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Prince William and Catherine Middleton Marry; Endeavour Gears Up for Final Flight; 300 Dead in Southern Storms

Aired April 29, 2011 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good Friday morning to you. Welcome to our continuing coverage of the royal wedding. I'm Carol Costello at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And I'm Zain Verjee in London, right outside Buckingham Palace.

COSTELLO: We're also following a couple of major stories in the United States. Right now, President Obama is on his way to Alabama to tour the devastation from those tornadoes and then the president will be on his way to Florida where he will watch the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, alongside Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

But first, let's talk about all the good news that happened today overseas, the royal wedding. Holy cow, Zain, they kissed on the lips.

VERJEE: Hi there, Carol. It was magical. It was majestic, and even the weather held up. Can you believe it? There were 1.5 million people out along the procession route cheering and having an amazing time. They are still out there right now. Around the world, about two billion people tuned in to watch this royal wedding.

And I want to show you some of the highlights that had us all gripped and glued to the moment. Let's start with Kate Middleton's arrival at Westminster Abbey and the dress everyone was looking at it with complete awe. They said that it was incredible that she even kept it a secret until the very moment that we all saw it. It was white and ivory. It was designed by Alexander McQueen and she even wore the tiara that everyone was betting on. Would she wear it? Would she not? It was designed by Cartier but she was positively glowing.

Let's take a look now at the kiss, Carol. We didn't get to see it once, they actually kissed twice. Watch.

COSTELLO: I think that was awesome that they kissed on the lips, Zain. The crowd cheered. Like a modern way of -- wouldn't you want to kiss your groom on the lips after you just married the guy?

VERJEE: Yes. You know, I mean, the crowd here, Carol, was cheering and they kept saying "kiss again." You know, they wanted that hat trick but it was absolutely adorable and it was just so lovely to watch. Now what I also want to show you was the moment in Westminster Abbey where they gazed adoringly at each other and said their vows. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROWAN WILLIAMS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: William Arthur Phillip Louis, will thou have this woman as thy wedded wife, to live together according to God's law in the holiest state of matrimony, will love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her, in sickness and in health and forsaking all other keep only unto her, so long as you both shall live?

HRH PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: I will.

WILLIAMS: Catherine Elizabeth, will thou have this man as thy wedded husband, to live together according to God's law in the holiest state of matrimony, will though love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health and forsaking all other, keep only unto him so long as you both shall live?

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: I will.

WILLIAMS: Who give this woman to be married to this man?

HRH PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: I, William Arthur Philip Louis, take thee Catherine Elizabeth to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: ... in sickness and in health.

WILLIAMS: To love and to cherish.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: To love and to cherish.

WILLIAMS: Till death us do part.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: Till death us do part.

WILLIAMS: According to God's holy law.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: According to God's holy law. And thereto I give thee my trust.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: Carol, this was a really good day for the royal family. You know, the couple is being seen by so many people here as England's future. But today was also a big celebration of the past. The wedding was held in the old and awing Westminster Abbey. The coronation since 1066 of kings and queens have been held there as well as many weddings. Even the Queen herself was married in Westminster Abbey.

We saw all the pomp and glory across the day with the horse. And what's the horse without a carriage, Carol? Take a look at how lovely it looks. This is the 1902 (INAUDIBLE) carriage. Princess Diana was actually in this for her wedding. A lot of people worried that, you know, this is so old that will the wheel fall off? But fortunately, it didn't. You know, Kate was practicing as well going up in the carriage. And it also sways so it gives kind of a seasick motion as well. So she had to practice a few times to make sure that she was a-OK.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: She also had the long train to her dress, so just getting into the carriage would have been a challenge and getting out of the carriage was a challenge.

VERJEE: Well, exactly, Carol. That's what people were saying, that you need to practice it with something like 8.8 feet long. You have to make sure that it's OK. We did a little bit of lip reading in the carriage as well and she turned to William and mouthed, I'm so happy. As was so many people here, they camped out, they waved flags, they were having such a great time from all around the world and all around the country they were here.

Kiran Chetry was in Hyde Park with so many of them. And Kiran, I know you've been talking to everyone there. They really do have the stamina to party, don't they?

