affect the Institution. The Institution comes first.
We heard in Charles speech, today, he actually signaled the fact that his duties have changed. And he talked about his charities, and his - the issues that he cared about. And he mentioned that others will continue.
They will - "Don't worry, they're in good hands," I think that was his way of signaling, "I'm not going to be an advocate, for climate change the way I used to be. You know how I feel. But others must carry that forward, because it's no longer my job, as a sovereign."
So, he signaled the fact that he recognizes his own job has changed, dramatically, with the death of his mother.
LEMON: Yes, speaking of changing dramatically, the newly-minted British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, met Queen Elizabeth, just hours after taking office. And now, she's met with the new King. That is a tremendous leadership upheaval (ph), in just a span of days, Richard.
QUEST: Right. And the important thing there, to follow on, from what he was saying, crucially, Walter Bagehot basically said, the Monarch, i.e., King Charles, has three rights; the right to advise, the right to consult, and the right to warn. So, they are the three rights of the king, as it's now been put in.
So, those three things must be done in private. They must be done. I mean, no one knows what the King thinks, no one knows what he's said to somebody, in a private conversation. That is the bedrock, upon which this thing works.
LEMON: These two are bound together, by history, and by the circumstances, Timothy, in both of them, basically assuming their roles, within days of each other.
NAFTALI: Well, look, obviously, I'm not a doctor. But I have to believe that Queen Elizabeth understood, her last duty, to the nation, was to get Great Britain through--
QUEST: Yes.
NAFTALI: --its constitutional crisis, this summer. And it's a mark of her devotion, and discipline that she lived long enough, to have - I believe the term, Richard would know better, but I believe the term is the "Kissing of hands," that she lived long enough to ensure--
QUEST: Yes.
NAFTALI: --the succession, and the start of the new Truss government. I think that was very important, for the country. And you just have to admire the Queen, who clearly wasn't well, for living through that.
So, the transition happened, which was necessary for the country. And it's now up to Liz Truss, to define the government. Because, as Richard said, the Monarch doesn't define the government.
The new government, the Truss government, is going to write all of the speeches, for King Charles. Whatever words King Charles speaks, will have been written by Liz Truss' team, and the Prime Minister, to some extent. So, right now, we will have a chance to see, how Liz Truss wants to shape the Monarchy, and how she wants to shape leadership for Britain.
LEMON: Tim, thank you so much, Richard as well.
And up next, she is King Charles' goddaughter. She was a bridesmaid at Charles and Diana's wedding. And tonight, she shares her life, with the Royals, and tells us what Charles will be like, as King.
TEXT: QUEEN ELIZABETH II - 1926-2022.
[21:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING CHARLES III: As The Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the Constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: In his first address, to the United Kingdom, as its new Monarch, King Charles the Third, vowing to follow, in Queen Elizabeth's footsteps, and to serve his people with loyalty, respect and love, but recognizing the gravity of the Royal transition. Charles was overheard, telling Britain's new prime minister, Liz Truss, during their meeting today that he'd been dreading his mother's death.
Joining me now is India Hicks. She is the king's goddaughter, and her mother is a cousin, of the late Prince Philip. She's also the Ambassador to the Prince's Trust, and the Executive Board member of a Global Empowerment Mission.
Thank you so much. We appreciate you, joining us, this evening, India.
So many people feel like they have lost a member of their very own family. What is it like, for you, to lose such an iconic figure, who was such a big part of your life?
INDIA HICKS, GODDAUGHTER OF KING CHARLES III: Well, I think like the rest of Great Britain, the Commonwealth, and actually much of the world, it seems incomprehensible that our Sovereign has died. I think, for many, we thought she was invincible. She was such a beacon of strength and stability that it's staggering.
[21:30:00]
But I think we did see today, just as you've been discussing, the Prince of Wales, now King Charles, confirming, and telling us, and re- assuring us that he will become that beacon of strength, and stability, himself now. He will be the calm and the composed face of the nation.
