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The Queen's Coffin Now At Official Scottish Residence Of Royal Family; Ukraine Recaptures Town Held By Russians For Months; U.S. Leaders Pay Respects To Victims Of 9/11 attacks; New York Marks 21st Anniversary Of Sept. 11 Attacks; Wildfire In Southern California Burns Over 28K Acres, 45 Percent Contained; People Pay Tribute To Queen Elizabeth Outside Buckingham Palace. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired September 11, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:53]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with the arrival of the Queen's coffin in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh today, the first leg of her journey back to London. She is now laying in rest at the official Scottish residence of the British Royal Family, the palace of Holyroodhouse.

The Queen's coffin making a solemn six-hour trip from her Balmoral estate. Thousands lining the streets along the 100-plus-mile journey through the Scottish countryside to pay their respects.

There were also huge crowds along Edinburgh's iconic royal mile bidding farewell to the Queen who died on Thursday at the age of 96. Her funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on September 19th.

We've got full coverage of today's events. Nina dos Santos is in London. Let's begin with Nic Robertson in Edinburgh. Nic take us through today's events and what comes next.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it was about 10:00 in the morning here U.K. time when the Queen's cortege left Balmoral and it sort of wound its way through the countryside, the villages, (INAUDIBLE) before getting to the city of Aberdeen and there it swung south.

Already it had taken about two hours to get to Aberdeen, a drive that would normally take you may 45 minutes. It was going slow through these villages so that people could pay their respects. And from Aberdeen through the towns of Stonehaven onwards to Fortha (ph) to Dundee to Perth and then all the way here to Edinburgh, it was about 4:00 in the afternoon, six hours later.

And that here this was just a sea of people pushing up against the barrier and as the Queen's cortege came it turned the corner here and then headed up towards the castle on the Royal Mile. And we were talking to people here, so many of them had come to pay their respects. They talked about the Queen's service to the country. How much it meant to them and this was their way of sort of reflecting that back and paying her some respect.

And we talked to people here. The old, the not so old and the young. This is some of what they told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wonderful, just wonderful. (INAUDIBLE) It's just wonderful to be here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mom and I will not be here. She's 88 and is in quite in poor health. It's really important despite not being very well to make today's presence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think King Charles will do an unbelievable job and he will do just as good as the Queen, hopefully.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No I don't think he did. I think the Queen is --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And I think that's the sentiment you hear a lot. That the Queen has set such a high standard. Obviously for these young people, it is King Charles who will sort of be around through the early parts of their lives.

that elderly lady, 88 years old, and as her daughter said in poor health but she wanted to come out. Her husband apparently had been a member of the military doing service during the Queen's coronation. The Queen touched so many hearts today.

WHITFIELD: Indeed. And it's evident just the variation of generations that would come out. And as you're holding the umbrella with the rain and the weather the way it is.

So Nic, thank you so much.

Let me check with you, Nina dos Santos there at Buckingham Palace, where mourners continue to gather to pay their respects to the Queen. What have you been seeing there?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, there've been thousands of people who've been waiting in line for hours, In some cases, more than four hours to pay their respects just to get a couple moments to get close enough to the gates of Buckingham Palace and have a private moment to lay a floral tribute and to pay their respects to the monarch, the only monarch that many of these people have known does their lifetime.

[14:04:55]

DOS SANTOS: Fredricka, the oldest person I met was over 80. The youngest person in this line behind me I met was just 8 months old. And there are many institutions in this country that bear the name

"Royal" and I met a music student who said I am a student at the Royal College of Music. She sung for the Queen here at the gates outside Buckingham Palace. And this is what she had to say. Despite only being 24 years old she still felt so keenly about the loss of a 96-year-old sovereign last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am so grateful to have been alive for 24 years during your reign and it gives me pleasure to be a current student at the Royal Academy of Music where you are our patron. Sort of a grandmother to us all.

