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Tributes Pour In For Queen Elizabeth II; Commonwealth Nations Mourn Queen Elizabeth II; Many Nations Ties To British Monarchy Complicated By Colonial History; Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair Remembers The Queen. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired September 09, 2022 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST: Prayers for Queen Elizabeth pouring in from across the globe following her reign. The tributes coming from celebrities, athletes, leaders of the British Commonwealth nations.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Flags flying at half-staff in places such as the Bahamas where Queen Elizabeth visited at least five times during her reign most recently, in 1994. Listen to how one woman there will remember the queen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's everybody's mother. She's one of the most outstanding persons and women in my lifetime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: CNN International's anchor Zain Asher joins us now and Zain, there's dissonance because you have the reverence for the Queen across the world. Some of it very personal but you also have awareness of Britain's colonial history, some of which still lives on today in the Commonwealth of which there is real opposition too. An upset Larry Madowo was discussing that earlier.

You're from a Nigerian family, grew up in the UK. Help explain that contradiction. I wonder how you personally view that.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: I would say that the relationship that a lot of black people who are British by birth and who have African ancestry. The relationship that a lot of us have with the royal family is certainly a complicated one. On the one hand growing up in the UK you are taught that the Royals are the pinnacle of British high society, you are taught respect and reverence for everything that the crown and the scepter stands for.

And also by the way for my own sort of personal situation, if you are a child of immigrants, you grew up in the UK, you crave that sense of belonging and there is an understanding throughout your entire life that the monarchy is really what unites the nation.

[10:35:00] On the other hand, though, you're also aware you're taught in school, you learn on your own a little bit more about the sort of darker history of colonialism. The British Empire was part of the greatest colonial experiment the world has ever known. And you think about what colonialism actually involves Jim, it is ugly business. OK? The business of subjugating people by force is a brutal one.

You know, I grew up with stories of you know, villages in Nigeria, being burned, you know, there's precious artifacts being looted. Obviously, a lot of people dying through that entire process. I think that when it comes to Queen Elizabeth, specifically, there is an understanding and there is an awareness that she ascended to the throne in 1952.

So she was much more involved and sort of, she oversaw much more the sort of breakdown of the British Empire, and not the building of it. And I think that's a really important point to sort of take into consideration. She hasn't fought change as much as she could have.

So I think that if there is this sort of lingering sense of resentment by some people of color, because obviously I can't generalize with 2 million people that live in the UK, 2 million black people that live in the UK, if there is some resentment, I think that is towards the monarchy, not necessarily the Queen, and there is a distinction. The monarchy versus the queen.

HARLOW: That - that is such a helpful explanation and such an important distinction. So one of the things that Larry reported on last hour that I think is important, is it is real anger among some that, that she did not apologize for the actions of the empire building. But the new monarch can. I mean, there are things now the question will be what will King Charles do? And what - what may be said that wasn't said?

ASHER: I mean, I think it's going to be really interesting to see whether this sort of Commonwealth experiment survives the new King. I mean, I have no idea what's going to happen. But I think that, you know, you saw last year, Barbados, for example, removing the Queen as head of state, you are seeing growing calls for Republicanism in various other sort of Commonwealth, Commonwealth nations, especially in the Caribbean.

And I think it's this idea that there is now an understanding of how much money the royal family may have made from slavery, their involvement in sort of colonialism. And there are calls for reparations, right? And even if the reparations are unlikely to happen, you sort of do get this sense that you know, it's unfortunate that there's been no apology and that's what people really do take issue with I think at this point in time.

ACOSTA: And as you know, I mean, listen to there are Republican movements in Australia as well Northern Ireland, right? That - does that - does that leave the United Kingdom? Listen, it's so good to share your - to hear you share your personal experiences -

ASHER: Thank you. Thank you for having me. ACOSTA: - in what is - what is a difficult - difficult time.

HARLOW: And for anyone who hasn't read Zain's book, they should, phenomenal.

ASHER: Thank you.

HARLOW: Real, real story that people should need to know more about. Thank you, Zain.

ASHER: Thank you.

HARLOW: OK, coming up for us. We are speaking with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his recollections of Queen Elizabeth right here.

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[10:40:00]

ACOSTA: This morning the Ukrainian counter offensive pushes on. Forces have now reached one of the entrances of an important supply hub for Russian forces in the Kharkiv region in the northeast of that country.

HARLOW: A photo geo located by CNN shows Ukrainian soldiers holding a flag in front of a signpost at the southern entrance of the city. Our Melissa Bell joins us from Kyiv. Mellissa, what can you tell us?

MELISSA BELLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, these extraordinary images that are beginning to filter through Jim and Poppy from the last 24 hours where what we're seeing on the ground as a result of this counter offensive now underway for more than a week is the beginning of those flags being raised.

