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Isa Soares Tonight
King Charles And His Siblings To Stand Vigil At Queen's Coffin Today; Ukraine Cites At Least 440 Graves Have Been Found At Mass Burial Site In Izium; Lebanese Hold Up More Banks Demanding Their Own Money; King Charles III & Siblings To Hold Vigil At Westminster Hall; King Charles, Princess Anne, Princes Andrew & Edward To Stand Vigil At Westminster Hall Soon; Soon: King And His Siblings Stand Vigil At Queen's Coffin. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired September 16, 2022 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello and a very warm welcome to CNN special coverage of the passing of Queen Elizabeth. I'm Isa Soares live in
London, it's just gone 7:00 p.m., and we're coming to you live across Westminster Bridge just within parliament there. Well, this hour, King
Charles III, along with his sister, Princess Anne and brothers, Princes Andrew and Edward, are to head to Westminster Hall to stand vigil over
their mother's coffin.
We have new details about the queen's funeral on Monday. Her coffin will be taken by procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. The service
will end with two minutes of silence right across the U.K. Her coffin will then make its final journey to Windsor, where the queen will be laid to
rest in a private ceremony next to her late husband, Prince Philip, at the King George Chapel.
Well, King Charles has made his first visit to Wales as a monarch today. His relationship with Wales goes back more than half a century when he
received the title, you'll remember, the prince of Wales. The king and his wife were greeted at Cardiff Castle in the capital with cheers as well as
you can hear there, boos.
But much of the crowd was welcoming as well as waving flags, as you can see there. The king thanked the Welsh people there for the tributes to his late
mother, her majesty the queen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES PHILIP ARTHUR GEORGE, KING OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Through all the years of her reign, the land of Wales could not have been closer to my
mother's heart. I know she took immense pride in your many great achievements, even as she also felt with you deeply in time of sorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, the king then returned to London to prepare for the vigil, that is happening very soon indeed. Let's go straight to our Max Foster, he
joins us live at Buckingham Palace. And Max, we are expected to see at some point this hour one of the most poignant ceremonies with the vigil of the
princess. Talk us through what we can expect.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you will remember, Isa, when you were in Edinburgh, that moment when the four siblings stood around the
coffin as it lay in St. Charles Cathedral in Edinburgh, a very similar moment here, but obviously, in the ancient, you know, Westminster Hall with
many more people queuing up to see the coffin.
And so we're told at the moment, the wait time is currently suspended, the queue. But the wait time, they're telling people, the government is telling
people, it's 20 hours. Anyway, the ones that are coming through now make a really profound moment, and that is the four siblings standing around that
coffin.
The only difference, I think from what you saw in Edinburgh, Isa, will be that Prince Andrew will be wearing a uniform this time. This has been a big
topic of debate, Prince Andrew was stripped of his honorary military titles, so, he doesn't have the right to wear a uniform. But the king has
given him special permission at this moment because Prince Andrew did serve on the front lines, and it is something that he clearly wants.
So, we're going to see all four children of the late queen standing around the coffin with people filing by, and I think that will be really a real
moment for the people that are there at the time.
SOARES: Yes, it was incredibly moving when we saw those images in Edinburgh. So, it will be interesting to see as well that moment of those
four, the four children just really bowing their heads in really a sign of respect to their mother.
[14:05:00]
And as we said, Max, before this vigil, we saw King Charles III in Wales. Give us a sense of how he was received there. Because this of course was
the last stop in his tour of the nations.
FOSTER: It was, and frankly, you know, Wales is probably the place where the monarchy is least popular. It's just had a history of that, Mark
Drakeford; the First Minister of Wales is an avowed republican. He wants to remove the monarchy. And unlike Liz Truss, he hasn't changed his mind on
that, he still fervently believes in the republican cause.
But he also says that that's a private matter for him, it doesn't come into his public role. But as you can see, there were, you know, there were
occasional boos, but the reception was much more positive than many people expected. So, I think that's really encouraging for the king.
He also -- he obviously spent, you know, the longest time of anyone being the prince of Wales. He spent a lot of time in Wales. He's nurtured that
relationship. We also saw the new prince and princess of Wales at a barracks meeting members of commonwealth troops who will be taking part in
the processions on Monday.
So to thank them and to talk to them about the processions around the funeral. So, that was a good moment for those commonwealth troops from
Australia and New Zealand and Canada as well. The other thing, Isa, I will just say, is a really important thing that happened this afternoon, which I
think will get a lot of headlines in the papers tomorrow, is a speech that King Charles made when he came back to Buckingham Palace this afternoon to
faith leaders.
