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Queen Elizabeth Remains Under Medical Supervision. Aired 9- 9:30a ET

Aired September 08, 2022 - 09:00   ET

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

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[09:00:28]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Poppy Harlow.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto.

We are following breaking news this hour. Concerning news. Buckingham Palace says that Queen Elizabeth is now under medical supervision because doctors are concerned for her health. A royal source tells CNN that immediate family members of the 96-year-old monarch have been informed. All of the queen's children, including Prince Charles, the heir, as well as grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry are traveling to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to be with the queen.

HARLOW: So, let's begin this morning with this breaking news out of the United Kingdom. Buckingham Palace with a statement saying that the queen's doctors are concerned for her health and are recommending she remain under medical supervision.

SCIUTTO: CNN's Max Foster, he's following this from London. CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta with us. Also, CNN reporter Anna Stewart outside Buckingham Palace.

Max, first to you.

You've been chronicling throughout the last hours the steps being taken that raise the level of concern right now that this could be grave, that the children, of course, traveling to the palace, family members, also notes being passed to the conservative and labour leaders in parliament. Tell us what we know at this stage about the queen's health.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, the level of concern has really been rising throughout the day, as you point out. So there were rumors this morning - there was concern last night that the queen had canceled a virtual meeting with the crucial privy council to swear in the new prime minister. A core constitutional duty. But she couldn't even carry out that by Zoom from Balmoral Castle. So, some concern there.

And then we had the trickle of news today. So, first of all, a text to me saying that the Buckingham -- that the queen's doctors were concerned about the queen's health, which is very stark language from the palace. And that is something we never get. They never really talk about her medical condition. And to voluntarily come out with that and to say that they're concerned was worrying.

Then we had a tweet from the prime minister, a very public statement really, acknowledging the queen's health. Also the archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior member of the queen's church, saying he was praying for her. And then we had this series of announcements from different parts of the family, announcing, as you say, that all the queen's children are heading to Balmoral, if they're not already there.

Prince William on his way there as well. Not with the rest of his family because they're just starting school. And we've just heard that Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, are also both heading to Balmoral. And that perhaps is particularly telling because we don't see the Sussexes with the rest of the family at the moment. In fact, they've been here for a few days and they have deliberately stayed out of the family's way. But they are putting all those differences behind them, heading to Balmoral for what is clearly a very central family moment.

Everyone dropping their plans, heading to Balmoral to be by the queen's side. It is a grave situation.

HARLOW: Max, of course, she is the longest serving monarch in Britain's history. And the royal family is typically very quiet about her health. But to get this statement and then also to get the subsequent statement from the prime minister, and also really from all the prongs, I just wonder how different it is in your view this time given how closely you have reported. This has been your beat for so many years. How is it different this time?

FOSTER: Well, the thing that's different is they're not waving us away from being in rolling coverage.

HARLOW: Yes.

FOSTER: They know what we're doing and they're not telling us not to do it. Or the U.K. networks as well have also switched to rolling coverage. BBC1, which is the public broadcaster's flagship network, has canceled all of its programming and it's put on rolling news coverage as well. The palace wouldn't allow that to happen if they felt it was over egging (ph) the situation. Always in the past, when there have been rumors, they've been very quick to, you know, sent me a text to say, calm it down, and we do that because it shows the situation isn't as serious as they say.

There's always optics involved here because they do feel that the queen has a right to medical privacy, like anyone else. They also understand that the public has a right to updates, major updates, on the state of her health. So, they are allowing the public to be informed by what we are interpreting as a very major event. And that just really shows the gravity of the situation. SCIUTTO: If was only three months ago, and we were just showing

pictures there, that the queen and the family celebrated her platinum jubilee weekend, including events at Buckingham Palace.

We also have Sanjay Gupta with us.

Sanjay, you've been following this closely.

[09:05:02]

The statement says following further evaluation there is now concern. I've seen some doctors note that the fact that she's not in the hospital, that she remains at home, could be telling. And, again, it's hard for you, and anyone from a great distance, you're not there, but tell us what signs you're watching right now this morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no, I think that that's a very critical point here, the idea that she's not in the hospital. You know, if you look at some of the previous medical history of the queen, we know, as was just pointed out, she did go to the hospital in October of 2021. It was not clear what exactly was done at that point. But, the point is, that they did take her to the hospital.

