In full: Queen Elizabeth's last days | Royal history as it happened

[Music] a few moments ago Buckingham Palace announced the death of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II breaking news from Scotland here at Balmoral where her majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed away at the age of 96 The Queen Is Dead at 96 Elizabeth second is gone the news came through just a few minutes ago it was released on the Royal Family's Twitter account the statement reads the queen died peacefully at balm moral this afternoon the king and the queen consort will remain at Bal moral this evening and will return to London tomorrow it's been one year since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II the end of the monarchy as we all knew it it is a day of great loss but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy today the crown passes as it has done for more than a thousand years to our new monarch our new head of state his majesty King Charles III 7even news Europe bureau chief Hugh Whitfield has been covering the royal family for years on September 8th 2022 Hugh and seven cameramen James Cannon were the first journalists in the world on the scene at Bal moral as history was made the amazing thing was this wasn't just a momentous week in terms of the change of the Monarch it had already been a history making week because we were up in Scotland because the queen was overseeing the change over of prime minister Liz truss had arrived shortly after Boris Johnson had left Balmoral Castle on the Tuesday the whole country and all of us had been expecting that momentous change of prime minister which in itself was an important occasion we were up in Scotland we chose to stay on for another 24 hours we we felt like we had a few more stories to pick up there and then on the Wednesday night uh we received word that the queen had pulled out of a privy Council Zoom meeting now over the course of the previous 12 months we knew that she'd had some health ailments she experienced covid of course back in February of 2022 but had been able to continue working virtually on these Zoom meetings so the fact that for the first time to our knowledge she'd pulled out of a zoom meeting if she wasn't well enough to get in front of a computer screen and basically oversee a meeting of a dozen or so people then something was seriously wrong we made it back to Bal moral that night were there the next morning we were the first journalists on the ground there at Bal moral and then what played out was obviously a history making history defining day I received phone calls from people close to the Palace who told me not to go anywhere that the Queen's Health had deteriorated to the extent that the change of sovereign was going to happen that day and I think the the truth is that it all happened very quickly Charles was in dumpy's house in the south of Scotland he was only scrambled to Bal moral on that morning of September 8 when it became apparent that the queen was unlikely to survive the day uh and then around lunchtime Liz trust barely 48 hours into her prime ministership she's trying to lay out this ambition icious domestic agenda in the House of Commons she slipped a piece of paper by her cabinet minister Nadim zahawi which we now know is her being informed that the queen was Gravely ill and momentous things were about to happen all of this was playing out live on TV so very quickly the nation became aware that things were beginning to move quickly and that the country and the Commonwealth had to prepare itself for history changing news over the course of that afternoon of course we saw this scramble of members of the royal family Prince William prince Andrew Prince Edward up to Bal moral Charles was at that point there along with his sister Princess Anne who was already in Scotland there was this very sad scramble by Prince Harry as well effectively left behind behind by his brother and his uncles having to catch a commercial flight to abedine he didn't make it in time to see the Queen by the time she'd passed away it was a wet day it was a very somber day at balm moral um news crews who who quickly discovered that they needed to be at balm moral were scrambling up there it became busier as as locals from abedine shear and Scotland tried to get there as as well and then of course that moment at 6:30 p.m. uh Scotland time 3:30 in the morning in the uh on the Australian East Coast that news came through that the queen had passed away and this was an event we were preparing for for I Was preparing I've been preparing for for the last n years and so there were one of two ways that it could have gone obviously the queen may have ended up in hospital with this long illness that had her bed ridden for months years years I mean she was a woman in her mid90s anything could have happened to her um I think the fact that it happened so quickly on the Tuesday we'd seen her up and about greeting Le TR in front of the fireplace at balm moral Castle she looked really old I mean everyone who saw that photo knew that she'd changed in the couple of months since we'd seen her she looked incredibly thin she looked tiny this tiny old woman um but I think just the speed that it end end up happening in the end and I think for her you know we've all got grandparents great grandparents who we've seen go over the course of our lifetimes and I think for her it was a bit of a blessing she was in her favorite place and it did all happen very