As you know, the British monarchy is a supreme governor of the Church of England's defender of the faith. The queen took that very seriously. It's
an Anglican role, of course. But King Charles as Prince Charles, was very big on conversations between religions. And he said something quite
profound. He said -- he said the sovereign has an additional duty in his mind.
So it's the first time we're getting a sense of how he may do things differently. He said it's less-formally recognized, but has no less to be
diligently discharged. He said it's the duty to protect the diversity of our country. So, this is something that he's done as prince of Wales, he's
taking it to the throne as well.
He said, "I hold myself bound to respect those who follow other spiritual paths, as well as those who seek to live their lives in accordance with
secular ideals." So, you'll remember, a while -- you know, some years ago, he talked about not being the leader of the faith, but the leader of
faiths. I think this is something he's going to do differently from Queen Elizabeth.
SOARES: And of course, we are looking at this video coming in just now, of course, all of that very meeting that you were talking about there of
King Charles III meeting with different faith leaders. We are expecting him, of course, to make his way shortly to stand vigil alongside his
siblings at the queen's coffin.
Now, of course, we will bring that to you as soon as that happens. Max Foster, thank you very much, Max, appreciate it. We want to turn now to
other news in the headlines today. And it's hard to see the pictures, even harder, in fact, to imagine what happened to the hundreds of people whose
bodies were just found at a mass burial site in Ukraine.
But President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he wants the entire world to witness the barbarity as well as terrorism of Russian forces. We do want to warn
you, this video, next video we're about to show you is very disturbing. Now, Ukraine says at least 440 unmarked graves have been discovered in the
recently liberated town of Izium.
It says children and entire families are among those buried there. Some of the bodies showing signs of torture. It's just very difficult to watch. I
want to bring in CNN's Ben Wedeman who's following developments for us this hour in Kyiv. And Ben, how much do we know at this stage from Ukrainian
officials about this mass burial site?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, what we know so far, Isa, and of course, this is very early in the process, it often takes
a long time to dig up these graves. So, we understand that more than 440 bodies, it's believed, are in this grave outside of Izium, which was
liberated from the Russians last Saturday in a forest.
Now, according to the governor of the Kharkiv region, where Izium is located, they -- he said that of the bodies exhumed so far, only a portion
of them have been exhumed, 99 percent in his words, show signs of a violent death. He said that some of the bodies were found with their hands tied
behind their backs, one body was found with a rope around its neck.
He said there were children among the dead. There were -- of course, now it's late in the evening, but during the day, there were as many as 200 law
enforcement officers and forensic experts on the scene exhuming those bodies.
[14:10:00]
Now, we also understand that the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Agency is going to be sending a team to Izium, and they say that perhaps, as we saw
in Bucha, outside of Kyiv, where there was a similar mass grave found, a war crimes team from the U.N. will also come to investigate this incident.
And of course, we have heard President Zelenskyy say the world has to see this. He is calling for accountability for the Russians, not just of course
for Izium, but for the entirety of this war. Isa?
SOARES: Ben Wedeman for us in Kyiv. Thanks very much, Ben. Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin is vowing to press ahead with his war aims,
despite Ukraine's successful counteroffensive. He spoke at a conference in Uzbekistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT, RUSSIA (through translator): The plan does not have to be corrupted. The general staff, in the course of the operation, it
takes operational decisions, some of those key main issues, and the main purpose is liberation of the whole Donbas, and to these attempts are
continuing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: No need to change military strategy there. Well, those remarks came after he told India's prime minister that Russia is doing everything
it can to stop the conflict in their first face-to-face meeting since Russia's invasion. Narendra Modi told Putin as the cameras were rolling,
that now is not a time for war.
Senior U.S. officials tell CNN, meanwhile, they are disappointed that sanctions on Russia haven't had a bigger impact on the country's economy.
They are now predicting that the harshest effects, probably, actually won't be felt until early of next year. Joining me now from the U.S. State
Department in Washington is CNN's Kylie Atwood. And Kylie, why do U.S. officials then think that the effects of these sanctions haven't yet
materialized?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, listen, what they say is that the Russian economy has proved more resilient than the
United States and its allies really expected. And the fundamental reason for that is because of the money, the revenues that Russia gets from energy
exports. And as we have seen globally, the prices of oil rising, that has directly benefited the bottom line of Russia's economy.