At this point, you know, we're hearing, obviously, that whatever it is that's causing this, and we don't know, that would be speculation, it's pretty significant. And, at the same time, reconciling that with the idea that she's not going to the hospital. Why doesn't someone go to the hospital? Either because they don't need it, you know, it's not -- they're not that sick, or they don't think there would be any benefit from going to the hospital at this point.

So, I think you're absolutely right, Jim, that that is - that is sort of one of those things that I think most people sort of, in the medical world, will pay attention to. She, obviously, can get very good care, medical supervision, she is the queen, without going to the hospital. But if things were required in terms of breathing, in terms of sustaining blood pressure, typically that is something that would be, you know, done at the hospital.

So, it's speculative at this point. But all the other signals sort of point to that this is, you know, there's obviously a lot of concern here.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: And, Anna, you are at Buckingham Palace. What is the sense there? How has this message from the palace changed also in just the past few days?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, and also, just in the past hour, I would say, picking up on what Max was saying here at Buckingham Palace, it is really busy. You can see camera positions being lined up. Lots of people, lots of activity, lots of very worried faces. And I would say that normally the palace steers us away from what can be a bit of hysteria in the U.K. media about the queen's health given she is 96 years old, given we know that she has episodic mobility issues and there have been many health issues since she spent a night in hospital in October of last year. So nearly a year ago.

But, generally, the palace steers us way from covering. Right now we're in rolling coverage across all the content (ph) U.K. outlets and there is so much concern.

I think we should go back to the statement the palace first released, which, of course, caused all this concern, with the doctors saying, they recommend she remain under medical supervision and saying the queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral. Add to that the fact we now know, within minutes of that statement being released, that all of the queen's children, including Prince William and Prince Harry, are all now traveling up to Balmoral to be with her. So that is where the concern comes from.

And when you put it into context of the last few days and consider that for the first time her majesty welcomed her 15th prime minister, which is quite an extraordinary fact, but not from Buckingham Palace here, where you would expect, but from Balmoral, and that was on the advice of doctors because she needed rest, that we saw Boris Johnson, the outgoing prime minister, and the incoming prime minister, Liz Truss, all travel up to Scotland for that.

And then yesterday, for privy council meeting, the queen actually canceled a Zoom meeting from Balmoral, again on the advice of doctors. So, taking into context, taking into consideration everything we've heard in the past hour, I think there is reason to be very concerned about the queen's health at this stage.

Jim. Poppy.

SCIUTTO: Well, the pictures we have there on the screen are of the balcony of Buckingham Palace, just in June of this year, for that jubilee celebration.

Max, if we can look at history just for a moment. In February, she became the first British monarch to serve 70 years on the throne, extending what was already a record for a British monarch. She is a bridge all the way back to World War II, right, when she and the royal family showed such strength during the war, during the blitz of London. Place her, if you can, in British history here and the meaning that she has in terms of leadership through all the years and decades to the British people.

FOSTER: Her first prime minister was Winston Churchill. Her 15th prime minister was Liz Truss. That speaks to so much of the queen's reign.

When she took the throne, she inherited a crumbling empire. Countries were seizing independence, leaving the British empire. And that was seen as the death nell really for the British monarchy.

What's quite extraordinary about the queen, if you imagine her primary role is to leave the throne in a stronger state than she received it in, she has managed to do that over the course of her reign, which is extraordinary when you consider the - you know, the idea of monarchy. It's not something I think the British people would vote for now, but it's also something that they won't let go of either. And it's, I think, in large part because of the queen. And I think she represents continuity and stability, and she steps up and she steps on to the world stage when people expect to see her.

[09:10:09]

So, moments of crisis, we look to her.

There was a really significant moment, I think, during the pandemic, when Boris Johnson's government was in a complete mess, and falling apart and mishandling the whole situation. And the queen stepped in and gave a public address referring back to the world war. And that was the moment really where the country came together and decided to really lock down and for the better of the nation. And that is a typical sort of example of what the queen has managed to do. She is there for when the government fails, effectively.

And I also think she rises above the monarchy even. She's a global figure. A living, historic global figure. And someone who I've traveled with around the world and is so revered in so many different parts of the world. And I can only put that down to the fact that she isn't a divisive figure. She isn't a political figure. And she always managed to get people to endear her.