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, they're living it up here, Zain. I mean, what a welcome to London. I got to tell you people started milling in here even before 7:00. That was when the set time for the opening, for people able to come in. People are here well before that and they're still hanging tough hours after the ceremony finished. In fact, they have been playing music here on the big jumbo screens after the ceremony ended. People are dancing. People are having a blast. The weather, of course, held. That was the amazing part as well, Zain, there was -- all week long, there was this sort of looming threat, could it rain? And surely it didn't. Not only that, it was beautifully sunny for most of the morning.

VERJEE: Kiran, as you're speaking, there are people still cheering and waving flags but I think it's because they spotted Anderson Cooper out there, actually, and it's not because there is any extra royal festivities here. Kiran, I'm just wondering, what did you think of the dress? What did people you talked to think of the dress and William and Harry looked pretty good too in their attire.

CHETRY: I thought it was wonderful. And you know, the funniest thing is, even early in the morning, I mean, people were just raucous. There was cheering, every time they would see something on the jumbo screens here, they'll start waving the Union Jack flags. But the second that Prince William emerged from Clarence House, you could just hear this hush fall over the crowd. That moment when they saw the Queen, they all burst into cheers and also the moment that we saw the shot of Kate Middleton, trying to get a glance of her in that car, as she came out of the Goring Hotel, it was silent here. You could almost hear a pin drop. I just want to introduce you to a lovely couple really quickly who came to view just like -- well, a half a million as they upwards, could have been here, Zain. We'll see when they get the final count. But this is Fiona and her boyfriend, Dan. Fiona is a school teacher. You look lovely, by the way. So do you, Dan. I like that. I like the Bermuda shorts. You had a little party for the kids to celebrate?

FIONA: Yes. We had a street party yesterday and it was a prince and princess-themed party. We had party games, and food and they all really, really enjoyed it.

CHETRY: I know it was Fiona's idea for you to come out here today but what do you think? Did you like it?

DAN: I really enjoyed it. I'm not a massive loyalist. When I came down this morning I thought it'd be like a couple of thousand of people, a couple of screens, lot of people, it's a big festival party atmosphere. I really, really enjoyed myself. (INAUDIBLE).

CHETRY: They've been doing a good job keeping the crowd lively. I had to laugh as an American, I come here and I don't know if this would be allowed in any of our parks in New York but I love the garden are over there. I see one huge banner that says champagne and the next one says gin and tonic. People are certainly partying today. No work for four days.

FIONA: Yes. We are (INAUDIBLE).

DAN: We really enjoyed it. It's been a great day, probably going to go home and carry on.

CHETRY: Well, you've got the long weekend to do so. It's nice meeting both of you.

FIONA: Thank you very much.

CHETRY: Have a fun time the rest of the day. Take care.

So yes again, the party continues here in Hyde Park. The only reason are dancing right now is they're showing some snippets of the actual ceremony. They just started doing this a couple of minutes ago but before that D.J.s playing and people are dancing wild. And they're surprisingly -- People are friendly. Nobody is getting too out of control but they are certainly in a celebratory mood on this royal wedding Friday, Zain.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: I'm sorry. I'm sorry, my fellow journalists. Kiran, this guy came up behind you and he looked like he was going to attack you but you were saved by another nice gentleman.

CHETRY: We need security. We need security. I'm serious. Every time we go and they know we're on, forget it. Everyone comes out of the woodwork. I've been safe so far, though. COSTELLO: Yes, you have. I want to talk more about the dress and who designed it, because that's really what everybody was looking for, that first glimpse of the dress. It was sort of like Grace Kelly's dress, don't you think, Zain?

VERJEE: Yes, you know, it was. There was so much speculation over the past few weeks. Sorry, Princess Kiran. You know, everyone was talking about who was going to design it and it ended up being Alexander McQueen, quintessentially British designer. Everyone was amazed by it. They thought it was absolutely beautiful. It had lace at the top, a sexy deep cut, that many people said Kate really likes that kind of style.

And it did remind many about Grace Kelly. Look at this picture here, 1956 is when she married the Prince of Monaco and they say that it was very similar to that. This particular dress was ivory and white that was designed by Sarah Burton and it has this 8.8 foot train as well. Unfortunately, there was no hiccup with a long train like that, Carol. But I tell you, it's incredible, in this day and age to be able to keep the dress so secret that nobody really knew for sure what we would see until the very moment she stepped out at Westminster Abbey and we saw it.