quickly she wasn't convalesced for a long period of time and and her family knew that it was coming um but in the end it it happened really quickly and that day unfolded really quickly as well at Bal moral between waking up in the morning having a sense that this could be the day that it all unfolded and then by lunchtime knowing that uh that it was going to be a day that we'd all remember and a day that would change the country and the Commonwealth forever the the the bit that gave me goosebumps was not just the fact that the queen had died because we were expecting that message to come through but the term the king and queen will remain in Balmoral tonight and will return to London tomorrow and that was the first time in more than 7even decades that the palace had released a statement with the words the king in it and I think that was the first moment for me certainly that I realized we realized that the change had happened and a massive series of events was about to unfold over the next 10 [Music] days Prince Charles philli Arthur George Is Now by The Death of our late Sovereign of happy memory become our own lawful and rightful Leed Lord Charles III it is my most sorrowful duty to announce to you the death of my beloved mother the queen I know how deeply you the entire nation and I think I may say the whole world sympathize with me in the irreparable loss we've all suff suffered well I think the the thing to remember is that um whenever this happens and this is something the palace had spoken about when we'd been briefed over the years is that there's two jeweling narratives that play out there's the death of the Monarch and the morning period that uh needs to happen in order to fully reflect and respect aain and then there's this dawn of a new age and what we saw was the dawn of a carolan era I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace Harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these islands and of the common World Realms and territories throughout the world no amount of preparation for what he would be feeling on that day no amount of conversations of how he would prepare his speech his address to the nation and the world I think it would have all gone out the window because the feelings of sadness that he would have felt at the passing of his mother would have really overtaken the moment and yet in that moment that he did give his speech to the world I think we saw the character and the purpose of what a man he wants to uh to become in this role as king the thing that struck me is that 24 hours after his mother had died Charles was in London where he needed to be as the new [Music] king and he was embracing the people and the people were embracing him oh I'm going to take that kiss forever I kissed his hand as well he impulsive kissed the king's hand keep in mind that he had just lost his mother he was mourning the loss of his cherished mother and then was out and about outside Buckingham Palace shaking hands being kissed by people greeting people speaking with people with Camila by his side he's stopping Camila is getting out of the car right now out the king is getting out of the vehicle right now they're going to do a [Music] walkabout well actually I think that really what happened in the immediate aftermath of the Queen's death was a lot of people had empathy and sympathy with the King because of the way he spoke which was very eloquently very lovingly about his mother but also the way you know he sort of was clearly taking it all on his shoulders a lot of people thought had I think you know some understanding of they've all been there most people they've lost someone they loved and I think that helped him the the way that the people re responded to him helped him I think he was touched by the response he got if you think about it you are appointed to that position the very second that the the previous monarch dies so you take it on immediately uh he had a coronation to plan he had uh grief he had issues to deal with he had to consider whether his brother Andrew whether Harry whether that' wear military uniforms in that that time of morning so there was a lot of pressure on and we saw immediately uh that pressure sort of combust in his altercation with a pen everywh in those days after his mother's death he had to uh visit all the Realms Ireland Wales Scotland England I mean it was pretty growling and we have to remember he is a man who is now 74 he didn't come to the throne in his mid-20s like his mother he came to the throne at a time of his life then most people are retiring so even though Charles was in his 70s he brought a new energy to the monik straight away I think and he needs to keep that up going forward but but that's the thing that struck me straight away we had a monarch on his feet out and about with the people despite you know leaky pens and slightly bad tempered along the way um in the first couple of months I think that actually he did pretty well in that transition problem I think that came um when of course we had the the Harry Bor and the issues that followed when Charles became king his family was in crisis from Harry to Andrew to the lack of senior Royals to carry out his work his first big test began well before his coronation well there's three big challenges he faces with his family the first one of course is Harry the second one is Andrew I think the jury is still out on how he's handled those issues early on we look at the controversies over the last 