I mean you have -- when the Chinese premier was here, he was very keen to be seen in front of the cameras and the carriages, as was Vladimir Putin. I think Nelson Mandela described it as his favorite state visit when he came to the U.K. So, she's always aloud the U.K. to punch well above its weight because of the way she's always handled herself.

HARLOW: It says so much, Max.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: Yes, it certainly does.

SCIUTTO: You know, when you look, Poppy, I was thinking, at the pictures of her on the balcony in June, when she showed certainly more strength and fortitude, though still showing her age, but the picture just more recently of meeting with the new British prime minister, you see a change.

HARLOW: Sure.

SCIUTTO: And Anna and Max have been covering this quite closely and they will continue to stay with us here, as will Sanjay Gupta, as we follow the situation in the United Kingdom as the queen's children, they're now traveling to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to be at the queen's side after updates this morning that doctors have grown concerned with the state of her health. We're going to take you back there live.

HARLOW: We'll be there in just a moment.

We're also watching this, long time Trump ally and adviser Steve Bannon just arrived moments ago in New York, taking himself to the authorities there as he faces state level charges for allegedly defrauding donors in the build the wall crowd fundraising scheme. We'll have more on what's happening with him in court today as well.

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[09:16:42]

HARLOW: We are continuing our breaking news coverage out of the United Kingdom. Buckingham Palace says the queen's doctors are concerned for her health. They are recommending that she remain under medical supervision.

SCIUTTO: Her son, Prince Charles, has already arrived at Balmoral Castle. Her other three children on the way, as well as her grandsons, Princes William and Harry. It is hard to imagine a leader who has had such a mark, has had such a mark over many decades as the monarch, the longest serving, in fact, in the history of the United Kingdom at more than 70 years.

Our reporters and guests are back with us now, Max Foster, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Sanjay, if we could begin with you.

The queen's health has been closely watched in recent months and years. She was -- tested positive for Covid, for the coronavirus, earlier this year. Got through that. Tell us about the points that have stood out to you in recent months regarding her health.

GUPTA: Well, you know, even if you go back to 2003, you know, this is when she was 77 years old. I mean so just to give you some frame of reference in terms of her age, going back nearly 20 years, that's when she had, you know, an operation on her knee at that point. And, you know, it was part of the mobility issues that we still talk about today. But if you go forward now, to March 2013, she was hospitalized at that point for gastroenteritis. She was 87 at that point. And that was, you know, nine years ago.

And then, as you point out, the more recent things, the Covid diagnosis in February of this year. But then if you look at '21, 2021, 2022, you get an idea of sort of what she's been dealing with over this period of time. Skipped some of the events at the jubilee in June. There was always lots of information. She was hospitalized in October of 2021. We don't really know the particulars of that hospitalization. But that's really about it.

She's 96 years old. So, you know, even going back 20 years, you're still talking about her being in her mid-70s at that point.

I think when you read the statement today, you know, upon further evaluation, so there was evaluations that were already happening with the queen. She -- when they further evaluated her, there was enough concern. We don't know specifically what those concerns are and probably cannot speculate on that. But it's telling, I think, more than anything, when you look in the past, they would tell us if she had gone to the hospital, even if they didn't share a lot of details. At this point, there's no indication that she's gone to the hospital, are going to the hospital, which, you know, can be read really of one of a few different ways. One hand it could be favorable, someone doesn't need to go to the hospital. They're not ill enough to warrant that. Or they don't think the hospital would be a benefit at this point. That would be another way, an opposite way almost of reading that.

So that's, you know, it's really all speculation at this point. We know her age. We know her past medical history and we have this statement.

HARLOW: You know, Max, it's striking that, you know, as Jim said, what a mark, 70 years as monarch. Someone who when she was born certainly did not expect to be queen, and yet she has met 14 U.S. presidents, 15 British prime ministers, seven popes. And you talked about her as being this constant. I'm reminded of her former secretary, Simon Louis, describing her once as constant as the north star.