COSTELLO: I think it's terrific though.

VERJEE: So the party is going to go on.

COSTELLO: Yes, I know. I think it's terrific that it was kept a secret because it kept it more special for her, because after all it is her day. You know what a lot of people were saying here in the United States, we hope it's not a strapless gown. And it wasn't. It was long-sleeved and it was modest. It was so refreshing to se something classy.

VERJEE: Yes, modern classic is what people are saying. And she just looked so elegant, so composed and so calm and confident. You've got to know inside that there was a lot of pressure. This is the moment. And only two billion or so people around the world are watching, you know. So no slip-ups happened there.

COSTELLO: You know what else, Zain? Pippa, her sister. A lot of people were looking at her dress saying, "Oh, my gosh. That's a beautiful dress." And then they were thinking of Prince Harry and Pippa, maybe. They made that leap.

VERJEE: You know, I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking the same thing. Wouldn't that be amazing. But Pippa did look awesome in that. You know, that's an unforgiving dress, OK, Carol?

COSTELLO: It's white and very fitted.

VERJEE: She looked spectacular in that. She looked amazing. Everyone was wowed.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. Zain, we'll get back to you in just a minute. A quick programming though to tell you about. If you've missed any of the special moments from this morning's historic wedding, you can catch them in a special edition of "Piers Morgan" tonight. Piers will show you some of the biggest moments of the day. That's tonight "Piers Morgan" at a special time at 8:00 Eastern.

VERJEE: And there are thousands of parties going on around the country, about 5,500 to be exact were applications made for parties. People who didn't get invited to Westminster Abbey are having their own party. This is called a watch party. We'll take you to one next.

COSTELLO: And we're also covering the aftermath of those severe storms in the southern United States. 300 people now reported dead. President Obama will arrive in the hardest hit Alabama. That will happen sometime within this hour, we think. We'll take you to Alabama next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the royal wedding. I'm Carol Costello at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee, having a good time in London, just outside Buckingham Palace where the Queen is hosting a reception for about 650 guests. And apparently the canapes there are pretty good, Carol.

COSTELLO: I bet so. We'll get back and check them out in a little later. Thanks, Zain.

We want to talk about that devastating storm system now that changed landscape and ripped apart families. Still the emotional hold on its victims in the south, we can't even explain. The death toll now at 300 in six states, 213 of them in Alabama alone. Those numbers could rise as crews search through flattened homes. Nearly one million utility customers across the region have no power. The president and Mrs. Obama scheduled to arrive in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in about an hour. We'll follow them as they survey some of the hardest hit areas. The Obamas will most likely hear incredible stories of survival, like these.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I opened the bathroom door thinking I would leave a hatch way out or something and then I just fell back, just like in the "Wizard of Oz," and then hole from the house just fly away and then a Krispy Kreme truck flew right through the living room.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded like the world was ending. When I pushed the mattress up, I see the sky.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was in this house with my 89-year-old aunt and my seven week old granddaughter. And how in god's name we survived, I cannot tell you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Reynolds Wolf has been in Tuscaloosa for the last couple of days, hearing those kinds of stories, seeing the destruction the president will see later this morning. Let's go to him now. Reynolds, two days later, what can you tell us?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'll tell you, anywhere you look, like in a 360 spin, everything you just see is just horror mixed in with just amazement. Well, we happen to be near the corner of 15th Street and McFarland, just devastation. If you happen to look behind me, you just happen to see this SUV and if you look right over here, about 50 yards away, is a Krispy Kreme franchise.

Now on one side, you can see one of the delivery trucks that has been completely smashed. It's been pushed by the winds. And as we pan back over to this point, you can see this SUV which many people would consider to be a very safe vehicle in horrible shape. You can't even see the tag for Krispy Kreme doughnut. But if anyone happened to be in this car when this twister came through, there's no surviving it.

The houses are still in bad shape, too, as you might imagine. If you look over here, you can see a bunch of them. Some of them just torn to shreds. A few of them some minor damage. It's really strange how random this happened to be. I'm with CNN photo journalist Jonathan Schaer. Jonathan, watch your step. There are nails and stuff everywhere, as you can imagine, there's debris all over the place.

And as we weed our way pass this boat trailer, we're going to come to our new friend, Julie Odom. Julie has lived in Tuscaloosa for just over a decade. Julie, I know that you were in Washington, D.C., and you just happen to came back, you were on business. Tell me your reaction when you came back and saw your home?