12 months these are potentially not going to go away anytime soon because I think you look at the family matters at heart we've had Scandal and infighting in abundance over the last few years and that is something that the king really does need to get to grips with what is the relationship with his son Prince Harry he said it would be one of love and affection pretty much in his first speech to the world and yet we've seen Harry on the other side of the Atlantic dropping these bombs all over the place and the relationships are still in tatters and I think that people would expect King Charles to try and bring Harry back into the fold to try and be the bigger person in the argument Harry the thing with Harry is that he's got William as well now William can be a positive and a negative in this relationship William and Kate appeared outside Windsor Castle in the days after the Queen's death alongside Harry and Megan it was ice cold cold it was so tense you could cut the tension with a knife they were not getting along they are not getting along it's not just the relationship between Harry and his father the king it's the relationship between Harry and his brother William William has the ear of his father if Harry's relationship with Charles is going to be restored it needs to be restored with William as well my brother and I love each other I love him deeply I thought that you know the four of us would you know bring me and William closer together we could go out and do work together there needs to be a constructive conversation one that can happen in private what I have to say to them will be in private the key thing I think they've done that's been very wise is that they have taken the damage limitation view that they will say nothing about spare so there hasn't been a single comment of about Harry's book which of course came out in early January just a few months after the Queen's death it made these extraordinary claims it revealed family secrets it uh you know threw daggers at various people uh but they didn't say a word and interestingly now nine months on from the publication of that book we have Harry and Megan who look on more Shaky Ground than ever they don't have a purpose they have been cut off from some of the Partnerships uh Megan is reportedly wanting to kickstart her career Harry of course has the Invictus games but really has no other uh large scale purpose that we're aware of like I curtsied as though I was [Music] like pleasure to meet you your majesty like was that okay Harry's on the outer he's made the decision he and Megan have made the decision to be in California the door they'll say is always open for Harry to return it's practically impossible for him to come back to the full-time role that he had before his two his two children are American they will be raised in America by Megan there is no appetite from The Duchess of Sussex to return to the UK I think to be honest the attitude from the palace and from the king is just to let it go and let Harry be Harry he seems to have got most of the gripes that he's got off his chest now there's a lot that can happen between now and then but you know the door is always open the the board is in their Court there's a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about [Music] it the second issue being Andrew is much more delicate there are still big questions about any actions that Andrew May face from the complainants against him whether or not he may face further legal issues down the track in the United States Andrew it is clear now behind closed doors has been accepted back into the family as has his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson who he lives with at Royal Lodge it seems as though the move to Frogmore Cottage um that was signaled because Harry and Megan are being forced to move out of there is on hold Andrew seems to have gotten his way by being able to stay in Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate um that's privately publicly there's no way that prince Andrew would be able to turn up to a public event in the UK and not be heckled to such an extreme extent that it's probably the sort of thing that we haven't seen for decades for a member of the royal family it's just not going to happen on the eve of the anniversary of the Queen's passing Andrew was spotted alongside senior Royals something the daily mirror's Royal editor Russell Meers thinks was a major misstep over the last couple of days we've seen uh prince Andrew riding shotgun running front and center with uh Prince William and Princess Kate and what does that look like for the royal family I thought it was a bit of a PR disaster to have Andrew front and center with the family at church because you know he's had to leave in disgrace this is something that the the royal family wants to try and sweep under the carpet they think that the business with Virginia JRA is done and dusted but I think that that is far from it for the public and if there was a rehabilitation of prince Andrew then I think a lot of the public would find that pretty unpalatable indeed but King Charles's biographer Rob jobson disagrees he thinks both Harry and Andrew have no official future as Royals I think that he's been dealt with both Harry and Andrew I think that um it's clear that neither will come back as working Royals there's a lot of nonsense talked I think uh Summer Stories I call them about will Andrew now come back because he was seen in Bor well he was there at