It's not just a loss of a monarch, it's a loss of like a family member. And I think the last time we really felt this was with Princess Diana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: So many of the people in the crowds here behind me have just been lining up just to get a glimpse of their new king, King Charles III. And they were rewarded with that when he moved with his official procession from Buckingham Palace to his official residence for the moment nearby Clarence House about an hour or so ago. A big cheer went up in the crowd every time you saw him.

For him today was all about shoring up support and that relationship with the commonwealth. These are 14 countries that have a huge history with the British monarchy. And he met with leaders of those countries.

Tomorrow he'll be in parliament in Westminster Hall before heading up to Edinburgh in Scotland. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. So many strangers feeling that affinity as though it's a loss of a family member. Nic Robertson and Nina Dos Santos. Thanks to both of you, appreciate it. We'll check back with you.

All right. Let's bring in now Julie Montagu. She is a royal commentator and an American who is married to the heir of the Earl of Sandwich. The Queen's casket -- so good to see you is now in Edinburgh and we saw people lining the streets all along this procession.

Tell us about this special connection that she had in Scotland with the Scots there and why they feel so connected to her.

JULIE MONTAGU, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: You know, she was the Queen of Great Britain and that includes Scotland. You know, I've had two children attend the University of Edinburgh and so they've been up there for quite some time and one is up there now and they can really feel the energy of people wanting to pay their respects.

And you know, as you said earlier, this Queen, our late Queen has been for many, many people, the only monarch they have ever known. This is a once in a lifetime probably, many lifetimes, opportunity to pay respect to the longest serving monarch.

Somebody who has really touched people's lives from one generation to the next -- the old, the young in an extraordinary way. And to see people lined up today watching her go by and throwing out flowers in front of the hearse as well, seeing that, you know, really did bring a tear to your eye to see this outpouring of love and gratitude towards, you know, this absolutely sensational woman.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, these ten days of mourning, I mean it's steeped in tradition. But at the same time do you see in people or an anticipation perhaps of a page turning of the monarchy?

MONTAGU: I definitely see a page turning of the monarchy, absolutely.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: In what way do you see it?

MONTAGU: I think that Queen Elizabeth -- I see it with we are going to see, I think that we will see much more of prince -- well, King Charles III and the new Prince of Wales doing events, doing their charities, supports together. We will be seeing much more of the Princess of Wales with the Queen Consort.

King Charles III -- he knows that he will be connecting as an extension to this older generation but he knows that he needs Prince William. Prince William is hugely popular with the youth and together, I think that they can continue to build this sort of modern day monarchy.

WHITFIELD: Like a real bridging -- I mean not only a bridging of the generations of, you know, all of those in the commonwealth but a bridging of the generations within the monarchy. That's what I hear you describing.

[14:09:43]

MONTAGU: Absolutely. And I think yesterday, you know, who knows what will happen after we saw those scenes yesterday with Harry and Meghan and Katherine and William. But I think that shocked everybody. And the hope is that there's some type of reconciliation with those two brothers. That is what everybody wants to see.

But on the other hand, perhaps we will start to see perhaps Meghan and Harry doing a little bit more in the U.K. with William and with Katherine. Yes, they're not senior working royals but it doesn't mean that they can't also come over here and again, do events with both the Prince and Princess of Wales.

They're already coming over here with charities that they support. I'm certain that there must be talks going on now and how we can bridge that big large ocean between the two of us because they are popular with the youth, Harry and Meghan, they are.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I heard that with one of the biographers that I spoke with yesterday that that was a moment. I mean to see the four of them together and what a moment it is that there's probably some talks already in motion about how to bring them back into the fold so that really everybody is happy and that that feeling of unity is conveyed worldwide.

Julie Montagu, what a pleasure talking to you. Thank you so much.

MONTAGU: Thank you so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Still ahead Ukraine says it is reclaiming key areas taken by Russian forces months ago. We'll go live to a town that was just recaptured.