JULIE ODOM, HOME DESTROYED: Completely devastated. Some friends sent some pictures and so I thought I was ready for it. But until you see it in person -- it's mesmerizing.

WOLF: Now, how did you first learn about this? You were in D.C. and you got a phone call?

ODOM: Yes, we were in D.C.. I'm assistant principal, so we had a group of students on a field trip and we started getting phone calls and text messages from friends and family that the weather was getting bad here. And as it continued to get worse, friends were sending in pictures of the tornadoes and links to it and then a good friend of mine who lives up the road called me and said it was coming through Cedar Crest, which is my neighborhood, and that she would do what she could. As soon as the storm was over, they walked down here and they got the first -- they were actually here before the first responders and sent me the first pictures. And basically the text messages said, "It's just gone."

WOLF: Unbelievable. We'll we're going to chat with you, hopefully, later. We understand your pain but for now, we're going to send it back to the studio. Back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: She just -- I just can't imagine what she's dealing with. Life certainly isn't normal for many people there. I understand it's hard to get gas there. As we said, a lot of people are without power. There's an overnight curfew. So life isn't anywhere near normal.

WOLF: No question about it. I mean, anywhere you happen to go, you're going to see things out of the norm. I mean, it's not just things that, you know, obviously or places where they shouldn't be, trees and car thrown (INAUDIBLE) but you're right, the entire community has been shut down. Many people without power. Let's send it back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Reynolds. As those killer storms (INAUDIBLE) slammed into northwest Georgia and southeast Tennessee. (INAUDIBLE) is a community near Chattanooga and the tornado showed it a little mercy. CNN's Susan Candiotti picks up our team coverage from there. Susan, you're also hearing some pretty incredible stories?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, this is an amazing story, both a combination of miraculous survival and tragedy. Look at this twisted branch. It's almost an archway to indicate, to show you what it is that happened here. What (INAUDIBLE) is about to show us is a lot of downed power lines that you can see everywhere here but beyond this is where a house used to be but then it opens up into a clearing, Carol and down in one direction, you see a house that is slanted down the side of a hill, slipped off its foundation and then swinging over here to the right a little bit, where you see these trees cut down, beyond that was a double wide trailer.

The storm picked it up, the twister picked it up, sent it swinging down this hill here and in the background you can see these metal power lines, poles, rather, metal poles. Look at that, twisted and just bent down in two, in half. And at the top of the hill, this is where, according to neighbors, that double wide trailer was blown to bits. You see that car that's sitting right there, that car was where the house used to be, back over to the left.

But here's the tragedy. Four people did not survive. Their bodies were thrown across the hill. Among the dead, a small child. We don't have their identities released as of yet. However, there was a miraculous survival story as well. An eight-year-old boy was thrown into one of these trees. They were able to get him out of the tree, air lift him to a hospital, and we are told he will survive. Carol?

COSTELLO: At least there's a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Such sad, sad stories. Susan Candiotti, thank you so much.

The president, as we've been telling you, will be in Alabama to tour the damage in just a little bit. We're expecting him to land at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport in just about, I don't know, an hour or so and then the president will head on to Florida to watch of the last missions of the space shuttle Endeavour.

We'll be right back to tell you more.

VERJEE: And there was a wedding here today, the wedding in London. We'll tell you how it went for William and Kate who are now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. That's when we return. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you. Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the royal wedding. I'm Carol Costello at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

VERJEE: And, hi, I'm Zain Verjee in London, just outside of Buckingham Palace. We will tell you about the day, the dress, the vows and of course, the kiss. Actually, it was two kisses. We'll show them both to you. Right now William and Kate are in Buckingham Palace at a reception and they could come out at any moment and we will bring it to you live. Carol?

COSTELLO: Thanks, Zain.

We have captivating love stories on both sides of the pond. This morning, England's royal wedding and the final scheduled launch of the space shuttle Endeavour set for later today. Sure to be an emotional moment for both Commander Mark Kelly and his wife, Gabrielle Giffords.

CNN's John Zarrella is live at the Kennedy Space Center. Less than six hours from lift off, right?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Carol. Certainly, as you pointed out, this is kind of a royal event in and of itself. It is the last flight of the shuttle Endeavour. The weather here right now is very cloudy, very windy. But this cold front is expected to move through well in time for them to get the shuttle launch off.