And so, frankly, they have actually seen higher revenues when it comes to energy than they have in past years because of this conflict. So, that is
the key sector here that they are looking at and pointing to, as they voice some of this frustration about this -- about these sanctions that are in
place not having a grander impact at this point.
SOARES: And I believe Secretary Blinken was asked about these pressures and whether perhaps that could change Russia's strategy. What was his
response here?
ATWOOD: Yes, well, listen, the Secretary of State has been very clear in saying that the world, not just the United States, but the world really
needs to continue on with these sanctions. And as you said earlier, the Biden administration does feel that these sanctions are going to have a
significant bite, but maybe it's just not going to be as soon as they had hoped for.
They're looking to the first quarter of next year for these sanctions to have, you know, this grand impact. But we should also note that the impact
of the export controls, that is allowed -- that is preventing certain goods from getting into Russia that go into their military production. You do
hear from U.S. officials saying that, that has had an impact in terms of the military hardware that they're able to use on the battlefield, because
they haven't been able to produce the same kind of high-tech military equipment that they have in the past.
SOARES: And meanwhile, Kylie, I know in a few hours, the families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, of course, those two Americans detained by
Russia, they'll be meeting with President Biden. What do we know about the efforts at this stage to release them?
ATWOOD: Yes, so a senior administration official sort of gave us a status update, in terms of these ongoing U.S.-Russia negotiations to try and
release these two Americans, and said that there has been movement, but there hasn't been a breakthrough. And what that indicates is that, yes, the
two sides are talking, but this official said the United States is still in a place right now where they are urging Russia to put a serious counter-
offer on the table.
And you will remember, if you've been tracking this story, that's the same thing that Biden administration officials said back in July.
[14:15:00]
So, it's clear that Russia is not engaging productively in these efforts to try and secure some sort of deal to get these two Americans home. And this
senior administration official explained that what Russia is doing is making repeated demands for something that the Biden administration is
simply not able to deliver on. And so, that is a bit of a problem.
So, we continue to watch where those conversations go. But President Biden, in meetings with these two families today, wants to make it abundantly
clear to the families that their loved ones are at the top of his priority list, and that U.S. officials are working on a daily basis on these efforts
to try and get them home.
SOARES: Kylie Atwood, thank you very much, really appreciate it. And we'll have much more royal coverage ahead as we wait for his majesty, King
Charles and his siblings to begin a silent vigil around their mother's coffin. We'll bring you that after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: A very welcome back everyone, welcome to the show. Well, a massive fire broke out on Friday at a skyscraper in central China's Hunan Province.
And these images on social media show the flames and smoke engulfing the 42-story building as you can see there. Authorities say the inferno was
extinguished after authorities dispatched 36 engines and 280 firefighters.
The Chinese state broadcaster says there are no known casualties. Now, you may recall last month when a man robbed a bank in Lebanon because he wanted
to get his own money out of the bank, well, early this week, well, it happened again. This time, a woman demanding her own funds be released.
A severe economic crisis in Lebanon has forced banks and the government to enact strict limits on bank withdrawals. Well, on Friday, it became a full-
on epidemic as five different banks were held up across the country by people who wanted to withdraw their own money. A Lebanese army official
says Friday's series of hold-ups appear to have been coordinated.
Our Jomana Karadsheh has been following the story and she joins us now. And Jomana, this really speaks of course to the frustration as well as the
desperation for so many people in Lebanon.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really does, Isa. I mean, today, it was really hard for us to try and keep track of what was
going on in Beirut and other cities, as we were receiving more and more reports of these incidents where you had people holding up banks, trying to
get their own money.
We managed to confirm five incidents in Beirut and also in other cities, as you mentioned, two other incidents also on Wednesday. It did seem at one
point today like the situation was going to spiral out of control. And what has led people to do this? As you mentioned, back in 2019, as this country
has been going through this economic and financial meltdown, this collapse.
[14:20:00]
People found themselves locked out of their own U.S. dollar saving accounts. Their money, their savings. They were not able to access this
money. And it got to a point now where people said, enough is enough. They wanted to get their money out because you've had this unofficial capital
controls that have been enforced by the banks where people either can't get money out or if they're going to get dollars out, it's going to be in small
amounts and transferred into Lebanese lira.
That Isa, has lost about 90 percent, if not more of its value over the past three years. So, you've had incidents today for example, one man in
southern Lebanon, going into a bank, pouring gasoline on the floors, threatening to set that branch on fire unless they give him his money, and
he left with about $19,000, some of his savings, he handed it over to someone before he surrendered to authorities.