Plus, the nation marking -- this nation marking 21 years since the 9/11 terror attacks. How the president is paying his respects straight ahead.

[14:11:25]

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WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

In a sign Ukraine's new counter offensive is working, Ukrainian officials are now saying they have recaptured the key city of Izium. They also say Russian forces have fled a strategic town in Kharkiv and the Luhansk region. That area has been important to Russia's ability to supply frontline forces in the region.

We are also learning that a backup power line at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has now been restored. That line is needed to supply external power to the plant to cool its reactors.

The plant is occupied by Russian forces and has been the scene of shelling for weeks now.

Let's get to CNN's Sam Kiley who is in Izium right now. So Sam, what is happening?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just a small correction there. I'm an hour away from Izium. Izium is still being secured following the announcement though that the government has captured it.

We've been talking to people on the ground there. There are still pockets of Russian forces and, of course, there's also a very serious problem with mines and booby traps and that has been the pattern in almost all of the towns and villages that the Ukrainians have recaptured in the last 48 hours in what has been a truly remarkable counter offensive in the northeast.

We were covering the counter offensive in the south and that offensive has also been continuing apace but nothing like the level of success in the south that we've seen now and the north with the government claiming many thousands of square kilometers of territory that have been recaptured and liberated in their terms. And also very significant amount of equipment being left behind. Now this will indicate that the Russians are not retreating in good order. But something of a panic Fred.

There is large amounts of tanks, other armor, sophisticated weaponry, even drones have been abandoned. In one case social media posting -- the soldiers posting pictures of a drone that they've captured from the Russians complete with the instruction booklets.

These are very valuable assets for any army. But this army clearly in retreat at least for the time being. Now, the Russians describing this as a regrouping in order to focus their attentions and their efforts in the Donbas.

But actually the loss of Izium and the main supply routes, some of which go into Russian territory itself is a very serious blow indeed from the Russians. And critical now for the Ukrainians to keep that momentum up and keep the Russians on the run as much as they possibly can with the hope perhaps ultimately of actually breaking the will of that Russian army to even be in Ukraine.

That ultimately, of course, is the Ukrainian general's main target to drive the Russians out completely, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Sam Kiley in Ukraine, thank you so much.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy spoke with CNN's Fareed Zakaria and said he won't be satisfied with just holding off Russian forces.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): You know that our goal is to de-occupy our whole territory. The main goal is de-occupation. We just cannot allow Russia to continue the same occupation that they started back in 2014. Now they invaded some more.

Now a pause, freezing of the conflict, some agreements, negotiations then time passes, they become stronger and then they keep moving forward again always had some conditions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk more about this. With us now Susan Glasser. She's a CNN global affairs analyst and a staff writer for the "New Yorker". So good to see you, Susan.

So Ukraine recapturing areas that were occupied by Russia. How big of a turning point might this be?

SUSAN GLASSER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I do think it's the most significant change in momentum since the beginning of the conflict back in February when, you know, Russia (INAUDIBLE) with its lightning strike. You know, in the first few months of the war, it was Russia that was advancing.

And what's notable is that then the conflict seemed to settle into a bit of war of attrition but just in a few days' time Ukraine has showed what the combination of this enormous flow of weapons from the west, a few months to plan and organize this operation. And potentially Russian over confidence.

[14:19:57]

GLASSER: That combination of factors has pretty dramatically changed the situation on the ground certainly in the north, where the Russians have found themselves unexpectedly and unpreparedly it seems under attack.

WHITFIELD: And just looking at the map those recaptured spaces, Ukraine recapturing those spaces right along the Russian border. So one has to wonder how much this might complicate Russia's ability to supply front lines.

GLASSER: Yes. Absolutely. This is a key logistics and sort of transportation hub, some of the areas that had been captured including Izium which you mentioned earlier. And so it impedes the ability of Russians not just to control the territory they've (INAUDIBLE) but potentially to mount operations elsewhere in occupied Ukraine.