As you mentioned, Endeavour being commanded by Mark Kelly. His wife Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot and nearly killed less than four months ago, is here to watch her husband's liftoff. In fact, she tweeted out this morning that Mark had sent her a message saying that they are up and they're getting ready and they're excited and everything looks good for the launch.

Of course, you know, she's not the only dignitary. I've got to show you this Carol, this is the pages of dignitaries here today. 118 people. I haven't seen this many since Sir John Glenn's flight back in 1999. The first names on the list, the President, Mrs. Obama, and family. They will be arriving here about 2:00 this afternoon. They're going to be watching the launch from just off to my right in the launch control center.

Again, the final flight of the shuttle Endeavour. This is the 25th time Endeavour has flown into space. After it's retired, it will be heading out to the California Science Center, where it will end up on permanent exhibit. This mission, 14 days to the International Space Station. "Endeavour's" primary mission is to bring up what is called the alpha magnetic spectrometer, $1.5 billion, most expensive single item ever carried into space by the shuttle. It will be mounted outside the space station.

If it works, it's expected to grab all kinds of subatomic particles, anti-matter, dark matter, that could revolutionize our understanding of how the universe works. Carol?

COSTELLO: Cool. John Zarrella, live in Florida. Thanks so much.

CNN is your source for live coverage of "Endeavour's" final lift off. That's set for just after 3:30 p.m. Eastern this afternoon.

And next Sunday night on CNN, chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, meets the paramedics and doctors credited for saving the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Hear the revealing and exclusive details minute by minute that went into "Saving Gabby." "Sanjay Gupta Reports," CNN, Sunday night, May 8th, at 7:00 Eastern.

Almost 2,000 people were invited to watch William and Kate say their "I do's." We'll take a look at some of the invited guests. And of course, (INAUDIBLE) how did she keep that hat on her head, I'm wondering.

(LAUGHTER)

VERJEE: Oh, Carol, so many hats, so little time. We need to talk a little bit about why hats and who wore what and what was in and what was out. That's next here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning. Happy Friday. Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the royal wedding. I'm Carol Costello at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee in London outside Buckingham Palace, where William and Kate are at a reception and may come out at any moment.

COSTELLO: OK! We'll get to you if they pop out of there. And it's estimated - I want to tell people about this - estimated two billion people around the world tuned in to see this royal wedding, but only 1,900 were actually invited to the extravaganza. Others watched from home, but millions of others took part in watch parties with crowds turning out in New York's Times Square, Kansas City's Union Station, and lots and lots of bars in Florida. And that's just a sample of the viewing parties here in the United States, Zain.

VERJEE: Well, here in London, Carol, there are about 5,500 people that made applications to have street parties. People having a grand old time in pubs and squares, at their homes. The queen herself is throwing a reception for 650 people behind me at Buckingham Palace. They are having some pretty amazing canapas, from what I hear.

If you're a really, really lucky guest today, though, you will get to go to the party. Three hundred people tonight at a reception of the closest friends and family of the bride and groom. Atika Shubert joins me now. She's been having a pretty good time herself today, I think. Atika, you're at a party in east London. What's it been like there?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you can see, it's a whole lot of fun! A lot of noise, a lot of live music going on. But this huge street party here, it's going on 5,000 times over. The rest of London, there are about 5,000 of these parties.

This particular contingent behind me is actually American and Canadian contingent, is that right? People from Atlanta, Canada. So, it's been a lot of fun. Everybody watched the wedding on the big screen here. Lots of oos and ahhs when the wedding dress came out. A lot of clapping for the kiss. So, it's been a lot of fun.

And this is, I must say, one of the great British traditions, is to have a huge street party like this. For a lot of people here, this is the first time they've been to one, because really, they really only seem to happen once in a generation, Zain.

VERJEE: Atika, what do people think of the dress?

SHUBERT: You know, people loved it. And this is a tough crowd to please because this is the east end of London. Very hipster fashion area, and a lot of fashionistas here are say thumb's up to the dress. They loved it. They felt it was edgy, they felt it was fashionable. And a great pick from Alexander McQueen. So she gets an all around A- plus from the fashionistas here.

