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"American Coup: The January 6th Investigation" Airs Sunday At 9PM ET; Soon, Queen's Children To Stand Vigil At Coffin; King Charles III, Siblings, Stand Vigil At Queen's Coffin. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired September 16, 2022 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: And there is no question that Donald Trump's threats are carried out by his supporters.

That's one of the strategies, one of the things that Congressman Adam Kinzinger says in the documentary, is that it is a feature, not a bug of Trumpism, this idea that he attacks the media or he attacks a judge he attacks a Republican who has the temerity to stand up and say, hey, don't undermine democracy .

And those people are besieged with threats. He attacked election workers, et cetera, et cetera. And their lives can be ruined.

Congressman Kinzinger says in the documentary that's the point of it. It is not just that happens to happen. That's why Donald Trump does it and why he uses the language he does.

He could, as with the January 6th insurrection, stop it at any time. He could say, hey, don't do that. I don't want anybody to make death threats, I don't want anybody to go after this person.

No, he picks his targets and he wants them to be afraid of ever standing up to him ever again.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Yes, which is why that message to the DOJ, how can I bring down the temperature, is absurd considering he is one of the people, a leader of raising the temperature across the country.

Jake Tapper, good to see you.

TAPPER: He is the stove! He is the stove.

BLACKWELL: Yes, he is the stove.

Jake Tapper, we'll see you in 90 minutes. Thank you.

TAPPER: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Don't miss the CNN special report "AMERICAN COUP: THE JANUARY 6TH INVESTIGATION," Sunday at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: So the queen's four children will soon hold a final vigil beside her coffin in Westminster Hall while thousands of mourners stand in line now for more than 24 hours to pay their respects.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:36:32]

CAMEROTA: Security at Queen Elizabeth's funeral will be unprecedented, both in London and in Windsor where she will be buried. A London police commissioner said the service will be, quote, "the largest single policing event the force has ever undertaken."

BLACKWELL: And right now, they're securing the massive lines that stretch for miles. The wait for people to file through Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the queen is now more than 24 hours.

Look at the satellite images that show today's the crowd. And even David Beckham got in line at about 2:00 a.m. and had to wait more than 12 hours before he made it inside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BECKHAM, FORMER PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER: I grew up in a household of royalists and I was brought up that way. So if my grandparents would have been here today, I know that they would have wanted to be here. So I'm here on their behalf and on behalf of my family and also to celebrate with everybody else.

This day was always going to be difficult, and it's difficult for the nations, difficult for everyone around the world because I think everyone is feeling it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: In just minutes, we are expecting to see King Charles III and his siblings stand guard around their mother's coffin. Tomorrow, Prince William will lead the grandchildren's vigil.

CNN's royal correspondent, Max Foster, is outside Buckingham Palace. Also with us, British television presenter, Trish Goddard, and royal commentator, Hilary Fordwich.

Max, let me start we you.

We saw this at St. Giles' Cathedral in Scotland but we'll see again now at Westminster Hall.

The significance of doing this again where they are, as these thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people are passing through?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The numbers are quite extraordinary. And credit to the agencies for making it happen. The queue five miles today. Had to close it down a while. They reopened it, closed it down. And then the wait, as you say, could be more than a day at the moment. But the lucky few who will be filing by in a few minutes will have an extraordinary opportunity to see the four siblings standing with their backs to each corner of the coffin in this moment, this vigil.

It'll only last about 15 minutes but very profound. And a deeply personal moments but so public as well. Prince Edward was talking today about how this has been a profound personal moment. We had our time with the coffin. Today is all about the queen.

And in a way, this vigil is about the crossover between the family and the public, with the queen at the center of it, which just shows what an unusual family we deal with here.

Of course, they're a private family but also a very public family with very public duties.

One thing that will be different from Edinburgh is Prince Andrew will be wearing a military uniform. There's been a lot of debate about this. Prince Andrew and Prince Harry aren't allowed to wear a uniform because they've been stripped of their honorary military titles.

But the kind has stepped in here, broken protocol for the time in his reign, showing that he will change the rules when necessary. He feels Andrew and Harry, tomorrow, should be allowed to wear uniforms because they're decorated servicemen and they served on the front lines.

