Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

Queen Mother Celebrates 101st Birthday

Aired August 04, 2001 - 07:13   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Today it's a century and one for Britain's queen mum. And CNN's senior international correspondent, Walter Rodgers, is covering her birthday festivities in London today, and he joins us by phone.

Walter, what's on queen mum's agenda today?

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, next, Brian, is lunch with the royal family here at Clarence House, the queen mother's official residence. A few moments ago, London shook, albeit with a cannonade, a salute of Howitzers and cannons around the city, marking the queen mother's 101st birthday, the queen mother, of course, being the mother of the current reigning monarch of England, Queen Elizabeth II.

Now the queen mother did emerge from her residence shortly after 11:00 London time this morning. She accepted flowers from many children, and then she took a rather slow but pleasant buggy ride, sort of in the royal golf cart, touring along the grounds of Clarence House. There are hundreds, perhaps several thousand people around Clarence House. Many of them actually got to get a good look at the queen mother waving at the crowds, who had all come to wish her a happy birthday.

I'm not sure your pictures show it, but one of the more charming scenes, cameos of the morning was when the queen mother's little dog, a Corgi, one of those small, almost legless dogs, was following the golf cart around. The queen mother paying more attention, of course, at this point to the well-wishers who were waving a sea of red, white, and blue Union Jacks, the British flag, of course, the symbol of when Britain certainly dominated much more of the earth than 21st century Britain does.

The queen mother, as I say, is now back inside Clarence House, her official residence. She's waiting for the rest of the royal family to come and wish her a happy birthday at an official but private luncheon in just a few minutes -- Brian.

NELSON: All right, thank you, CNN's Walter Rodgers in London. And boy, she looks terrific.

BLAKEY: She's a stylish lady, isn't she?

NELSON: She really is. BLAKEY: Yes.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com