VERJEE: So, Burton is getting a real thumb's up for designing what people are calling a modern classic dress. Atika Shubert is going to be having a good time into the wee hours of the morning, as they say here. Atika, thanks so much.

Well, Carol, what's a party without a hat? There were so many of them today over at Westminster Abbey. We'll take a closer look at them and see which ones were great and which ones were not.

COSTELLO: Oh, I can't wait. I was just thinking of all the people behind Atika Shubert. They all had beer and one woman was double fisted! She had a drink in one hand and the other hand. So, it's a good thing Atika probably didn't (INAUDIBLE).

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Thanks, Zain! We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning once again. Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the royal wedding. I'm Carol Costello in Atlanta.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee in London just outside of Buckingham Palace. COSTELLO: And, Zain, we have to talk about the fashion. Because from Kate's wedding dress to the famous, fabulous guests, this has been one fashionable affair. But the real topper, all of those amazing hats. We know Brits love their headgear. And with billions of eyes watching, they certainly went all out. A lot of guests turned to star hatmaker Phillip Tracy. He outfitted most of royal family and well-heeled guests like Victoria Beckam.

And Zain, I know that you saw Victoria Beckham's hat. I think we have a picture of it. It was like - it was, like, stuck on the front of her forehead. How do they do that?

(LAUGHTER)

VERJEE: You know, it was the war of the hats over at Westminster Abbey. People were told to dress pretty conservatively, so the only real fashion statements that you could make is with the hat. So, that's what everyone's eyes were on.

And so, Posh Spice or Victoria Beckham, yes. A lot of people were discussing that hat. That was a Phillip Tracy hat. He designed something like 80. He's the main guy who does hats for the royal family. And yes, it did look like it was going to tip off, but I think it was just her style.

You know, I think Camilla also wore a hat designed by the same guy. And you see, a lot of the women were wearing hats. They have strict rules in church as well. They were told in the invitation, wear a hat. The prime minister's wife, though, Samantha Cameron, did not show up with a hat. So, a lot of people were talking about that. But there were some pretty good styles out there, I thought.

COSTELLO: So, people are really upset that the wife of the prime minister didn't wear a hat?

VERJEE: Well, they were tut-tutting a little bit and said, "Ooh, well, you know, she really should have worn a hat. Everybody else did. She was supposed to."

COSTELLO: Well, she looks so great, though! I'm watching her right now. She looked fantastic.

VERJEE: Yes. You know, she does look amazing.

Carol, I just want to point out to you what is happening behind me right now. Let's listen to what is happening live.

COSTELLO: The royal couple is in a convertible with a bunch of balloons in the back of their car, just like any normal, happy couple heading off to their honeymoon.

VERJEE: Carol, a helicopter just went overhead. I was unable to hear you, but the crowd was cheering, they were waving at the helicopter. They are just so excited. They got a treat today. And they are having a good time and waiting for William and Kate. COSTELLO: Yes, the helicopter was flying over, Zain, and we're still watching the prince and the princess in that convertible. The license plate reads "Just Wed" which is a beautiful common touch, don't you think?

VERJEE: It's really an amazing moment. I mean, people have been so excited, you know. They've wanted something like this. I mean, the monarchy and the royalty has not been as popular in the past years. And what's happened today is that this country is watching calm, confident, young, successful people and watching them. And knowing that they will be the future king and queen of England, and what's happened is that the monarchy and the royals have really been energized by this moment and by this day.

You know, there was a poll that was done, Carol, and Prince William, many people say, is more popular than the queen today. Kate Middleton, his wife now, has just become the darling of this country. People were really impressed with the way that she conducted herself throughout the whole run up to the wedding with so much poise, with so much dignity, with so composure. They view her as a commoner. She's not royalty. And that's a major moment for this country. So, to have someone of her ilk join the royal family.

COSTELLO: Something else that's interesting, Zain, as I'm watching this, Prince William is actually driving the car, and it's an open convertible. I know security was extraordinarily tight, so I guess I'm surprised to see them in an open convertible with Prince William at the wheel, just like any other married couple.

VERJEE: You know, I think this is actually one of the points that they wanted to make, throughout the wedding and throughout Prince William's own manner in which he's grown up. He wants to feel freer. He wants to feel more in charge, that they are in control of themselves.