So that's going to slightly different, a slight break in protocol to what is all of this pomp and ceremony playing out in front of us.

[14:40:06]

CAMEROTA: Trisha, that will be interesting tomorrow to watch the queen's eight grandchildren stand around the coffin. In the U.S., we pay attention to William and Harry. I'm not sure we could have named eight of her grandchildren before now.

But what will you look for today and the next few days?

TRISHA GODDARD, BRITISH TELEVISION PRESENTER: I think Zara Tindal will find it particularly hard. She's very loved by the public. And as Max said, this is very much the public and the private grieving.

And these younger members of the royal family are most popular after all. James, Viscount Severn, is only 14 years of age. He is going to be there.

Peter Phillips, Zara's brother, will be the oldest at 44.

And you have Beatrice and Eugenie, who are particularly close to the queen as well.

It will be really difficult for these young people to balance up their personal grief with -- and also knowing that they're there for everyone to see. So it will be tough for the young. BLACKWELL: Hilary, it will be a remarkable moment. When King George VI

died, King Charles and the princess royal were very, very young. Have we ever seen the grandchildren stand guard and hold vigil at the state lying of a monarch?

HILARY FORDWICH, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: You're right, it's never been grandchildren before. Actually, this vigil of the princes started with George V, the queen's grandfather. There were four sons. But, no, we have never seen grandchildren do this previously.

And of course, you mentioned that the lines there, the people coming in, and even David Beckham. I think it's wonderful to observe the magic of the mosaic of mankind, of people of every race and every nationality.

People keep talking about the Brits there filing around what we're seeing in that room at the Westminster Hall. But it's not just Brits but people from the commonwealth, people from America, all across the world.

And I think that speaks to the impact this is having across the world and, yes, they will have the privilege, some of the, of also seeing the four princes and the children and then the grandchildren.

CAMEROTA: Max, explain to us why, from a security standpoint, the police are saying that this is more complicated than the 2012 Olympics. How can that be?

FOSTER: I think because of the number of heads of state arriving. We think it's going to be the biggest of heads of state ever, ever.

I spoke to Nic Robertson, our diplomatic editor. He can't think of another event with more heads of state coming together.

It you think about it, there are prime ministers here from the commonwealth realms. But there are heads of states and all of the monarchs pretty much from the world. Even the Japanese emperor who every rarely travels. But also all of the presidents, as well.

So they need to be looked after. And they're doing it in their own British way.

Ahead of the funeral on Monday morning, they're all gathering at the Chelsea Pensioner's sort of palatial building in Chelsea.

And all the heads of states put on buses to be brought in. That's the most secure way of bringing them in. They're not allowed to bring delegations or use their own cars. But that's one thing to be particularly concerned about.

And also the size of the crowds and how they're stretching out. You're talking about a five-mile queue. They have protection to that. The last thing they want is this period of mourning to be effective.

And there are demonstrators out and about but nothing too violent, from what we see. They just want to keep it that way. BLACKWELL: So we're standing by, awaiting King Charles III, the

princess royal, Princes Anne, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew, they will stand vigil there -- it's called the Prince's Vigil -- there at the coffin of their mother who is now lying in state at Westminster Hall.

We know they have arrived by we're expecting that to start in a couple minutes.

Max, let me come back to you.

I know that we were expecting when this happened at St. Giles' Cathedral that crowds would be stopped while that happened but they filed through.

Is it your understanding that the lines will move through and people pay their respects as the king and the siblings are there paying vigil?

FOSTER: Yes. Because the very purpose of these few days is for the public to have their time with the monarch. This is the public moment.

Effectively, what the family did when bringing coffin to parliament is hand it over to the parliamentarian, which is, in effect, the public The optics would be wrong to lock the public out while they are there.

[14:45:00]

The sharing of the moment, the idea is they're sharing the moment with members of the public so the public can be with the family and the monarch. So that's why it's quite profound.

A lot of the coverage, a lot of the people don't understand what was going on in Edinburgh felt sorry for the family. They felt this is really a difficult thing to have to do to mourn and grieve with your late mother while the public is looking at you.

But actually, this is the whole point of it. They want to share it with the public.

