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King Charles Addresses Parliament For First Time Of Reign; Ukraine Liberates Key Towns In A Sign New Offensive If Working. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired September 12, 2022 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

LINDSAY HOYLE, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS OF THE U.K.: Which we usually kept sheltered from public view. Deep as though our grief is, we know yours is deeper. We offer our heartfelt sympathy to you and all the royal family. We know that there is nothing we can say in the praise of our late queen, your mother, that you will not already know.

Over the past days, members of the House have spoken of their encounters with Queen Elizabeth. They have spoken of her sense of duty, her wisdom, her kindness, her humor -- how she touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of their constituents in her visit to every part of this country. Their words have been heartfelt.

She sat in this historic hall, as you sit now, on many occasions. Some of those occasions were to celebrate milestones in her own reign. The addresses to celebrate her silver, golden, and diamond jubilees shared a common thread that our constitutional monarchy is a symbol of stability in an ever-changing world.

As Speaker McFall said, Queen Elizabeth's wisdom and grace demonstrated for all to see the value of a constitutional monarchy in securing the liberties of our citizens and the fundamental unity of this kingdom and the commonwealth.

On other occasions, our late queen was here to mark the historic moments, such as the 50th anniversary of the Second World War -- a war in which she, herself, served in the armed forces. And in 1988, we celebrated the 300th anniversary of the Revolutions of 1688 to 1689. It is perhaps very British to celebrate revolutions by presenting an address to Her Majesty. Both those revolutions led to our constitutional freedoms and set out the foundation for a stable monarchy, which protects liberty.

In your first address to the nation, you recognized your life would change as a result of the new responsibilities. You pledged yourself to uphold constitutional principles at the heart of our nation. These are weighted responsibilities, as the early Queen Elizabeth said in her final speech to parliamentarians. To be a kingdom and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it that it is pleasant that them that bear it.

We know you'll hold the greatest respect, the precious traditions, the freedoms and responsibilities of our unique history, and our system of parliamentary government. We know that you will bear those responsibilities, which fall to you, with the fortitude, dignity, demonstrated by her late majesty.

When the House met at the Accession Council, my first symbolic act was to make the oath, to be faithful, and virtue allegiance to Your Majesty, King Charles. And so it is my duty to present our humble address to you, our new king, to express both our sorrow and loss of our sovereign lady and our confidence in the future in your reign.

Most gracious sovereign, we, Your Majesty's dutiful, loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in parliaments assembled, express deep sympathy felt by this house for the great sorrow which Your Majesty has sustained by the death of the late queen, Your Majesty's mother. Extended to all the royal family the deep sympathy of this house and the grief which is shared by all its members.

Assure Your Majesty that her late majesty's unstinting dedication over a reign of over 70 years to the service of our great country and its people, and to the service of the countries and the peoples of the rest of the wider commonwealth, which will always be held affectionate and grateful remembrance. And to express to Your Majesty our loyalty to you and our conviction that you will strive to uphold the liberties and to promote the happiness of the people in all your realms, now and in years to come.

KING CHARLES III: My lords and members of the House of Commons, I am deeply grateful for the addresses of condolence by the House of Lords and the House of Commons, which so touchingly encompass what our late sovereign -- my beloved mother, the queen -- meant to us all. As Shakespeare says of the earlier Queen Elizabeth, she was a patent to all princes living.

As I stand before you today, I cannot help but feel the weight of history which surrounds us and which reminds us of the vital parliamentary traditions to which members of both houses dedicate yourselves with such personal commitment to the betterment of us all. Parliament is the living and breathing instrument of our democracy. That your traditions are ancient, we see in the construction of this great hall. And the reminders of medieval predecessors of the office to which I have been called.

And the tangible connections to my darling late mother we see all around us, from the fountain in New Palace Yard, which commemorates the late queen's Silver Jubilee, to the sundial in Old Palace Yard for the Golden Jubilee. The magnificent stained glass window before me for the Diamond Jubilee. And so poignantly and yet to be formally unveiled, your most generous give to her late majesty to mark the unprecedented Platinum Jubilee which we celebrated only three months ago with such joyful hearts.

The great bell of Big Ben, one of the most powerful symbols of our nation throughout the world and housed within the Elizabeth Tower, also named for my mother's Diamond Jubilee, will mark the passage of the late queen's progress from Buckingham Palace to this Parliament on Wednesday.

My lords and members of the House of Commons, we gather today in remembrance of the remarkable span of the queen's dedicated service to her nations and peoples. While very young her late majesty pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government which lie at the heart of our nation. This vow she kept with unsurpassed devotion.

She set an example of selfless duty which, with God's help and your council's, I am resolved faithfully to follow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: King's bodyguard. King's bodyguard, (INAUDIBLE ) up.

[05:40:00]

MUSIC: "God Save the King."

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right -- and you're watching King Charles his queen consort. King Charles feeling the weight of history there, addressing Parliament for the very first time as king -- as the monarch here -- as he enters the limousine and they leave Westminster Hall presumably on their way here to Scotland.