You know, he's actually based in Wales as a search and rescue pilot, and he drives his own car there. They both go to the grocery shop around the corner. They get their favorite eggs and their drinks and so forth from the shop. So, they are really trying to create a sense of normality around themselves.

So, as glamorous and movie starrish as today has been, what you're seeing with William at the wheel there is really a point that, you know what? "I am a prince, but I've married a commoner. But I still am an ordinary guy. I can still do ordinary things, and I still can connect with the average person," and that's why people really like them.

COSTELLO: Oh, absolutely. One thing that you won't be hearing from Prince William and the new princess is where they are going for their honeymoon because they can't be normal in that sense. Because if they said where they were going, can you imagine all of the paparazzi that would follow them? So, that remains a secret.

Zain, we're going to have to take a break. We'll be back with much more, including the guest list for the big digs today. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you. Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the royal wedding.

I'm Carol Costello in Atlanta.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee. Just outside Buckingham Palace where it has been a royally good day, Carol.

COSTELLO: It has been. That image of the princess and the prince in that open convertible heading off to their honeymoon was priceless. Also the wedding guest list, it was long and it was quite impressive. The 1900 people, arranged from dignitaries and family members and celebrities. So let's look at some of them as they arrive.

That was British soccer star David Beckham with his wife Victoria in that strange hat. He was sporting actually a medal on the lapel of his morning coat.

Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, were there, so was British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha.

Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, attended the Westminster ceremony, representing the groom's mother's side of the family.

And this is Carole Middleton, the mother of the bridge. She wore a sky blue coat dress with matching shoes and hat.

And here you can see Prince Charles and his wife Camilla who wore a champagne dress with a matching champagne -- champagne coat, I should say.

The last to arrive, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. The queen wearing a yellow dress with a matching tailored coat and yellow hat.

And Zain, I just want to pause for a moment because President Obama has just arrived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We have a shot of his plane landing at the Tuscaloosa Airport.

The president and Mrs. Obama will tour the most damaged areas of Alabama because, as you know, so many people died there. The devastation is great. The president and the first lady will be touring parts of the most heavily damaged areas with the governor of the state of Alabama.

When the president disembarks and the first lady disembarks and meets with the governor we'll head back to Alabama.

And we'll have much more on everything when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: And let's take a look again at the president's plane just landed at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport. The president and the first lady aboard that plane. They're going to tour the most damaged areas of Alabama with the governor of that state. We'll go back to that picture as the president and first lady disembarks.

We want to take you 50 miles away to the suburb of Forestdale. That's 50 miles from Tuscaloosa. Don Lemon has been there talking with people as they try to come to grips with their new reality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A grim assignment, looking for tornado victims buried in debris. For survivors, the worst part is not recognizing the place you called home all your life.

(On camera): When you look around at all this, what do you think, Evelyn?

EVELYN ULLMAN, TORNADO SURVIVOR: Whew. You know, I don't even have -- I can't even put that into words. It is unreal. It looks like a third world country. A place that has been strategically hit by war.

LEMON (voice-over): No strategy behind the tornado that ravaged Forestdale, Alabama, just random carnage out of nowhere.

(On camera): How did you get out?

VICTORIA RUDOLPH, TORNADO SURVIVOR: Right there. We came out through here. We crawled. We got on those bricks. He helped me get up there and we crawled out here. How did we get out? I don't know. But we got out.

LEMON (voice-over): Some say it's a wonder anyone survived.

(on camera): What were your saying?

DELLA JOHNSON, TORNADO SURVIVOR: Help. Help. But they couldn't hear me. And finally they came to the back and then they called me and I told my -- and they said, she's in the back. And they said watch out because of the gas and the gas was seeping.

LEMON: You were under the stove and the gas was going?

JOHNSON: I was on the steps and all of that was on me.

LEMON: Did you think you were going to make it out?

JOHNSON: You know, I really didn't think. I just asked God, I said, Lord, if it's my time, just let me come home and be with you.

LEMON (voice-over): Macolee Muhammad's house at the top of the hill was one of the first hit.

MACOLEE MUHAMMAD, TORNADO SURVIVOR: And the tornado just came in and it just stopped on top of my house. I was trying to get out but the wind was shaking the bathroom door so bad that I was just praying, and I was just holding on to stay inside.