And I think we've been seeing that for several years that the Firm have been really marketing and branding that four - that solid four, of Charles and Camilla, and Catherine and William. And I think, yes, there's going to be great change, and yes, there will be anxiety, as change always brings. But we have a very solid team coming in place.
LEMON: Yes. Well talk to me about what more we can expect, from King Charles the Third? Because this today was supposed to be about celebrating the Sovereign as well. But what more can we expect from him?
HICKS: I think we've seen - well, we've seen that he's been the longest-serving heir-apparent. He's had that role since he was 3- years-old. And we've watched with intrigue, a life of duty. And we've seen, it's been under scrutiny. And there's been some expectation, for how he'll take over this role, much expectation.
And we've seen a man, who is very deep-thinking. He did things way before any of us were. The way that he fuels his car, on byproducts of wine and cheese, the way he started the Prince's Trust, back in 1974, that he was thinking in a way that others won't.
And whilst we were rather, thinking goodness, the man is talking to his plants, he was actually thinking in a very green sustainable way. And now, we will see that he takes this on, with him, in his role, as our King.
I've been an ambassador, for the Prince's Trust, now, for several years. And it's an extraordinary foundation that does an enormous amount of good.
But in a very quiet way, Prince Charles set this up, so long ago, understanding the need that there are so many marginalized, by society, and he set in place, a foundation that was going to work, towards gathering up those, who couldn't give themselves the life that many of us are able to have.
And the foundation now is huge, and even global. It launched in America, a couple months ago, with a big event, in New York, raising awareness and much-needed funds. So, I think that there is a very strong foundation, for what he understands, to be the needs of the world, essentially.
LEMON: Yes. India, I remember you were one of Princess Diana's bridesmaids. You're in this photo, standing in between Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana. Tell us about growing up, in these circles.
HICKS: Well, Prince Charles, now King Charles, was an exceptional godfather. And the fact that he has many godchildren, I was probably fairly early on, but he does have a lot of godchildren.
And again, just an example of the way, he thinks differently, and he thinks conscientiously and sustainably, in the fact that every year, as a Christmas gift, I would get, I remember, with great excitement, at the age of eight or nine, a piece of China, which of course, at the time didn't make great sense. There would be a gravy dish, or perhaps a saucer or a cup.
Now, as an adult, there is an incredible set of dining China that I have for about 20 people, which couldn't be a better gift. Instead of some toy that I would no longer have or appreciate, I have an entire set of China. And I think that that is just another example, of the way that he thinks.
They are a family that we know, have an enormous amount of kindness. The Queen really, really demonstrated that in great many ways. After the bomb that killed my grandfather, it was devastating for Prince Charles, especially was very close to him.
And the Queen also was so deeply-shocked by it. But she took special care, to make sure that my mother very much had the support that she might have needed. And indeed, my cousin, Tim Knatchbull, who lost his twin, she was very caring, she took him to Balmoral, and spent time with him, after while both his parents were in hospital. We've seen an awful lot of examples, of their incredible kindness.
It's very hard, for the Royal Family, to let people in essentially, because their role is to be so, so aloof, and, as we were saying earlier, not to give interviews. Of course, Charles has given interviews, over the years, and we need that. But we know that role is going to change. I don't think that that will change his sense of duty, or humor, in any way.
The Queen always demonstrated great sense of humor. My mother was a lady-in-waiting on two - Commonwealth tours. And she reminded me recently of one, when they were out, close to Australia, and she had an afternoon off, after quite a grueling tour. I mean, can you imagine how much hand-waving they went through, on those tours?
[21:35:00]
But they had one afternoon off. And they were on a - they were on a deserted beach, looking at wildlife. And a group of tourists happened to come on to the beach. And there was very little security, around. There was really just the Queen, and my mother, and one police officer.
And the tourists came over to the Queen, and they said, "My God! Have you seen the Queen? We've heard she's been here." And she said, "Yes. She went in that direction," the tourists took off running.
And so, again, we see that she does have a quick - did have a twinkle, in her eye. And Charles also has an enormous amount of wit, about him, and is highly amusing, and incredibly well-read, and really fascinating.