And that woman you mentioned on Wednesday, Sally Hafus(ph), that woman basically said that she was left with no option. She tried talking to the
bank, she said, to try and get her money out. She said she needed her savings to help with her sister's treatment. Her sister was diagnosed with
cancer. But she says talking to the bank did not work.
She was forced to go in. She poured gasoline on herself, threatening to set herself on fire. And she used what she later said was a toy gun, holding
employees hostage pretty much in the bank to get her money out. Absolutely heartbreaking stories, Isa. And we're seeing more and more of this.
And these people are being hailed as heroes by Lebanese for doing this, for taking matters into their own hands, to try and take what is rightfully
theirs. And there is concern that this could only just be the beginning of this. And so, banks today have announced that at least, three days next
week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, they're going to be shutting down because they're concerned about the security situation.
SOARES: Very desperate times indeed what you've just laid out there. And do we know at this stage, Jomana, whether these -- this is as organized at
this stage. I know you said that banks probably looking to see an intensity next week. Are these organized incidents, though?
KARADSHEH: Well, it's unclear at this point, Isa. As you mentioned, one security official saying that they believe that this was organized. The way
this happened today, the way it all played out. We do know that there is an organization calling itself the Outcry of the Depositors, who have been
calling on people to go out and do this. They say they're fed up. They've tried peaceful means for the past three years, and it's just not working
out.
SOARES: Jomana Karadsheh for us there in Istanbul, Turkey, thanks very much, Jomana, good to see you. Now, there are growing signs that the U.S.
economy may be slipping into recession. U.S. stocks are sharply lower again today, and that is because FedEx, the shipping giant, whose business is
tied to economic activities, says its revenues will be half a billion dollars less than it expected this year.
That is helping, of course, to drive FedEx stock and the rest of the U.S. market into yet another tailspin. You've seen the numbers, they're just
down 22, just over 22 percent. CNN business correspondent Alison Kosik is tracking the FedEx and stock market stories for us. And Alison, this of
course, is concerning because FedEx, one of those companies that is considered a bellwether, isn't it? Of the global economic growth. So, how
should -- what should we read into this?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right about that, Isa. I think it is difficult to not pay attention to this
ominous warning about being on a path toward a worldwide recession. This coming from the CEO of global shipping giant, FedEx. Because the company is
seen as a leading indicator for the market as a whole proof of how much impact is has, is that the announcement is what really sparked, it's what's
driving today's broad sell-off in the market.
The company saying that a slowing economy will cause it to miss its revenue target by a half billion dollars. In a "CNBC" interview last night, its
CEO, Raj Subramaniam, he was asked if he believes the slowdown in his business is a sign of the start of a worldwide recession. His reply, I
think so. He added that his company's numbers don't portend very well.
Package volumes have fallen and because demand has slowed to such an extent, the company is actually being forced to withdraw its full-year
profit guidance. These are the future expectations that Wall Street looks to when a company reports its earnings. That was kind of a red flag to Wall
Street too. FedEx is saying that it is taking swift action to address these headwinds.
They're going to actually park their cargo planes, they're going -- or some of their cargo planes. They're going to close some offices. And there is a
hiring freeze and the company will cut worker hours. All of this happening as the company dramatically and quickly tries to reverse all of these
headwinds. Isa?
SOARES: And of course, the CEO is relatively new, if I'm not mistaken. Where are they -- where are they seeing the biggest challenges? I mean how
is China in this picture? How is Europe faring in this picture?
[14:25:00]
KOSIK: Yes, FedEx especially pointed to Asia and Europe as areas that have hurt FedEx's delivery business, saying delivery demand for packages in
those areas has slowed. And the company says the potential risks continue in the future. Like the ongoing war in Ukraine, the continuing effects of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Raj Subramaniam said this: global volumes declined as macro-economic trends significantly worsened both internationally and in
the U.S. The statement goes on to say, we are swiftly addressing these headwinds. But given the speed at which conditions shifted, first quarter
results are below our expectations.
And once again, because FedEx is an economic bellwether, this is just one more piece of evidence, and a mixed message economy that we're getting
here, at least here in the U.S., about whether or not the country is headed to a possible recession. Isa?
SOARES: Yes, a very ominous sign like you said. Thanks very much, Alison Kosik there. And if you're just joining us this hour, very good evening to
you, and a reminder of the moving new story we're following for you. We are waiting for his majesty King Charles III and his siblings to begin a silent
vigil around their mother's coffin. We'll bring you that as soon as it happens. You are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Hello and a very good evening. Welcome back to CNN's special coverage of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. I'm Isa Soares here with
Richard Quest. The sun just setting here.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: It is absolutely --
SOARES: Beautiful, overlooking the Palace of Westminster.