Certainly it puts them on the defensive. And I should point out Vladimir Putin looks wildly out of touch. And Russians, I think, and despite the propaganda still do have some ability to understand what's happening in a more Russian language, sources and Telegram and other apps, are complaining about this. It's a very interesting "New York Times" report.

You see Putin meanwhile was holding a photo-op at a Ferris Wheel the other day. He looks very out of touch it seems to me and certainly his military has not performed well in this war so far.

WHITFIELD: But isn't that part of his strategy and has not that been part of his strategy all along to send one message, you know, to kind of juxtapose what the reality is particularly inside Russia. Like everything is ok here. Nothing to see over there.

GLASSER: I certainly think you are right that he does not want the Russian people to feel as though this is something that is impeding their lives that, you know, he's held off calls for general mobilization, for example. He may need to do that at some point if he wishes to continue to pursue his offensive military goals in Ukraine. But, you know, he doesn't want that to bleed into the sense of life in Russia itself especially because there are these enormous sanctions from the west. The economy is reeling from being cut off in many ways.

And so, you know, Putin is very eager to show that this has not destabilized his own country.

WHITFIELD: How long can Ukraine sustain itself this way? And largely might this recent victory be largely because of the flood of U.S.- supported arsenal that has come in country?

GLASSER: Yes, I mean there's no question that the flow of weaponry to Ukraine from the United States and other allies has been enormously, significant, has obviously made a difference in their capabilities.

But you know, the United States does not -- cannot replace the Ukrainian people and the morale of the Ukrainian people there, very unified resistance even now months into the conflict.

You look at opinion surveys. They are strongly still supporting not only Zelenskyy but the cause of pushing out the Russian invaders. That's the key thing here, it seems to me, is the morale of the Ukrainian people. These gains are obviously going to be an enormous boost when it comes Ukrainians who are wondering if they can keep fighting along.

The fears, of course, remain on the part of the western allies if Putin is successful in driving up gas prices in western Europe this winter and fall as the colder weather comes. Will that somehow break the resolve of partners to keep supplying Ukrainian military.

But at this point the weapons are obviously making a difference. There's a sense that many of them were used on the ground in this lightning fast offensive.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Susan Glasser, good to see you. Thanks so much.

Coming up, a somber remembrance 21 years after the terror attacks of September 11th. How the president and vice president are paying their respects.

[14:24:00]

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WHITFIELD: Today marks 21 years since the September 11th terror attacks.

President Biden and other top U.S. officials paying their respects this morning to the nearly 3,000 people killed in New York City, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon.

For more let's go to CNN's Joe Johns at the White House. So Joe, how was this day remembered?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, the president, the vice president, be the first lady appearing separately, each at one of the locations where hijacked planes went down on September 11th, 2001.

The vice president in New York City, the first lady appearing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the president right here in the Washington area appearing at the Pentagon with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs as well as the Secretary of Defense.

The president using his own unique experience and relationship with grief to offer some consolation to the families of the victims. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For all those of you who have lost someone, 21 years is both a lifetime and no time at all.

[14:29:46]

BIDEN: It's good to remember. These memories help us heal. But they can also open up the hurt and take us back to that moment when the grief was so raw.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:30:00]

JOHNS: Politically, the president once again touching on an issue he's talked about before, the need to preserve and protect democracy but staying away from some of the more inflammatory language that has caused controversy in the continuing run-up to the midterm elections.

Also today, before that speech, the president was asked about the families of the victims and their quest for justice. The president said he had a plan for that but did not elaborate, as many people know, five of the individuals associated with 9/11, including one man, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who calls himself the mastermind of 9/11, remain in Guantanamo Bay and have not yet faced trial -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Joe Johns, thank you so much, at the White House.