LEMON: Yes. As you're telling these stories, that you're saying, it's hard for them to let people in, as a Royal Family. You are the King's goddaughter. What can you share with us about his personality or character that we might not know, just from the public eye?
HICKS: I think people underestimate how fit King Charles is. He spends a great deal of time, as much as he possibly can, in his free time. He's a very good artist. He's a wonderful godfather (ph).
So, there are many - there are many sides of him that we don't often get to see. But also, he has done these extraordinary things, of setting in place, not only these foundations, and really a platform, for being able, to do good, and give back.
But if you look at just Highgrove, as an example, that garden at Highgrove is really, really exceptional, and the thought that he's put into it, and the care and attention. And so, I think, there are so many levels, to this king that nobody has really had time to consider, how that will carry on, now, in his role.
But I think he's had enough time to get it right that the words we heard today were very powerful, the delivery was very powerful. The message was very powerful. I think, that during this time of instability, we will see a very hands-on King.
Just today, when they arrived, at the gates of Buckingham Palace, to see him, and Camilla out, of the car, and to go, and shake the hands, and to look at all the messages, and the flowers, laid at the gates. This is a terribly difficult time for them. They are in mourning. And yet, they have to be the face of the nation.
LEMON: Yes. India, thank you so much. I appreciate it.
HICKS: Thank you.
LEMON: The nation singing "God Save the King" to the new King, Charles the Third, today. But what's it like to have sung directly to the Queen? My next guest knows, and she's going to tell us about it, right after this.
(BELLS TOLL TO HONOR QUEEN ELIZABETH II)
TEXT: QUEEN ELIZABETH II - 1926-2022.
[21:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(VIDEO - ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL, LONDON - "GOD SAVE THE KING" SUNG FOR FIRST TIME IN 70 YEARS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well that was the first official rendition of "God Save the King" since Charles became King Charles the Third. Now, the U.K.'s national anthem, for the last 70 years, was "God Save the Queen." And one person, who has had the honor, of singing it, in front of Queen Elizabeth the Second was soprano opera singer, Lesley Garrett. She first performed the anthem, for the late Queen, about 30 years ago, and Garrett went on to sing it, for the Queen, many, many times, since then.
Lesley Garrett joins me now.
How are you?
LESLEY GARRETT, OPERA SINGER: Very sad.
LEMON: Yes?
GARRETT: Poleaxed--
LEMON: Yes.
GARRETT: --I think, is the word.
LEMON: We talked about this. When you walked up, you talked to, you know, because you've been in the presence of the Royals, for a while, and you said, this is a mourning attire, and some--
GARRETT: Yes. I was worried you'd think I was being disrespectful. But in actual fact, White is the color of mourning, in many of the Commonwealth countries, particularly India, and the Eastern Asian countries. So, I thought I would wear white, rather than black, tonight.
LEMON: Yes. She's - the Queen, commented on your wardrobe, before. But we'll talk about that.
GARRETT: Yes.
LEMON: But the last traditional performance, for the Queen, yours was, in 2017, at the Festival of Remembrance. This is some of it. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(VIDEO - OPERA SINGER LESLEY GARRETT'S PERFORMANCE AT THE 2017 FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Yes, just and brilliant. This must be an emotional time for you, you singing it so many times, over 30 years. What's that like?
GARRETT: I sang for the Queen, many, many times. That particular occasion - and we also went on to sing "God Save the Queen," after. It was very special. It's a very special service that we hold, in remembrance of those that fell, in the two great wars. And the Queen comes every year, to that service, in the Albert Hall. And that year, I sang for her, as I have done before. And it was extraordinary. It was the - the atmosphere was wonderful. They were building a thing called a drum altar, during the singing, which is an altar made on the battlefield, out of drums. And they erected it, very slowly, through the music, and then, at the end, it's there, for all to see, as a remembrance.
LEMON: Yes. Did you - do you ever get nervous, performing?