QUEST: Spectacular.
SOARES: Isn't it just?
QUEST: Absolutely spectacular --
SOARES: Beautiful sight here. And in what? Shortly, in the next few minutes or so, we will see King Charles III leave Buckingham Palace, where
he has been addressing faith leaders in the last few minutes. And he will be making his way to Westminster Hall, of course, where the queen has been
laying at rest.
He'll be joined there by his siblings, his sister, Princess Anne, as well as his brothers, Princes Andrew and Edward, and they will pay tribute to
their mother in a moving vigil in Westminster Hall. Something that we saw, of course, Richard --
QUEST: We did --
SOARES: In Edinburgh.
QUEST: We did. We saw the vigil, the first vigil. That was at St. George's Cathedral in Edinburgh. And it was deeply moving, and it was a note of
respect to the Scottish people --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: That they all came together in Scotland. Because, of course, Charles was the duke of Rothesay. Now that title goes to Prince William
who's also Prince of Wales. And I recall, of course, the funeral of the Queen Mother, when they did some -- they did similar and it's very moving
to watch, perhaps even more so than in Scotland. Scotland was very intimate when they did it. Here, you're going to see much more of the national and
international occasion.
SOARES: Yes, also because there's -- Westminster Hall is so much grander, isn't it, than what we saw in terms of size. Let me bring in Max Foster
who's outside Buckingham Palace. And, of course, all eyes, Max, at this hour in Buckingham Palace waiting for King Charles III to leave to make his
way to Westminster Hall.
FOSTER: Yes, he's running a bit late. It was due to start the vigil at half past according to the briefings we've had, but, you know, no rush is there.
A great moment here, really, for the crowds gathered outside Buckingham Palace. They filed through all day, there's a massive one-way system
they've created here. So you end up walking quite a way if you want to pass the front of the palace, and then sometimes it gets closed off like it is
currently.
And then if you're trapped, that's actually a good thing. It means something's going to happen. And at the moment, the limousines are lined up
behind the pillars and the outriders are ready to go. But there's a slight delay. He's had an incredibly busy day. Again, Isa, obviously, you've been
talking about how he was in Wales, which was quite a drive away. And then he spent the whole afternoon speaking to faith leaders, where he made some
pretty profound comments. I think they'll be chewed over a lot by some of the experts overnight and we'll see that coming out in the papers.
You can see the Outrider moving through. We're waiting for all four siblings to travel. We think they're all in the palace currently. Andrew,
Edward, Anne, and Charles, but we're not quite sure. I think they're going to travel together. We were talking earlier, Isa, about the endless sort of
uniform gates debate. This is --
SOARES: Yes.
FOSTER: This -- sorry. I'm going to pause back. Oh, yes, here we go.
SOARES: Can we see them? I can't see them.
FOSTER: They're on their way out. You can hear -- this is where we start delay on the feed. We're about to compete against --
SOARES: I think we're seeing some movement. We -- there they are. And we're seeing King Charles III, suspect that, and The Queen, there he goes. Yes,
we can see that making his way from Buckingham Palace to really honor, once again, his mother. I suspect Richard the siblings, would they be making --
would they be in the cars behind him, is that --
QUEST: Yes. Yes, they will. And I think what we're seeing is another piece of the tapestry being sewn of saying goodbye to one monarch whilst bonding
with the next and this backwards and forwards between the two. So today, it's a moment of sadness and silence as they go to the --
SOARES: Westminster Hall, yes.
QUEST: To Westminster Hall, thank you. But, of course, the other side of it today. They were in Wales. Prince Charles, of course, famously, the Prince
of Wales spoke Welsh at his investiture.
SOARES: That's caught many people by surprise, did it not?
QUEST: It did. And apparently it was a very difficult thing for him to learn. And now everybody's wondering whether Prince William or how much of
an effort William will make with his Welsh, or even, gee, there is an investiture, there doesn't have to be. He's been made, he doesn't have to
have an investiture. We've got them all now towards Westminster Hall.
SOARES: And if you're just joining us, let me bring you up-to-date with what you're looking at right now. We have been seeing in the last few
minutes King Charles III leave the Buckingham Palace and he'll be making his way to Westminster Hall, where we have seen mourners pay their
respects, of course, to Queen Elizabeth. He will be joined -- go ahead, Richard. You --
QUEST: I don't think he went, but then you have them all, I think they went around the back, around Birdcage Walk.