But you were speaking about Black Rod and the folks who are there now.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so there you have all the various participants if you will -- the various principal parties in the form of government of Britain -- Black Rod, who you just saw the king talking to. Again, an ancient post.

If you take each of the people we've seen and you were to draw sort of train (PH) upwards to how they all fit together in history, you will see that they each have an individual role. It's not just dressing up for the sake of dressing up.

And when things are going normally and well you don't really notice it. It just happens. But if there is constitutional crises as we've had, as you've had, then these roles become important because then everybody has to defer back to that which they're supposed to do.

[05:45:03]

And that's the significance of today's address to Parliament.

LEMON: Yes.

QUEST: Stamping I'm the king, you're Parliament. I know my job, you know yours.

LEMON: Don Lemon here. We're in Edinburgh with Richard Quest. Also with us, Max Foster and Christiane Amanpour. They join us from Buckingham Palace.

Max, the king there really having to weave a tapestry there between the political process and grieving for his mother. Interestingly enough, he had to talk about his mother's relationship with Parliament and with the House of Commons as well.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: It was interesting. What we saw here was really -- it was quite profound, really. It's confirmation that the king will -- I mean, dare I say, stay in his box. The king is apolitical. He doesn't get involved in politics. And the queen was absolutely exemplary in that, rising above politics.

So we heard Lord McFall speaking for the lords, saying the queen's fortitude in the face of adversity forever remembered. Then we had the speaker of the Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, saying to the king, you pledged yourself to uphold constitutional principles -- and that is that the king does not get involved in politics.

Then we heard from the king, "I cannot help but feel the weight of history and the vital parliamentary traditions." And he said of the queen, "She set an example of selfless duty. I am resolved faithfully to follow." So, I think it was reassurance to the members of Parliament there -- the lords -- that he would uphold the constitution and the duties of the monarch in the way that his predecessor did.

So while there's lots of tradition and there's lots of formal language, it's actually quite profound. And I think everything the king said there was quite reassuring to everyone sitting in the ancient hall going back more than 900 years.

LEMON: Elizabeth Norton also joins us as well. Elizabeth, welcome to the program.

As Max just pointed out, Charles says that he feels the weight of history, and you don't need to imagine why. This is -- this is quite profound.

ELIZABETH NORTON, HISTORIAN AND ARCHAEOLOGIST, AUTHOR, "ENGLAND'S QUEENS: THE BIOGRAPHY": It's incredible history and, of course, new monarchs have been going to Parliament to the House of Lords and the House of Commons for centuries, so it's a really important tradition. And, of course, ties in the monarch to their government.

LEMON: Christiane Amanpour, as we watch the procession -- or watch the motorcade of the king leaving Westminster Hall, and then these pictures now of the inside of Westminster Hall, I have to keep referring to this. There is a lot going on here as it -- as it relates to the transition of power of the government, the future of the monarchy, and also laying to rest the beloved queen for 70 years.

It was a lot -- it was mentioned a lot -- Diamond Jubilee, Platinum Jubilee, Gold Jubilee -- and it's just a reminder of how long Queen Elizabeth has been really here and on the world stage.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, exactly. And just so that you know, in terms of the choreography now, the king and queen consort are on their way to RAF Northolt to come to where you are in Edinburgh for the procession to St. Gile's Cathedral. So that will be in a few hours. But they're on their way to take that flight right now.

In the meantime -- I mean, how could you not be struck when the king acknowledged, as Max said and as Elizabeth has said, the weight of history? You know, I could only think of Stormzy, the great British rapper, quoting Shakespeare -- "Heavy is the head that bears the crown." And that is absolutely true even if it is only a ceremonial and constitutional role, which it is.

You can be absolutely sure that every word that the king proclaims inside the democratic house of power -- the Parliament -- has been approved not just by his political advisers and counselors but by the government as well. There was never a state opening of Parliament that the queen delivered that was not written by the government. And that is their role -- it's not just his words. And I think that's very important to remember.

And I would just say also since Elizabeth is here, there's so much history that's happened in that Parliament from Guy Fawkes to Charles I, to everything.

The king is passing by us right now as we speak. So, you know, he's very much -- very much with everybody today and has been. He has not been shy about going past the crowds, going through the streets.

FOSTER: And once at the palace --

AMANPOUR: Yes.

FOSTER: -- they'll go straight to the airport --

AMANPOUR: Yes, exactly.

FOSTER: -- to head your way.

AMANPOUR: So, the Parliament, Elizabeth, Guy Fawkes --

NORTON: Yes.

AMANPOUR: -- the -- you know, the King Charles I and all those crises.

NORTON: Absolutely. So, I mean, it doesn't always have happy connotations to monarchy. Of course, Guy Fawkes, in 1605, was caught trying to blow up the king in the state opening of Parliament, and Charles I.