GARRETT: Oh, yes.
LEMON: You did?
GARRETT: It's the Queen! Yes, of course, I do get nervous.
LEMON: But you never missed a step, did you?
GARRETT: No.
[21:45:00]
LEMON: I understand that at one point, when you were performing, she commented on your wardrobe. And she's typically - because she was so moved, what you said--
GARRETT: Yes.
LEMON: --she even shed a tear once, when you were performing.
GARRETT: Yes.
LEMON: And then she commented on your wardrobe?
GARRETT: Yes. Well, they were two separate events. When we had the wonderful Golden Jubilee, I sang for her, three times, in one day, up in Yorkshire, my home county.
The Earl of Harewood, her cousin, was a friend and mentor of mine. And he asked me to come, and perform at Harewood House, his home. And I did that, in the morning. And then, I had lunch with Her Majesty. And then, we did a big concert, in the afternoon, in a park.
And I wore three different outfits, for each part of the day. And, at the end - and this is so typical. She's very funny - she was very, very funny, the Queen. She said to me, "Oh, hello again, Lesley. How very nice to see you again," she - twinkling all the time. She said, "I must say, my dear, you do have rather a large wardrobe!" I think it was on the tip of my tongue to say, "Well, you can talk, Love!"
LEMON: Right.
GARRETT: But no, I thought, don't. No, I said, "Thanks very much, ma'am."
LEMON: Yes. See, many people are having trouble there. Instead of saying "King," they're saying "Prince," because they're so used to it.
GARRETT: Yes.
LEMON: You're so used to singing "God Save the Queen," you won't have troubles singing "God Save the King," will you?
GARRETT: No. Because Prince Charles is - King Charles is a marvelous, marvelous man. I've sung for him many times, and met him many times. And he is so sensitive, and thoughtful, and kind, as his mother was. And I don't think he's been - it's been the longest apprenticeship, in the world, for this job.
LEMON: Yes.
GARRETT: And he knows absolutely inside and out, what is expected of him, what the role - what Royalty stands for, what the King stands for, the continuity of dedication, to the country, and how important that is, to all of us. It binds us together.
It's difficult, when you come from a republic, I think, to understand, just how important, royalty is, to our sense of belonging. Because of the history, stretching back 1,000 years, it makes us feel - it makes us feel confident, it makes us feel strong. And that's what the Royalty, and particularly the King or the Queen of the day epitomizes. And he knows that. And he will be there for us, for always. He's a strongman.
LEMON: Thank you so much. It's just lovely to meet you. You're so talented. Thank you very much.
GARRETT: That's very kind.
LEMON: Thank you.
And just in, we've got news, on the Special Master. Our reporters and experts are reading in on it. And we're going to give you the details, when we come right back.
TEXT: QUEEN ELIZABETH II - 1926-2022.
[21:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: This just in, to CNN, the filings from DOJ, and the Trump lawyers in, with proposals on how the Special Master, should proceed, and it comes just a few short hours, before the midnight deadline.
So, here to help us sort through all of this, is our Senior Legal Analyst, here at CNN, former federal prosecutor, Laura Coates.
Laura, good evening to you. We're just getting this information in. This comes just a day after the DOJ appealed the Special Master decision. What are you looking for now? And what are these - what are you seeing in these filings?
LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, there's some really interesting points here, Don.
On the one hand, of course, they had to agree. They had to come together, adjoining to the court, and say, "Here's where we agree. Here's where we disagree."
On what they agree, interestingly enough, they want to reduce the review period, to below 21 days. It was very good news people to know how long the timeline may ultimately be. They both want it to be less than a three-week review period. Probably feasible to do so, given you have this breadth of documents that had already been reviewed, on the one hand, by DOJ.
However, where they disagree here, Don, is about that Presidential Records Act. It's a very important point. Remember, up until the Nixon era, you had this default option that said, "Listen, the President, all that they have, it belongs to the President of the United States. They carry it with them, wherever they like."