SOARES: Max had said they were running late.
QUEST: Yes.
SOARES: So this is shortcut.
QUEST: So they'd done round the back of Birdcage Walk towards Victoria, and then they're going to approach from the other direction.
SOARES: Either way, it's not very far indeed.
QUEST: No, it's not.
SOARES: And obviously the roads were cleared for them, but they will be there to stand vigil by their mother's coffin, which is what we saw in
Edinburgh if you remember. Extremely moving and very poignant, wasn't it, that silence, Richard, that we saw.
QUEST: The silence is overwhelming. I went through last night the Lying in State and the first thing you notice is the dignified silence that is in
the room.
[14:35:00]
No coughing, no talking, just dignified silence. And then you notice the juxtaposition of the trappings of monarchy, the orb, the scepter, the
crown, the estate imperial crown on the catafalque, and the simplicity of the people coming past. All they want to do is, as you see, bow their
heads.
SOARES: Yes, they -- there you go. They're just arriving. And that simplicity, that juxtaposition, I was quite moved, Richard, seeing that
they kept mourners, allowed mourners to continue to file in, as they stood vigil in Edinburgh, which I assume, which is what we'll see today as well
that. The line will not -- that queue won't be halted.
QUEST: I think it would be somewhat strange if they did halt them, bearing in mind there's now a 14-hour line. They're having to stop and start it all
the time. One other thing to notice, the sound of the guards when they change. The sound of the guards' boots on the flag part, on stones. The --
on the right, it will be the lead guard who will hit twice with the ceremonial stick to --
SOARES: Was that we just heard?
QUEST: Yes.
SOARES: Yes.
QUEST: As they prepare to change that guard. And it will be interesting and, Max Foster, I'm sure will have the details on what -- which uniforms,
at some point -- we'll know which uniforms they are all wearing.
SOARES: Yes. And of, course, if -- Westminster Hall, what a grand place. It's, you know, you were talking about the silence. It, you know, one
source was saying to me, it doesn't matter how many people it's filled up with, there's still that majestic feeling to it in it. Richard, what were
you going to say?
QUEST: On either side of the screen, that's gone now, but just look at the faces. These are people who may have met The Queen, but highly unlikely.
They would never really have come into relationship with The Queen, except as their sovereign. And for people to spend so many hours, this is
gratitude. This is respect. This is dignity.
SOARES: And this is something that we've been hearing, isn't it? In the last few days. People have been saying to me, Richard, it doesn't matter,
you know, how long we wait, be it 10 hours, 12 hours, 14 hours.
QUEST: That State --
SOARES: What's that? Isn't it?
QUEST: The State Imperial Crown with the famous Cullinan II diamond in it, along with the gems said to have been in King Edward the Confessor's crown.
It is amongst the most precious of the -- it is not the most precious of the crown jewels, priceless, of course, and they belong to the nation
before anybody thinks that the monarch can sell them off. But more than 3,000 diamonds.
SOARES: Do we know, Richard, about the people just behind the mourners passing by? Did you see those in --
QUEST: I did. And that is the -- I suppose the -- for the dignitaries.
SOARES: Right. OK.
QUEST: They have arranged a variety of viewing stands within their diplomats, heads of state. Even the media, there's an area where the media
can go through and witness it and --
SOARES: And these guards, they're stand -- they're constantly rotating, isn't that right?
QUEST: So this is the King's Guard, the king's lifeguard, which is made up of the major parts of the cavalry. So here, those in the bearskins will be
from one of the senior of the Coldstream, the Grenadier, the Irish, the Welsh, and the Scottish. And those were the Plumes. They come from the
Household Cavalry. They are the lifeguards of the Household Cavalry.
SOARES: And as we wait, of course, to see King Charles III and his siblings make their way inside Westminster Hall to stand guard by their mother, I
want to go, if I may, to Scott McLean. Because Scott, we are continue -- as we continue to look at these pictures, we are continuing to see long lines
of mourners, making -- paying their respects. As Richard was saying, that line is very long indeed.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it absolutely is. And, you know, Richard mentioned that the line was paused today. But that didn't last very
long because what they found is when they closed the gates of this park, that were in Southern Park, people just started queuing up to join the
queue whenever it reopened, and they quickly realized that was not going to work because they didn't have the same kind of barrier system. They didn't
have the same kind of supervision, police presence out there on the road. And so they figured that it was a safer place for people to come inside of
the park however long the line got.