So, family members of those killed at the World Trade Center gathering in Lower Manhattan this morning as well to honor their lost loved ones.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is at the 9/11 Memorial with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, good afternoon. It was certainly a day of solemn remembrance here in New York City as families coming together at the site where the Twin Towers once stood, leaning on each other and leading not just the country but the world as they mark now 21 years since that awful day.

On hand, Vice President Kamala Harris leading a delegation of dignitaries also on hand including, also, Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City as they read out loud each one of the nearly 3,000 names, each one echoing through that Memorial Plaza as those families were coming together.

We also heard from Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, an opportunity to actually speak to him for a few moments as he talked about the threat that they have been monitoring since 2001, and how that threat has really evolved from not just threats abroad but also domestically.

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, DHS SECRETARY: Back 20 years ago when this department was formed, the greatest terrorism threat that we faced was the foreign terrorist who tried to come into our country and do us severe harm. Now, we are seeing increasingly the threat of domestic violence and extremism, individuals driven to violence because of ideology and hate, anti-government sentiment, false narratives.

As part of today's event, there were also six key moments of silence. Very solemn moments that were meant to acknowledge when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck and when they fell, as well as the moment the plane hit the Pentagon, and when Flight 93 crashed in the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. I have to tell you, Fred, the families are certainly still dealing with grief. But at the same time, many of them celebrating the memories of their loved ones as they are shining a light on the memories of those that they lost 21 years ago.

Tonight, the tributes will continue. Those two very powerful beams of light will be shooting up into the sky. You will be expecting that in New York City from dusk to dawn.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Joining us right now to discuss is George Pataki. He was the governor of New York on that fateful day.

Good to see you, Governor.

Governor, are you able to hear me? It looks like we're going to try to work at the audio. It looks like the shot is frozen there, we are going to try to re-jigger some things and come right back to the governor. We'll be right back, after this.

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[14:37:53]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

On this 9/11, remembrances across the country. George Pataki was governor of New York on that fateful day 21 years ago, when terrorism struck this country.

Governor, so good to see you. Glad -- I think we worked out our signal here. Good.

GEORGE PATAKI (R), FORMER NEW YORK GOVERNOR: Nice to be on with you. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Very good.

All right. We heard the president of United States, Biden, say at the Pentagon today that 9/11, you know, it was like a lifetime and also like no time at all.

For you, do you feel like you replay the events that day of the terrorism that struck this country, and the city of New York. 21 years ago, do you replay it in your mind over and over again? PATAKI: Absolutely. You can't help but forget the people who died, the

friends, the neighbors that you lost that day. And you just see the families this morning as the names roll in. It breaks your heart that it is 21 years later, for someone who's lost their son or daughter or mother or father, it's yesterday. And you just feel the pain that they are going through, and understand the magnitude of the loss.

And so it's always a difficult thing. But I have to say, at the same time, you look at how New York has come together and rebounded. You have a sense of pride that through all that horror and suffering, we came back stronger than anyone could've possibly thought.

WHITFIELD: So many continue to try to get through what happened 21 years ago. Like you said, you can't escape it. The country has made a lot of efforts as well to try to make this country safer. Estimates say the U.S. has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on increased defense, Homeland Security combating terrorism.

Do you feel like enough is being done?

PATAKI: I feel like a lot has been done, but I am relatively certain that the fact that the southern border is so open, at least is highly vulnerable. There's no question of people on the terrorism watch list, that people wanting to do harm, are crossing that border, coming here.

[14:40:04]

And not to build a better life, but you try to take away our freedom and attack us again.

So much has been done, but so long as we don't know, we don't control, we know there are criminals, we know there are drug dealers, we know there are terrorists crossing that southern border. I have to say, I fear that those who attacked us before going try to do it again.

WHITFIELD: And you've said that, that you believe that this is an example of how President Biden is failing.

So, what do you want to happen?

PATAKI: I think it's two things. First, I want to see us go back to the border and shut down illegals before President Biden took office. And I want to see leadership that unites us.