Following Nixon, of course, you had the Presidential Records Act, which essentially said "Listen, all those documents, they belong to the people of the United States, and they must be safeguarded, accordingly, aside from the truly personal," like a medical record, for example, maybe a diary entry, and the like, the truly personal.
So, here they disagree yet again, and they say that the government essentially believes that the Records Act means that the President - only the current president has it, and the former one has no rights to have these documents, any longer.
The Trump team is saying "We disagree. The fact that he is formerly the President of the United States, unlike the Executive branch, and DOJ, gives him the right to access these documents."
Now why that's important here is because they want to agree to have these documents shown to the former President, and the legal team, who they can have additional staff, with the judge as well, to review documents, for classification.
Why this is important, of course, Don is because you are still seeing a fundamental doubling down on the notion that the former President should some way and somehow be able to access these documents.
And it still leaves this question, in the ethers for everybody. Why is the former President, so intent, and so steadfastly intending, to have these documents, and have them returned to him, including documents that are classified?
Now, DOJ has already said, "Listen, your personal data, your personal information, anything that was commingled with these documents, they are able to go back to you, of course, and things that are unclassified can go as well."
LEMON: Standby, Laura. I want to bring in our Senior Justice Correspondent, Evan Perez. He's here as well.
Evan, you have been scanning through this, for us, and we only had it just for a few minutes here. What sticks out to you? What are you seeing?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the key parts of this, obviously there are four names, two from each side, Don that had been suggested as Special Masters. But I'll skip to ahead, to the part that the two sides are in clear disagreement, over what exactly the Special Master is going to do.
[21:55:00]
The headline part of this is that the government believes that the Special Master should not be able to look at classified documents, should not be able to decide what, is executive privilege or is not, right? That, of course, is something that Trump's legal team believes it's very, very key. They want that the Special Master be able to look at all of the documents.
Another key point of disagreement is that the government is setting a deadline, of about five weeks, for this Special Master, to conduct this review, of over 1,000 pages of documents. The Trump team says they want three months. They believe that this could take about three months, again, it is pushing the deadline out, from the Trump team's side.
The other thing that both sides are also disagreeing on is the Trump team says that the two sides should split the cost, of this review, by a Special Master. The government says, "No. Trump asked for this Special Master, so they should bear the cost." And so, that's where we have some of the major pieces of disagreement.
I'll give you the names of a couple of these people. Some of them are not going to be household names.
But Barbara Jones, who is one of the government's suggestions, for a Special Master, she is the Special Master, who has been reviewing the items that were seized from Rudy Giuliani's a law office, as part of another investigation in the Southern District of New York. She did the Special Master review, in the Michael Cohen case.
The government also suggests Thomas Griffith, who is a retired judge, from the Appeals court, in the D.C. Circuit.
On the Trump side, they're suggesting Raymond Dearie, who was a chief - former chief judge, in the Eastern District of New York; and Paul Huck Jr. He is a former partner at Jones Day. Jones Day was a law firm that represented Trump in 2016, the Trump campaign in 2016. He's married to Barbara Lagoa, who made Trump's - one of Trump's shortlists for Supreme Court nominees.
So, there's obviously some very, very big differences, between these nominees, for the two sides. The judge is going to end up having to make the decision, Don, over who is going to end up doing this review.
Keep this aside, though, right? There's a total other fight going on. The Justice Department wants this judge, Judge Cannon (ph), to put aside her order, so that they can continue, doing this investigation, this criminal investigation. They want to make sure that the FBI can keep looking at 100 pages, of classified documents, to make sure that the Intelligence Community can continue doing their work. That is something separate, that is going to continue - they're going to continue fighting over, meanwhile, they try to get this--
LEMON: And Evan--
PEREZ: --Special Master up and going.
LEMON: Yes. We're going to talk about this, in just moments, at the top of the hour. So, I want both of you to stay with us.
There's much, much more, on both of our top stories. The fight, over the Mar-a-Lago docs, moves to a new stage. And we're outside of Buckingham Palace as well, as Charles becomes King. More in a moment.
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