Though, all afternoon they were saying, insisting that the line was closed when in fact it was very much still open and continues to be.
[14:40:06]
It also appears, Isa, that they are trying to be extremely cautious when it comes to giving people rough estimated times that they might wait. If you
check the tracker right now, it says that it could take 24 hours. That is very likely not the case, though, in reality, because the official estimate
from, well, way down in this line, it sort of snakes around the park here. You can see in the distance there, you'll see people sort of coming into
the queuing system here quickly. And before they actually reach the end of the line, the sign that says 14 hours is still a few hundred yards back
there. So, it's very likely to be less than 14 hours from this spot.
Obviously, that's still a heck of a lot of time, but very likely not 24 hours. And the reason it seems to me that they're doing that is because
they want to make sure that people come prepared for the worst. Of course, it gets cold overnight, they want to make sure people have food, there's
also, at last count, 300 or so incidents that paramedics have had to respond to, mostly of people feeling faint, or of actually fainting. And if
I have a minute, Isa, I'll just show you what the lineup looks like right now, just take you over this way. They have floodlights on the line as it
sort of snakes through this park.
And keep in mind that once people get through this park, it takes from what we've been told, from talking to people in the line, maybe two and a half,
three hours to get to the end, well, there's still a heck of a long way from the actual end of the line. It just means that you're out of the park,
you get to cross the street, and then you go out along the section, which runs along the Thames River, which is still about five miles from
Westminster. And especially tonight, especially along the river, it is not warm.
But what people have been telling us, though, is that they feel it's their duty, they want to pay respect to this monarch. And also, it seems like a
national bonding exercise as well. Just wondering, ma'am, how long have you been waiting in the line so far?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About two hours.
MCLEAN: How long are you expecting to wait in the line for?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twelve. Another 12? Yes, another 12.
MCLEAN: Are you prepared?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very prepared.
MCLEAN: Can you guys talk --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're British, you know.
MCLEAN: That's true, you guys love to queue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INDISTINCT) so it was what -- it's -- she's taught us a lot.
MCLEAN: Sir, can you describe to me the mood or the atmosphere in the line at this stage?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's fantastic at the moment. It feels as though it's pretty much bought the whole populace back together again, with all the
troubles that we've been having, with the -- and everything basically, this has brought everybody back together. And I think that's --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brought the nation together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's brilliant.
MCLEAN: That -- a lot of people say, you know, the Queen has been a unifying force in her life. It seems like she's also a unifying force even
in death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very much so. Very much so.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're very lucky to have lived through her time. Yes.
MCLEAN: Thank you, guys. Good luck with everything. So like you can see just how many people are in this line (INDISTINCT) I'll just get you to
swing the camera around and start walking down and you can just see it, there's an absolute sea of humanity here, just people in every direction.
And we have met people from all across the country, all across England, met people from Wales, people coming from Scotland. Most people are coming from
within London. We're a couple of hours radius of London, but they are here for the long haul.
We've even met people who have flown here specifically for this from the United States, from Canada, from South Africa, you name it, we have met
people who just want to be here. And, of course, you know, a lot of people here say that they want to pay their respects to The Queen, they want to
share their mutual admiration for her, but there is also some people, Isa, that -- look, say that this is an experience. This is a historical moment
and they simply want to be part of it. This is not something that they want to miss. It's something that they want to be able to tell their grandkids
that, hey, when Queen Elizabeth II died, I was there to see her coffin lying in state.
SOARES: Yes, and I waited but that's fine. I'm proud to be part of that moment. And, of course, don't let, you know, this beautiful skyline in
London, the sunset mislead anyone. Richard was looking at the temperatures on his phone, I saw. It is expected to get rather chilly tonight, is it
not, Richard?
QUEST: 7 degrees Celsius, about 45 degrees Fahrenheit is what they are expecting. But the good news is that there is no rain forecast through the
night and through tomorrow and through to Sunday. So --
SOARES: Very different from the Queen's father. Apparently there was snow and sleet. But yet people lined up to also pay their respects and I'm
guessing people like you said, Scott, they've come prepared for this. Scott McLean. Thanks very much, Scott. And you and I, Richard, was just -- we're
just commenting as Scott was speaking at these images of mourners.
[14:45:05]
Some curtsy, others bow their heads, but their faces say everything, don't they, Richard?