Out of all the horror of September 11th, one of the few positives they came from it was the sense of unity, the sense that we weren't Republicans, Democrats, black, white, young, old. We were Americans who stood together and we rebuilt together.

Today, we need leadership that instead of trying to divide us for short term partisan benefit, look to unite us for long term public benefit. And I fear that it's been lacking in Washington. We need it desperately, the American people understand that divided, we're not going to succeed. When we come together, we can accomplish anything.

WHITFIELD: And do you feel like it's a fair comparison to make? Because the 9/11 attackers didn't come through a porous border and didn't come through the southern border.

PATAKI: It doesn't matter how they came, they got here.

And I'll tell you one other thing troubling, is we know that al-Qaeda has resurfaced in Afghanistan. The head of al Qaeda was living openly in Kabul and thankfully was just killed by an American strike. But think back 21 years ago. It was Afghanistan where al Qaeda had the training camps and recruitment got rounds. They are out in the open in Afghanistan again.

So, I mean, I don't want to be unfair, this is not a day for politics, but it is a day to reflect back on the horror that we went through and look forward and see what we have to do to try to make sure that never happens again.

WHITFIELD: Right. Certainly, nobody wants it repeated again.

How do you want people to remember today? I mean, we are in the middle of this day, it is still a day of remembrance. How do you believe Americans can pay homage to the 3,000-plus who died that day?

PATAKI: Well, first, I think never forget. Never forget that we were living in peace. That 3,000 wonderful people went to work that morning at a time of peace, and by later that morning, they had been murdered by this horrible terrorist group.

And we can never forget the fact that while we sometimes take our freedoms for granted, our freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, there are others who resent us for having those freedoms, and we have to be constantly vigilant in protecting those freedoms and in protecting our security.

But at the other time, I don't think we should ever forget that how we came together, and what we can do when we come together. We have to look to do that again.

WHITFIELD: Former New York Governor George Pataki, so good to see you. Thank you so much.

PATAKI: Nice being on with you. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still to come, a wind driven wildfire in northern California has forced thousands of people from their homes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Distraught, scared, frightened. We don't know if we even have a home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All we can do is hope and pray that if it goes again (ph) for everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The latest on what's being called the mosquito fire, next.

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[14:48:17]

WHITFIELD: Thousands of people are being forced from their homes as several wildfires continue to burn in California. In northern California, strong winds are fueling the Mosquito Fire, which has burned more than 40,000 acres so far. And right now, it is just 10 percent contained.

In southern California, crews made some progress on the Fairview Fire after rainfall from Tropical Storm Kay.

CNN's Camila Bernal joining us live now from the scene of that wildfire.

So, Camilla, what are you hearing and seeing?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred.

So, what Cal Fire is telling me is that today is a test today. What that means is they will be able to figure whether or not the rain is helpful and will help them keep advancing, or whether they're back to square one because it's again hot and dry. Now, it is important to point out that these firefighters are working around the clock, trying to do everything they can.

And yesterday, they had a good day because we had a lot of cloud cover and that has helped them in the sense that containment went up to 45 percent. And the fire did not grow in size. Now, they were also able to do some assessments.

And so the number of structures destroyed increased by two times. So, we are now at almost 40 structures destroyed after they did these assessments. And what happens is these families come back to an area that looks like what you see behind me. It is cars that are melted, you see that melted aluminum. Everything scorched.

And essentially, what you are left with is just ashes. It's also important to point out that two people have already died as a result of the flames, trying to escape this fire.

And yesterday, a helicopter crashed. This was a small helicopter, and it was on a mission essentially to help out the other helicopters.

[14:50:0:1]

It controls the other helicopters, tells them what to do, where to drop that water or the retardant.