Christmas at sanding I mean it's a family gathering at family gatherings and be Andrew will be there but he's in deep storage when it comes to um being a working role in fact not storage deep freeze he's not coming out that job is over for him and the same for for Harry there's a lack of trust for Harry and the other members of the royal family particularly William and Camila so I don't see that ever resolving itself Charles has spoken a lot about wanting a slim down monarchy it is pretty slim now it's just Charles and Camila the king and the Queen the prince and princess of Wales William and Kate the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh Edward and sofhie and Princess Anne and her husband s Tim Lawrence Anne is also getting on in age so is Tim lawence the edinburgh's aren't going to be working forever either it really falls to the walers and at some point in the next probably 15 years you're going to see Prince George doing Royal duties as well when you look at the the the business of the Roy family I think they've got a really club together the slim down monarchy is looking Slimmer by the day and that is something that princess Han has commented on in the past and they've got a club together a bit more collaboration less drama and we can all but hope that it all go swiming for them I suppose and when you hear sometimes people refer to a slim down monarchy I I can't imagine what what that might mean for a role like yours I I don't know how many more hours in the day you have to take more things on well I think the slim down was was said in a day when there were a few more people around to make that seem like a justifiable comment the world changes a bit it changes a bit I mean it doesn't sound like a good idea from where I'm standing Charles has got the slim down Mony he wants but the danger he faces is that it gets too slim down and so he's going to have to come up with a plan to make sure that there's enough working Royals to not just cover events in in the UK but also around the Commonwealth and that includes Australia a slim down monarchy means senior members will need to work hard to ensure the public keep their faith in the institution and playing a crucial role is Camila Hugh says the queen is one of Charles's biggest assets 20 years ago if you asked people how they would feel about Queen Camila there would have been overwhelming negativity towards her because of the way that she came into the Rel relationship and the history with Princess Diana well a lot of people were quite surprised strangely that she you know even though we all knew in the media she was going to be crowned a lot of people say no I didn't realize she was going to be crowned well you know that's what happens when the king is crowned the queen is crowned alongside him I know he put put a foot wrong for like over 10 15 years since they've been together you know like in terms of marital situation she's worked hard she supports him as much as she can but there'll always be people that will say that she was the racker of the the first marriage and not except that the fact is that Charles and K have now been married longer than Charles and D ever were and um that they get on better and they're in love and they support each other through thick and thin so look you know marriages don't work sometimes and that first one didn't work but I think a lot of people um see cam as a as a good supporting wife to the king and uh you know he needs all the help he can get well Camila has play a Blinder over the last 12 months it's been very very much a supportive role of the king keeping her hand in with her patronages and her charity still working diligently on uh women's domestic violence still working diligently on children's literacy two passion projects of hers and I don't see that changing anytime soon if at all that one's my favorite she has worked so hard over the last 18 years since and Camila married to build up credit with the people she has Excel she excels herself in public duties when she's meeting with members of the public she puts people at ease she's relaxed she comes to the role not with any great Royal Blood so she has the touch of a commoner she's able to talk to people you know you'll see her go to events and she's the one who's willing to pick up the piece of cheese and try it at the farmers's market she's the one that's willing to Pat the sheep in the in the farmyard on a trick to a to a farm she's willing to embrace people and reach out and I think the people have responded well to that she's lost that kind of devilish Persona that was given to her by well not just members of the British media but also it seemings Prince Harry behind the scenes as well Camila is a massive asset to Charles and for William and Kate they're the Stars they're the young new stars welcome George welcome to lamou welcome welcome Charlotte lovely to have you with with us they're the family that everyone kind of wants to have I guess with George Charlotte and Louie their challenge though is balancing that family life that they're so desperate to have with the Royal duties that they need to carry out Charles's other key asset is the newly crowned Prince and Princess of Wales they are the future of the royal family and how they perform their roles in the coming years will be pivotal for the king and his legacy they have these titles Now The Prince and Princess of Wales there is so much history that goes with those titles not just Charles but also his late