QUEST: They do. And look, just look at the picture. Old, young, international, and there's a wonderment in their faces that they are there
at all -- I was there, tinged with incredible sadness. If you think about the reasons why somebody will queue for 12 to 14 hours to meet, to pay
respects to somebody they didn't -- never met, it -- this is going much deeper than just an event. This is why one's nationality. This is one's
patriotism. This is being British.
SOARES: It is being British. And I think, you know, something that we have seen as only the British know how to queue is it's the art of being
British. And for many Brits, of course, they've only known -- 80 percent of Brits have only known one monarch and that's Queen Elizabeth II.
QUEST: I think what we have here is the Welsh guards who are standing. You can tell by the number of button, and by the plume and the color in the
plume. But I'm pretty certain that's the Welsh guard, part of The Household Division that are now standing. The Beefeaters, of course, are also there.
SOARES: And what's something you -- we've seen today, of course, Max touched in there, we mentioned the top of the show, Richard, was, of
course, King Charles going to Wales. You have been spoke -- you've been speaking about this kind of pendulum that we've been seeing, isn't it, from
The King in the last four, five days.
QUEST: It is. And one can look at it as two sides of the same coin, both sides need each other for the whole thing to work as a coin or as a -- so
Charles needs to bond with his people because in a parliamentary democracy, a constitutional monarchy like we have here, it only works if people are
prepared to go with it. It looks like something might be about to happen.
SOARES: Yes.
QUEST: He's banging the --
[14:50:00]
QUEST: King Charles III with his brothers and sister. The Princess Royal, Princess Anna. The Earl of Wessex, the Prince Andrew, all present, standing
in vigil for their late, as Charles always says, their beloved mother. And with them, the guards of -- the Welsh guards from The Household Division.
And what is -- look at the face. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, having received special dispensation to wear uniform in this since he knows longer
has military -- active military rank or honorary military titles.
[14:55:03]
And behind them, you have the extended royal family from the Queen's cousins Military, active military rankle honoring military titles and
behind them, you have the extended royal family from the Queen's cousins, the Duke of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent, and the Princess Royal,
Princess Anne, in a uniform -- in a naval uniform, as one would expect, as she held honoree naval rank.
SOARES: And this is, of course, Richard, one of the most solemn and most powerful moments we have seen until now. It's -- you and I were talking
about how tired and -- their faces looked, how King Charles looks, clearly, very tired. But let's remind the viewers, this is a family grieving. This
is a family grieving right now.
QUEST: We've just seen Prince Michael of Kent. And on the left there, you can see the Duke of Kent. These are cousins of the Queen's and the Queen
was extremely close and fond of her cousins. And there also, you have Princess --
SOARES: Some of the grandchildren. Yes.
QUEST: The grandchildren. You have Beatrice, Eugenie.
SOARES: Eugenie, yes.
QUEST: Who will pay their own vigil tomorrow.
SOARES: Grandchildren will be standing visual, of course, by the Queen's -- on the Queen's coffin on Saturday, and roughly at this time tomorrow. But
this is the moment for the Queen's children to pay their respects. And --
QUEST: One can --
SOARES: His space, yes.
QUEST: I think this picture, more than any other, demonstrates that phrase that Charles said, the weight --
SOARES: Weight of history. Yes.
QUEST: -- of history is now upon me. And he no longer has the Queen to guide him.
SOARES: And they are there, they will be there for some 20 minutes or so. Very much emotions exposed to the public, as you can see that, because the
public, who have been waiting for hours, continue to file past the Queen's coffin.
QUEST: I think it would be inconceivable that they would have stopped and coming through. Let's watch.
If you are joining us, a very good evening from London. You're with us as we watch the four adult children of Queen Elizabeth II standing vigil at
the catafalque of her coffin. The four children there, the Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, along with extended members of the royal family. There we
have the Queen Consort. Commander Sir Timothy Laurence, Mike Tindall, Richard Gloucester, Princess Beatrice, Eugenie, the Duke of Kent, all
paying their own respects. Peter Phillips, of course there. That's Princess Royal's son. He walked behind the coffin during the procession from
Buckingham Palace, and the grandchildren will hold their own vigil tomorrow, at this time. The trappings of state, the scepter, the orb, the
State Imperial Crown.
SOARES: And this is an incredibly powerful moment. Very moving. We saw this in Edinburgh. We're seeing this now, seeing the Queen's own children in
those four corners of the catafalque standing for good 15, 20 minutes with their heads bowed, Richard.
QUEST: Yes, this is --
SOARES: It's --
QUEST: So there are about six different rotations of the vigil.
END