CAMEROTA: Trisha, I was struck by seeing David Beckham in the crowd having to wait in the queue as though there's no VIP line. And just hearing him talk about how it was a family of royalists and how important this would have been for his grandparents and that's why he wanted to pay tribute.

GODDARD: Yes. He is a working-class guy. He's a working-class guy and he represented the U.K. He's met the queen a number of occasions. You know? So he's speaking to his roots.

Having said that, I know that there have been dignitaries to go to the top of the queue and he probably could have if he wanted to.

But he and another television presenter, all power to them, because the celebrities and those people who have chosen to stand in line for hour after hour after hour and be mobbed and people to take selfies with them. And for David Beckham, people forgot to move because they were so in awe of him.

But the fact they did that speaks volumes about them. People looking closer at the queue jumpers and who the real, as we call them, salt of the earth are, like Beckhams and Susan Reed.

BLACKWELL: We are minutes away from King Charles and all four of Queen Elizabeth's children holding a vigil there at Westminster Hall.

Trisha, Max, Hilary, stick with us. We'll take a quick break and bring this to you live when it happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: OK, we want to go to Westminster Hall now. These are the queen's four adult children entering the hall, walking past the line of mourners, and they're about to take their positions at the corners of her coffin where they will stand vigil for about 15 minutes, we're told, in a silent tribute to their mother.

So let's watch this.

(SILENCE)

[14:50:00]

(SILENCE)

BLACKWELL: Trisha, from the moment that we saw the four siblings walk into Westminster Hall, everything there was still. Those mourners who came in stood still. Everyone in that hall stood still.

And now, they're starting to pass through, to the point that Max was making, that this is the point to share this moment with not just the British people -- and we see now more people filing in -- but people from all over the world who are there for this or happened to be in the U.K. and wanted to pay their respects.

GODDARD: And you know, nobody does the pomp and circumstance or has the history like Britain does.

I'm sure that many of us are surprised. Looking at Prince Andrew in uniform as well. That King Charles has chosen already to break with protocol, I think, speaks a lot to the future of his monarchy.

CAMEROTA: Max, tell us what we're seeing, what you're seeing here.

FOSTER: This is a vigil. It's all part of the funeral plan.

You can see the queen consort is there as well, the Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne's husband. You can see Princess Anne's children and the Duke of York's children as well. The Duke of Kent, all the extended family. The Duke of Gloucester's children as well.

These are the extended family looking down and coming in and having their moment there with the coffin.

Peter Phillips on the right, who is Princess Anne's son. Peter Phillips will be there, along with his cousins tomorrow to repeat this very exercise, the queen's grandchildren standing around the coffin, which will be very hard for them.

You know, these are some of them very young, particularly Edward's children. That's going to be quite profound as well.

This is a moment for the king, who has had such a busy week, of course, to sit there and allow the public to view him next to his mother's coffin and decompress a bit and make sense of it. This is something they're well practiced at. But tomorrow will be difficult.

But put yourselves in the minds of these people, who have been lining up, what, 15, 20 hours, since very early this morning, to see the coffin.

And they have that window, 15 minutes, where the siblings are gathered around the coffin and the rest of the family are looking down. That's quite a profound moment for them.

BLACKWELL: Max, that is the expectation -- and we're about three minutes in now -- but the expectation is they will hold vigil here for the next 12 or so minutes?

FOSTER: Yes. So 15 minutes was the plan, but they were late. So I don't know whether that affects how long they'll be there.

BLACKWELL: Hilary, what do you think we can glean from this decision from King Charles to allow his brother, Prince Andrew, and to allow his son, Prince Harry, to wear their military uniforms now despite the two having been stripped of those military honors?

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: No, let me correct that.

Yes, go ahead. Go ahead.

FORDWICH: No, you're right. They were stripped of the honors. You're absolutely right there, Victor.

The issue has been that there's been a great sort of outpouring of the fact that they both served, though. They were the two that actually served.

Don't forget that now King Charles III, he's more honorary and those also, Princess Anne, the princess royal, they're honorary.

Whereas Prince Andrew did see live duty. He flew helicopters in the Falkland War. He rescued servicemen. Very dangerous missions.

We know also, of course, this is in consideration of Prince Harry. Prince Harry, who will be standing with the grandchildren later, he served active duty. He was in Afghanistan and wasn't exactly on the front lines but he still saw very many years of active duty in Afghanistan.