And as it finished its mission for the day and was headed to the airport, it crashed in a residential area. We are told no one in that area was injured, but the three people inside of that helicopter were injured. It was one private pilot and two Cal Fire employees. One of those Cal Fire employees was already released from the hospital, but we are waiting to hear on the condition of the other people that were injured. And as we wait for that, this is just another way of showing the

public how dangerous these fires can be. Not just for the residents in this area, but also for the firefighters who are experts both in the air and on the ground -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Indeed, very dangerous.

All right. Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

Still ahead, we'll go live on the ground in Ukraine. Russian forces are fleeing as Ukraine makes major advances and reclaims critical territories. The latest, straight ahead.

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[14:55:47]

WHITFIELD: Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to travel to London to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II. Already, makeshift memorials and tributes lined the streets, revealing the great sense of loss felt by so many.

CNN's Anna Stewart has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hours after the news broke, the mourners came. Flowers left at the foot of Buckingham palace are pinned to the gates. So many, in fact, that the palace had moved them into a new home across the road. A memorial of flowers.

This is just the beginning of this floral tribute. So you can imagine how many flowers will be here in the coming days. Tens of thousands of people are expected to turn up at Buckingham Palace and come eager to Green Park to pay their respects to the queen. It's an opportunity to reflect on her reign, what she meant to people, and a chance for people to show the queen and the royal family how much she meant to them.

Whether it's letters of gratitude or pictures of corgis, it's an individual expression of grief, expressed in public for all to see and share.

She was kind --

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: And caring.

STEWART: Notes from children who celebrated the queen's platinum jubilee just three months ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to remember this, aren't you? When you're older.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Yeah.

STEWART: For many, the emotions are still raw. For others, it's a storm that is passing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are really sad. You almost saw it coming through the afternoon, but then when it cut to the announcement, there were tears in our house. Then you have to sort of process it.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I left some flowers for the queen because you such an amazing person. I felt very sad because she's the only queen I've ever had.

STEWART: A sentiment shared by those far older than Annabelle. If you can remember life before the queen's 70-year reign. Here, there are also messages for the king. One from nine-year-old William Morris, saying he is grieving too, and understands how the king must feel. His grandmother recently passed away.

Crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of King Charles III as he returned to Buckingham Palace after his formal proclamation as king.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We came predominantly today to leave flowers for the queen. That's why we came this morning, isn't it? It's been such an honor to see King Charles, as well.

STEWART: It may feels like jubilant I would say now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Do you know what, it's really nice and I really hope that the flowers -- I hope they will give Charles a chance. It's a lovely.

STEWART: Well, as you can see, this period of national mourning isn't just about looking back, it's also about looking forward.

Anna Stewart, CNN, Buckingham Palace, London.

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WHITFIELD: Now, the death of Queen Elizabeth II may have helped heal a rift between the new prince of Wales and his brother, the duke of Sussex. Crowds lining the streets of Windsor Castle witnessed the moment. We have it live on television, as it happened yesterday. The royals making this surprise joint appearance.

CNN's Scott McLean spoke to people in the crowd.

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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the gates of Windsor Castle opened Saturday, Prince William and Harry walked out, side by side. The queen's death reuniting the brothers publicly for the first time since June. It was also the first time crowds got to see Kate in her new title as princess of Wales.

The couple has made their way down long rows of people, paying tribute to the Queen. Young people, sharing cards and toys. And people of all ages pushing flowers. Even pets got the royal treatment.

Fourteen-year-old Amelka Zak was particularly moved to meet Meghan, the duchess of Sussex.

AMELKA ZAK, HUGGED MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: May I hug you?

It was quite an amazing moment. I'm still shaken now. It was nice to see William and Kate and Meghan and Harry together, and it was -- I just wanted to show her that she is welcome here, I guess. I want to hug her after everything that's happened really now.

MCLEAN: Before the Queen died Thursday, it had been a turbulent two years, with Harry and Meghan stepping back as working members of the royal family. The last time the princes saw each other, they did not interact.

But on Saturday, they seemed to at least temporarily put their differences aside.