More territory being taken. President Zelenskyy spoke last night of a 1000 square kilometers of land liberated in the south and in the east. You mentioned a moment ago, that particular town of Kupyansk Square, we've just seen that flag raised in the last few hours. That is an important capture for Ukrainian forces because it lies on those logistical routes that allow Russia to first of all, bring more men and supplies to their positions.

And listen but also further south to in Luhansk and Donetsk region and it is extremely significant that has been taken. And what is remarkable is how quickly it's been taken. We've been tracking this advance over the course of the last 24 hours. And I think Ukrainian forces themselves were quite surprised about the lack of resistance that they're finding opposite, Jim and Poppy.

ACOSTA: And remarkable too because this was supposed to be thoroughly focused on the south. This is another front in effect there and they're showing progress. Melissa Bell in Kyiv, thanks so much.

Our top story as people mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth, they are also looking ahead wondering what kind of Monarch King Charles III will be. HARLOW: Right. What changes might he bring to the monarchy? What can we expect now from his oldest son and heir Prince William. Joining us now is Julie Montagu. She grew up in Illinois, married into the British aristocracy, is now the Viscountess Hinchingbrooke and future Countess of Sandwich Thank you very much for being with us.

[10:45:00]

JULIE MONTAGU, VISCOUNTESS HINCHINGBROOKE: Thank you so much for having me.

HARLOW: Let's talk about what you believe the future holds for the monarchy, right? We've talked a lot about how Queen Elizabeth modernized it, and now it is in King Charles's hands.

MONTAGU: Absolutely, we're already starting to see those changes take effect immediately, in particular, the transfer of titles. We now know that Prince William, and of course, the Duchess of Cambridge, they're both known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall, they have taken those titles from Charles and from Camilla.

We do know that the title of Prince of Wales will need to be handed over from Charles to William. Same with the title, of course, Princess of Wales, which comes with that title. It can get very, very complicated, sort of these movements of titles. I mean, I know as well, as you just mentioned on your program. I'm Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, but eventually will be the Countess of Sandwich.

And these title transfers happen after a death within the family. But we've already started to see this - these transfer of titles happening right now.

ACOSTA: We were speaking about how Queen Elizabeth modernized through time and she was she was a woman who's embodied tradition, no question in life and work, but also took advantage of technology. We - we played her first radio address at the age of 14, a short time ago.

I want to show something folks may remember from the 2012 London Olympics, when Queen Elizabeth threw herself into it wholeheartedly. She appeared there with the James Bond, with Daniel Craig, and her corgis. There she is.

HARLOW: So great.

ACOSTA: This leads up to a great moment, by the way, with - with a jump out of the helicopter with even a moment of doubt as to whether maybe the Queen was doing the same thing. But - but tell us, Julie Montagu, there you go. How about that for a moment. Tell us how she did that. And how you expect Charles might modernize things as well.

MONTAGU: Well, Charles has been modifying behind the scenes. You know, he's very - an active environmentalist, active for climate change. And he has behind the scenes, really been doing his own part in very much modernizing the royal family. So that has already started and I expect that we will see more of that in his - in his own reign. We know that he is incredibly close to his son, Prince William, and we've seen them more and more together as a pair. And of course, more and more of them together as two couples, Camilla Charles, William and Kate. And I suspect and I think many people expect to see the four of them together more and more, not only in these - over these next couple of weeks, honoring and celebrating and of course, mourning their mother and grandmother, but also making sure that as Charles comes to throne, that he is continuing on what his mother has already started. You know, you showed that wonderful clip there.

And let's also remember that Queen Elizabeth sent her first tweet in 2014 and signed it Elizabeth R.

ACOSTA: That's a great point. And to your point that the princes are going to play a very big role in modernizing further the monarchy as well. Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, thanks so much for joining us.

MONTAGU: Thank you.

HARLOW: Well, right now mounds of tributes, flowers outside of Buckingham Palace. Up next former British Prime Minister Tony Blair joins CNN live. He was Prime Minister for the last time we saw this type of display outside the palace of course when the world mourned the death of Princess Diana. Stay with us.

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[10:50:00]

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HARLOW: We want to take you back now to Buckingham Palace where King Charles is expected to meet with the new Prime Minister Liz Truss as one of his first official tasks as king.

ACOSTA: CNN's Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour is there joined by guests who knows a thing or two about navigating an audience with the Queen.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Indeed, indeed, indeed, we have Prime Minister Tony Blair, Sir Tony Blair, who was prime minister for this queen from 1997, for a good 10 years. I mean, it was an amazing long relationship. So Tony Blair, welcome to the program.

We've seen your incredibly moving statement on the passing of the Queen. And I think I just want to ask you first to describe for us, you know, how you first came upon her, and you talked about how she's been in your life, all your life from when you were a flag waving kid?

TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Yes, I remember when I was just a child. And she - I was brought up in Durham city in the north of England, and she visited the city, and I remember watching her being driven through the streets. And then of course, the next time I really was anywhere close to it was when I became Prime Minister. And she was - you know, we used to then have a weekly audience, she was immensely gracious, and kind, sympathetic, you know, we would have good discussions, she was one person in whom you could have complete confidence, you could say whatever you needed to say, ask whatever you wanted to ask. And, you know, the thing about her which I think is the most important thing and understanding how and why there's such - such intensity of grief in our country right now but also, I think, to a degree around the world is that she was somebody who, during a period of extraordinary change, if you think back to the early 1950s, her coronation, and then forward to today.

During that process of change, she managed somehow through all of it to blend the tradition that she represented with the modernizing modernity that was all around her. And, you know, that's an enormous skill. So she was someone who - she wasn't just there, you know, there respected deeply because of the longevity with which she reigned, but also because of what she represented, and because of this character that she had, this - this huge attachment to duty and decency and dignity.

AMANPOUR: Prime Minister, one of the things the world really remembers is watching all these flowers now pile up outside the royal household for the Queen. The last time this happened was obviously for the death of Princess Diana, and it shocked this country. You were a young Prime Minister, then.

A new prime minister then, and the Queen was criticized for not feeling the pain of her nation, staying up in Balmoral and I think you had to go out of your way to try to advise her on what best to do. She did come back down to London. I want to play a little clip of what she told the nation when she finally came back and then get your reflections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUEEN ELIZABETH II, FORMER QUEEN OF UNITED KINGDOM: So what I said to you now as your Queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart. First I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:55:00]

AMANPOUR: Tony Blair, it said that the Queen did not show emotion, did not like showing emotions, either privately or in public. I just want to get your reflections on that really difficult time for this nation, for the world. And how, how in the end, she recovered from that stumble?

BLAIR: Well, it wasn't really a stumble. That was the - as she said in the statement, she was the queen, but also a grandmother, and she had two young grandchildren, the two boys who are obviously, you know, very close to their mother and loved their mother, were devastated by her death. And so it was it was difficult for her. But once - once she understood the necessity of reaching out to the people, because there were people misunderstanding this reticence that she had that was really to do with a desire to look after the children. But once she realized that she - she should speak, she did. And of course, as you've just seen, she spoke from the heart and in a way, which completely brought people back to her.

So you know that that was an example in an incredibly difficult set of circumstances, where she, she understood what was necessary, and she did it. And that was, that was how she was. Her first attachment, more than anything else was to her duty, to the people she ruled.

AMANPOUR: And I've heard, you know, the Queen obviously did not give interviews, but there are - there's, there's enough archival sound and video of her. And I heard on the radio today, her reminiscing about her audiences with people like yourself and her prime ministers. And she was saying that, you know, she - she felt that perhaps you all felt that she was an impartial, shoulder to lean on, an ear to talk to, knowing that what you said would never go out of that room.

And she was very interesting about what she got from these audiences and how she felt they might also have helped, you know, prime ministers like yourself starting for Winston Churchill.

BLAIR: Yes, for sure. I mean, she was, by the way, fascinating to talk to about historical figures. I mean, I had many conversations with, for example, about Winston Churchill. And, I mean, she was obviously a very young queen at that time, and she was very much learning from him. But you know, when I became Prime Minister, one of the first thing she said to me is my first Prime Minister was Winston, and that was before you were born.

So, you know, she - by the time I became Prime Minister, she had this enormous experience of government, of politics, and its broader sense. And so, you know, she did - she - she was a sympathetic ear, because she understood how difficult it was. And in a way, she is head of state and you as the head of her government, you - those were two unique positions.

And I think I always found that she was both that that source of empathy for the - for the struggles you would have as a - as a political leader, but she also had huge insight about the country. And, you know, one of the things that she was exceptional at, is keeping her finger on the pulse of the people.

I mean, she loved the people, she served them, but she was never complacent about the need, always to understand them.

AMANPOUR: Let me play this soundbite from then Prince Charles talking about the climate, a massive issue, and I want to get your reflections on what he might do as king.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING CHARLES III, KING OF UNITED KINGDOM: Do we want to go down in history as the people who did nothing to bring the world back from the brink in time to restore the balance when we could have done? I don't want to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: So you said you never knew which way the Queen land politically, how she might have voted if she did? What do you think somebody like Prince - now King Charles, who's put his marker down on key issues, how will - how will he be expected to go forward on - on things like that?

BLAIR: I think he will be very much like her, because he now is the King. And, you know, to be fair to Prince Charles, as he then was. What he said about for example, climate change, he was saying that years before, most people were, years before. And he was extremely prescient about it.