And so I think you're seeing here that there's a listening to what a lot of people want.

The problem is, as we all know, you can't please all of the people all of the time. That's going to be an issue. But he's obviously listening to a lot of different voices that are coming up.

One thing also, you had asked earlier about -- if I might add, you asked earlier about the grandchildren. One person we didn't mention in the grandchildren -- and you're right in saying not a lot of Americans necessarily know all of them. We usually talk about Prince William and Prince Harry.

[14:55:10]

Lady Louise Windsor, she was so close to Prince Philip that many of us would have seen in the funeral of Prince Philip, his carriage had a set of gloves that came in his absence to that funeral. Lady Louise Windsor had that driving carriage and he loved to ride in that carriage.

There's so much depth of relationship with the grandchildren as well that we'll be seeing.

CAMEROTA: Thanks interesting.

Hilary, just one follow up on that. Obviously, she had a unique relationship with each of her four children who we're now seeing flanking her coffin. And I read -- but I don't know if that's true -- was she closest to one over the other?

FORDWICH: I think the queen was very good, actually, Alisyn -- and so difficult as a parent for all of us -- but very good at balancing things out with all of them.

She, though, was particularly close -- and some of that might just be geographic proximity, particularly close to the Countess of Wessex. She's the wife of the Earl of Wessex, who is her youngest son, Prince Edward.

It was always purported Prince Andrew was her favorite son. But she was close to them in all different ways. But particularly the Countess of Wessex.

Don't forget also that Princess Anne and now King Charles, he's 73 and she's only 21 months younger. So they're in their 70s. Whereas, Prince Andrew, 15 years younger, and Prince Andrew is 11 years younger, Prince Edward is 15 years younger, they were like a second generation.

So there's two different almost like families here. They have different relationships with the queen.

BLACKWELL: Trisha, it is hard to overstate the potency of this moment for people who are filing through, who have waited so long just to say thank you to pay respects to the queen. And now to be just feet from the king and his three siblings. This is

a rare opportunity for anyone to be in this presence, especially at a moment like this.

GODDARD: People have said, many people have said they want to be able to tell their children, their grandchildren, that they were there. Just going past the queen's coffin.

So as you say, going past the four siblings, the four royals, and all of the other royals looking on. I mean, that's got to be absolutely amazing.

And again, it's lovely how it's not just been saved for dignitaries. It is very much for whichever everyday person happens to be filing past. And I think that's such an important part.

I just wanted to come in there. There seems to be a lot of confusion as well when we talk about the uniforms because my eyes are drawn to Prince Andrew.

Of course, in England, in the U.K., once you have served, once you have left, you don't wear your uniform anymore. It's not like in the states where you can wear your military uniform for special occasions. It's only if you get the honorary title you can wear a uniform.

So, indeed, as has been said before, it's a weird situation of those who hadn't seen active service, had honorary titles can wear the uniform. And yet, those two who had served couldn't.

So I actually think this is a really popular move in general. Well, at least with Prince Harry. Whether it is so much with Prince Andrew is another question.

But it's going to be very interesting to see Prince Harry in his uniform tomorrow. That's a very, very popular move.

CAMEROTA: Max, of course, all of this is leading up to Monday, which is the actual funeral. What do we expect to see then?

FOSTER: Well, the coffin will be taken -- this continues until very early Monday morning. Then the coffin will be processed to just around the corner to Westminster Abbey where the funeral will take place.

And that is the big moment. All those heads of state will be there. Only two invites per country, pretty much. And it will be fascinating to see everyone turn up there. Then very profound event that we'll only see once in our lifetime.

And then there will be a procession from there, a full procession to Windsor, where the queen will be laid to rest alongside Prince Philip and the rest of her family, her mother, father, and her sister as well.

There's the crown jewel sitting on top of the coffin. This is going to travel to Windsor. I think the really profound moment at the end of the service at Windsor, the internment where the crown jewels are taken off and then the coffin is lowered into the vault at Windsor.

[14:59:57]

So that's, yes, a very big day. And it continues all day. And the whole world will tune in.

There are opportunities for the public to line the route of the procession, for example.