wife Diana and Williams mother and Kate taking on that title is momentous in itself they have a big challenge to carve out their own roles and their own future with those titles Charles did an incredible job as the Prince of Wales over 50 years uh with his Prince's trust and the work that he did with the Charities and the causes that he wanted to uh to Champion William has said his SS on the environment in particular and they both have on Mental Health Kate also has her uh interests in early years development and the like um but they really need to strike out and make those titles their own the Dilemma that they face is that they are so desperate to be ordinary parents for their three children and any time that takes them away from Adelaide Cottage where they live now on the Windsor estate um is difficult for them because they want to be the ones who take the kids to school and pick them up from school as well they want to be around they want to be present like a normal family might be able to the challenge that they face is that they're not a normal family and they probably need to lift their game a little bit in terms of public appearances just purely being present a bit more I [Music] think one year into the reign of Charles and it's been labeled one of mixed success depending on where in the Commonwealth his report card is written I think when you look at the first 12 month of King Charles on the throne has it been a success or has it not I think that that the jury is still out because it's been a bit of a quiet year in some senses I think some people would have expected to see a lot more foreign travel should he have gone out to the Commonwealth straight away should we have expected a trip to Australia as well I certainly was hoping for one and I think it's been a bit of a slow grind over the first 12 months trying to get to grips with what the business of running the monarchy running the firm is all about look I think in Britain he sort of an eight out of 10 I think he's done very well but I think you got to look at also you know his role as king uh of Australia King of New Zealand of Canada and the other Realms because I don't think that's gone very well I think that to to pick Germany and France you know he's now doing France in a few weeks time as your first two visits sort of puts a lot of emphasis on Europe and brexit and post brexit when frankly you're if you're the head of the Commonwealth and you are the king of Australia you should be going to Australia I think within the first year now I understand he go there next o oober ahead of chum but I think that was a missed opportunity William not going to the the Women's World Cup in Australia to watch England play even for that England Australia match I think everyone will concede was a misstep there's all sorts of rumors and Reporting here about the fact that he can't go before Charles goes to Australia as the new king it's absolutely rubbish because of course Queen Elizabeth II was the first Monarch reigning monarch to go to Australia her or or the previous two 1952 when uh the Georges were the king of Australia Queen Victoria King Edward um they sent their HS to the throne and so the the the argument that William couldn't go before Charles is just you know it's just not true we're sorry we can't be there in person but we're so proud of everything you've achieved and the millions you've inspired here and around the world good luck lionesses that when the Women's World Cup was on everyone's going on about William going there as head of the fa well actually I think it was a bigger situation than that when England and and Australia were playing in the Women's World Cup semi-final I think the king of Australia should have been there uh along with as being king of BR Britain too because you know he could have one could have woron an Australian shirt one could have won an England shirt just make a bit of fun with it and I understand it's a long way to go um but you could combine that with the trip to the great barer reef and just make it work you know I think in terms of adapt into situations on the roof I think they missed the opportunity there that was a great opportunity when the matildas played the lionesses huge crowds talking about you know women's soccer big moment in Australia and I think that the Kings should have been there not just William the question will be well when are they going to go Charles hasn't visited a commonwealth country in his first 12 months as king neither has William and Kate and you have to ask at what point are they going to visit Australia at what point are they going to go to New Zealand and Canada um they need to really quickly lay out their plans for keeping the Commonwealth on board not my king not my king not my king my my and that appears to be one of the biggest challenges King Charles is facing Charles began his reign with a huge amount of Goodwill from the public they knew that he was a man who'd lost his mother um but the queen had so much much credit stored in the bank before she died um apart from in the 9s the handling of Diana's death um there weren't too many things in modern times that you could point to the queen where she got it wrong or was burning through Capital with the public too much Charles has some in the bank but not as much as his late mother and so that's why I think we do see now when the king in particular appears in the UK at a public event the chance that you'll see Republican protesters um and