It's gone. It's destroyed. I came all the way from Colorado to live here. I don't have anything left, sir. Most of this is sentimental to me because it's my mothers and I've had it for 40 years and I can't get any of it back. I can't get any of it back.

My pictures are gone, all of my mother's stuff, and she handed it down to me. It's gone. It's just gone. It's devastating. I don't know how to do this. I don't have anything. This is all I've got.

LEMON: They've got their lives but nowhere to live.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Let's go down to Don Lemon who's in Forestdale, Alabama, as we await the president and the first lady to disembark from the president's plane.

They just landed at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport, Don, and I would imagine people are trying to put their lives together there, but later they will be asking for help from the federal government.

LEMON: They -- sure. They're already asking for help because, Carol, many of them don't have insurance. It's a working-class neighborhood and, quite frankly, there are a lot of poor people who live here and you're talking about trying to put their lives back together.

If we can just go here, look at this destruction all around me. I've been calling it a valley of destruction. That's all you can -- can really say. But there's one of the residence there, going through things finding -- he just found his lawnmower and he says he's trying to get that fixed.

But going through, they found pictures, they found wallets, really the people who live here, they have nothing left.

And I have to tell you this before we leave you, they did find, Carol, two people who didn't make it, sadly, in this area and we're being told by law enforcement here, about 20 to 30 people still, still, Carol, unaccounted for. It's going to be a long haul before they can get back to normal, if they can ever do that.

COSTELLO: Yes, 194 dead total in the state of Alabama. Deaths in 18 counties.

We're going to take a quick break, Don, and come back as we await the president and first lady to disembark from that plane. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: As we await the president and the first lady to disembark Air Force One at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport, let's head back to Britain for our continuing coverage of the royal wedding.

I'm Carol Costello at the headquarters in Atlanta -- Zain?

VERJEE: And I'm just outside Buckingham Palace in London.

The kisses, the vows, the carriage ride. If you missed it, don't worry about it. Where were you? Take a look. These are the highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROWAN WILLIAMS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and in the face of this congregation to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony.

I, Catherine Elizabeth.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: I, Catherine Elizabeth.

WILLIAMS: Take thee William Arthur Philip Louis to have and to hold from this day forward.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: Take thee, William Arthur Philip Louie.

WILLIAMS: To my wedded husband.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: To my wedded husband.

WILLIAMS: To have and to hold from this day forward.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: To have and to hold from this day forward.

WILLIAMS: For better, for worse.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: For better, for worse.

WILLIAMS: For richer, for poorer.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: For richer, for poorer.

WILLIAMS: In sickness and in health.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: In sickness and in health.

WILLIAMS: To love and to cherish.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: To love and to cherish.

WILLIAMS: Till death us do part.

HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: Till death us do part.

WILLIAMS: Bless the Lord of this ring and grant that he who gives it and she who shall wear it may remain faithful to each other and abide in thy peace and favor and live together in love until their lives end.

WILLIAMS: With this ring, I thee wed.

HRH PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: With this ring, I thee wed.

WILLIAMS: With my body, I thee honor.

HRH PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: With my body, I thee honor.

WILLIAMS: And all my worldly goods with thee I share.

HRH PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: And all my worldly goods with thee I share.

WILLIAMS: In the name of the Father.

HRH PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: In the name of the Father.

WILLIAMS: And of the Son.

HRH PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: And of the Son.

WILLIAMS: And of the Holy Ghost.

HRH PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: -- and of the Holy Ghost" --

WILLIAMS: Amen."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That's so beautiful. And then they kissed twice on the balcony, and they just drove off in a convertible, an Aston Martin, mind you. But William was at the wheel.

And with that, I turn it over to Suzanne Malveaux.

That was a cool picture.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, lovely.

COSTELLO: They were in a convertible, they had balloons behind them and streamers coming out of the car, just like your average normal everyday couple.

MALVEAUX: Everyday wedding. We love it.

COSTELLO: Right.

MALVEAUX: We love it. We've got to admit it, Carol, we love it.

COSTELLO: I know. Truthfully, I have not been into it, but today --

MALVEAUX: You came around, around?

COSTELLO: I did.

MALVEAUX: I think you did. I think we brought you around.

COSTELLO: It was touching. It brought a little tear to my eye.

MALVEAUX: That's good.

COSTELLO: It was quickly gone, but it did.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you, Carol. We did our job.

COSTELLO: Yes.