[05:50:00]

And, of course, there's a parallel with our new king's name. Charles I famously was beheaded by Parliament following a civil war. And, I mean, it's actually the reason why the monarch can no longer come to the House of Commons.

AMANPOUR: That is so interesting. And there were people who actually -- as we listen to bagpipes and music and the band also coming behind us, we may have to be quiet for a moment. People were quite -- there was a pressure as to whether he would call himself Charles III for precisely those reasons, right?

NORTON: Absolutely. There was a lot of speculation that he would be George VII. And the reason is that the name Charles does have a bit of a dicey history.

Charles I, of course, was beheaded. I mean, the only British monarch to be beheaded apart from Mary Queen of Scots, who was a former queen. And Charles II was restored to the throne. He's famous for his sort of love of life, really, but not remembered as a particularly strong monarch in other respects.

So I think it is quite surprising that he's Charles III.

FOSTER: It is an opportunity for him to rebrand, right, because a lot of the hang-ups --

AMANPOUR: Yes.

FOSTER: -- that we have about his role as Prince of Wales, he could have sort of moved on from by taking a different name.

NORTON: I think so. But I think equally, it's been his name now for 73 years and I can see why he wants to hang onto it. And I think Charles III can be very different to his predecessors. I'm hopeful.

AMANPOUR: I don't know whether you want to break and listen to the bagpipes. Otherwise, we can talk about her book. Elizabeth's book is called "England's Queens."

LEMON: Yes.

AMANPOUR: And it is vital to talk about the women who have led this realm because they have been amongst the strongest monarchs, not just ceremonially but in terms of actually great eras of progress and growth.

NORTON: Absolutely. I mean, if you -- if you were to do some of the top 10 --

LEMON: And Christiane, we will get to -- and Elizabeth, we'll get to that in a moment as we watch here what's happening in London.

Everything is happening in London now. The king addressing Parliament. And he'll soon be here in Edinburgh where we are. The king is on his way here.

We're going to take a quick break and we'll continue our conversation with Elizabeth, and Christiane, and Max, and also Richard Quest here in just moments.

You are watching our live coverage of the queen's farewell. Coming up, we're going to talk about what happens here when she gets -- when he gets to Edinburgh -- the king.

Plus, an extraordinary development on the battlefields of Ukraine to tell you about. Russian forces in retreat. A new offensive by Ukraine is working. So, CNN goes inside one liberated town right after we come back.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:56:55]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, a stunning transformation on the battlefield. Ukraine breaking through Russian lines near Kharkiv and retaking towns that have been under Russian control for months. You can see them raising a flag in one of these towns.

Let me show you on the map exactly where this is taking place. Everywhere you see in yellow here is now under Ukrainian control. Until a few days ago, it was all under Russian control. This has happened with stunning rapidity. Including -- you can see right here the town -- the city of Izium, which was a key conquest by the Russians early on in the conflict. That is now mostly under Ukrainian control.

Let's go right to CNN's Melissa Bell, live in Kharkiv this morning with this remarkable turnaround, Melissa.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, quite extraordinary -- some 3,000 square kilometers that are now in Ukrainian hands, say Ukrainian authorities. But remember that this is really hard for us to verify because of the media blackout. Journalists are just not allowed to get close to the front lines of those counteroffensives.

And yet, CNN was able to get exclusive access to the town of Kupiansk, just to the north of Izium that you just saw. What we found, John, is that even though a Ukrainian flag has been raised somewhere, it does not necessarily mean that the fighting is done.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELL (voice-over): The tanks spoke to a hasty Russian retreat as Ukrainian forces swept eastward over the weekend, triumphantly raising the flag over Kupiansk on Saturday. Local police forces providing CNN with exclusive access to a key town now meant to be under Ukrainian control.

VASYL AND ANATOLII, KUPIANSK RESIDENTS: (Speaking foreign language).

BELL: "We still feel uneasy because we've been bombed for four days in a row," says Vasyl, "and nothing's certain yet, which only became clearer as we headed further into Kupiansk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aircrafts, helicopters, shelling, everything.

BELL (voice-over): A first artillery strike too close for comfort -- then a second, much closer.

(Artillery strike)

BELL (on camera): That was the sound of artillery landing just next to our car -- our armored car. We have come into Kupiansk hoping to get to that flag to see where it had been planted only yesterday. But as you can see, this is Sunday afternoon and it's still the scene of some pretty fierce fighting. We're hearing the sound of outgoing artillery fire. That was the sound of incoming.

BELL (voice-over): Two hits directly targeting our car, says the policeman. Time to go back to what we'd come to see -- those parts of the Kharkiv region fully under Ukrainian control.

Like (INAUDIBLE), where, after six months of occupation, Ukrainian investigators know all too well what they'll find after Bucha and Borodianka that were under Russian control for only a month.

SERHII BOLVINOV, HEAD OF KHARKIV POLICE, INVESTIGATIVE UNIT: (Speaking foreign language).

BELL (voice-over): "Yes. According to our information, we are recording war crimes in almost every village," he says.