they have been popping up at various events particularly this year um people who were Republican in the UK really held off until the queen passed away and they view Charles's reign as an opportunity to make a change in the UK no one's really sure what that change would would be it's not an argument that they lay out um but that is Charles's challenge Rob jobson takes a different view he believes the king is in charge of a stable Commonwealth despite its shrinking over the years and the rise of Republican Rumblings in the UK and Australia I think as a head of Commonwealth everyone talks the Commonwealth is in trouble it's not the Commonwealth is stronger than ever before yeah okay the Commonwealth Games may not be happening but that's more to do with the that used to be called the friendly games when that started you know there weren't so many emphasis on Olympics and and uh World Championships so that's a completely different matter I think that the the Commonwealth itself is pretty healthy as as in terms of a republic and whether Australia will ever become one I think it's inevitable that Australia become a republic but first of all they've going to work out what they want how they what they want their president to be you know the the point of it is at the moment there's a governor general and and a system that works um constitutional monarchy parliamentary democracy and if you going to change things I think it's going to be rather than a yes or no vote in and getting majorities in territories and States you've got to work out what is that person the president and how are they going to elect him if it's going to be by the general public that then creates almost like a another king or you know a situation that's in America and puts him at loggerheads with a prime minister who's the executive power so I think they've got to sort out a lot of things other than whether yes goes first no Charles's base level success as king is essentially keeping the monarchy in place anything beyond that is a massive success the failure becomes when the Republican chat in the UK gets too loud to the point where government ministers or the government starts discussing it and that's when the it's a long way off but it exists more now than it did when the queen was on the throne [Music] but now it's Charles who's on the throne on the anniversary of the Queen's passing the family will be honoring her in private at Bal moral the place the queen loved the place the queen went to escape her troubles and ultimately the place where she left this world we will be with our friends again we will be with our families again we will meet again it's now up to her son and his small circle of family to keep her Legacy and her monarchy alive I think that it's a tough she's definitely a tough act to follow but I don't think the king is looking at that way I think he's looking at as a modern Monarch somebody who after all in a world where we are slightly devoid of Statesmen he is a Statesman he's got great vast experience on the world stage and I think when he speaks on behalf of Great Britain Australia New Zealand whoever he's speaking with after Consulting the Prime Minister he speaks as a Statesman and I think that's good for all of us know I've covered the the real family story since the early '90s and you know I think you know I've covered death of Princess Diana um death of Duke ven you know what we've seen in the last 18 months um has been huge and I think it's seismic really I mean you know the loss of her majesty the Queen Elizabeth II has left us all in a bit strange Place both in the UK and Australia and all all around the world she brought up with all of us quite an achievement I think coping with so many different challenges and complications and always being there really in in that remarkable way steadfast in terms of the Queen's Legacy no I think it's very hard for anyone to really Define and describe the enormity of the Queen's rain you can't say that the queen invented the internet stopped Wars or you know brought World Peace but what she did do is keep a level of stability not just in the UK but in commonwealth countries as well that I think was valuable over a time in history that has been so fundamentally transformative in so many ways politically in terms of technology that we deal with when you look at the world in the 1950s when the queen came to the throne and the world today the only real constant was her and she managed to adapt and keep her relevance alive for so long that is a remarkable achievement in itself and beyond that is the emotional attachment that people had to that stability and that's what they were really mourning when people were crying at the Queen's death they were mourning the loss of a woman that they revered but also fundamentally as well the loss of a sense of stability through a tumultuous [Music] time

Channel: Sunrise

Views: 636,062

Keywords: current affairs, news, queen death, queen elizabeth, meghan markle, prince harry, prince william, king charles, kate middleton, day the queen died, how the queen died, queens funeral, queens death, queen last appearance, hugh whitfield channel 7, royal news today, royal news today uk, royal news uk, royal news bbc, royal headlines, royal documentary, queen movie, royal history documentary, history documentary, history of royals, queen's last speech, the queen's death

Id: 8etuGeC8a4Y

Length: 37min 49sec (2269 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 29 2023