[09:20:05]

FOSTER: That's really, you know, that is one of her duties, to represent continuity. So, what she will do, and very cleverly, is remain in people's lives and be relevant to people. So, she's seen as this very stable figure. A very sort of historic figure. Actually, she's an utter revolutionary. If you imagine, you know, when she came to power, there was - came to the throne, rather, radio was the main form of media. She's the one that started doing the Christmas broadcasts on TV. So, every year, on Christmas Day, she would appear on TV in everyone's living rooms and they would all sit in that really private moment with the queen. Always, every year, the highest rated program on British television is the queen's broadcast. And that's a very clever way of getting to the heart of a family.

She also popularized the walk about. And this was something which was genius, when you think about it. So when we were used to monarchs just arriving at a state event and going straight into the building, she did something which was quite unique, really, was, she would go to the public outside and she would talk to them. She would get the TV cameras in and she would show that, and that would be seen on TV. And you suddenly thought, oh, she's quite relatable. She talks to normal people. And that was quite an extraordinary thing to do.

And she's always embraced the media all the way along. She was the first in her family to tweet. She was the first on Facebook. She remains relevant to people but -- even though we have nothing in common with her whatsoever. And that's one of the geniuses really to her longevity. She's remained relevant to people.

And there's a deep emotional link that people have with her because she will appear at a national moment of mourning, and she will shed a tear. And we relate to that.

During the London Olympics, which was a huge celebration, she was there cheering. She was there with Daniel Craig jumping out of a helicopter. And that - it was something that we could relate to. And that was a fun part of her.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

FOSTER: So, she never spoke -- she spoke, but she never expressed an opinion. But we related to her. And someone very close to her a few years explained why we never see her smile, although that's not actually true. And he said, well, imagine she's looking at a horse, and she is smiling. Then if you don't really like horses, then you wouldn't relate to her. But if she's looking at a horse, and you like horses, you think, oh, she likes horses. If you look at a horse and you don't like horses and you'd think that she doesn't like horses. So, by not expressing in any opinion, she was liked by everyone. And that's very clever. And that's where Prince Charles is slightly different.

SCIUTTO: We've been watching, as you've been speaking, Max, to the live pictures outside Balmoral, where you can see police, uniformed officers there, putting up barriers at the gate and a handful of people gathering there.

Notably, it was in April just of last year, Max, that she lost her husband, of, I believe, more than 74 years, Prince Philip. Again, another measure of, as you were describing there, continuity. And there's a picture of them together there. Continuity through time. And loss. She's experienced loss. Certainly we just celebrated the - well, celebrated - marked, rather, commemorated the 25th anniversary of the passing of Princess Diana.

FOSTER: So this was a very unique relationship. They were soul mates for sure. They were very close and that picture only speaks to that. They were also -- he was also her closest personal adviser in terms of her profession. He was the only person that didn't bow or curtsy to her. Even Prince Charles will bow to her. Even, you know, obviously, all of the staff, her private secretary. She was the -- he was the one person that would argue with her and answer back to her. And if there was ever a major constitutional question, she would always put it past him. She made the big decisions and she bore that responsibility very heavily.

But there was a slight deal there, in that out in public he would walk behind her and support her. Behind the scenes, and I saw this play out, he was very much in charge. So, he was always at the head of the table at Christmas, for example, and he would make big family decisions, where the children went to school, what they would do in terms of properties and he would run the estates, and big decisions, they would bang heads together behind the scenes.

After he retired, he stepped back a bit. So, she did take -- step up a bit there and Prince Charles stepped up a bit there as well. But when he died, Prince Philip, I think we really all saw how she was weakened as a result of that. And I don't think it was just love. I think it was the loss of a professional partner that she needed to carry out her work.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: Yes. Her soul mate, as you said.

Max, stay close as you get more reporting.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, you as well. We'll come back to you very soon.

Thank you for all of that.

We do have a lot ahead. Keeping a very close eye on this breaking news out of the United Kingdom.

Also this, new details this morning about a deadly crime spree streamed on social media.

[09:25:02]

What we know about the man accused of killing four people and injuring three others in this 24-hour period.

SCIUTTO: Also, we are moments away from the opening bell on Wall Street, where U.S. stock futures are down this morning. This hour, additional scrutiny as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will speak. Investors watching for any plans from the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates yet again and how much. Will it be another three quarters of a point. Today, indexes are on a pace to snap a three-week long losing streak after the Dow and S&P both posted considerable gains on Wednesday.

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