the day. if i didn't trust it, i would have never shot an soko lime shot to my wife -- i would not be sitting on the couch with you fine people to get back into television. >> we just got lucky. >> it tells me to order something on the menu. go with the gut. >> and now you have a baby helping out. >> sandra: thoughts and prayers from around the world pouring in for britain's longest reigning monarch. queen elizabeth ii under medical supervision. doctors saying they are concerned for her majesty's health, and we are watching all of it and praying for the queen. hello, well come, i'm sandra smith in new york. john, hello. >> john: john roberts in washington. comes one day after the 96-year-old monarch canceled a

virtual meeting with her privy counsel. palace declined to give further details, but members of the royal family have rushed to balmoral castle in scotland to be at her side. >> sandra: millions who have only known the reign of queen elizabeth over 70 years are now praying for her recovery. we are covering this from all angles. steve hilton will be joining us in just a moment. but we begin with greg palkot live in london what we are learning. >> hi, sandra, john. u.k., perhaps around the world holding their breath right now and yes, wishing prayers to the queen in the wake of the news about her ill health. this morning royal household announced following further evaluation, the queen's doctors are concerned for her majesty's health and recommended she remain under medical

supervision, adding she remains comfortable at her scottish estate of balmoral. she was seen on tuesday meeting with the new prime minister liz truss. truss has underscored the longevity, and the queen had to cancel the virtual meeting, new health concerns. she was hospitalized last october and had to cut down her schedule due to mobility issues. the speculation is her condition is more serious than that. a sign of the serious nature of her condition, yes, close family has rushed to be at her side. now at balmoral, her four children, princess charles, andrew, anne and edward. and ler eldest grandson, prince william. and prince harry and others are on the way. last saw the queen in june during the platinum jubilee, 70 years on the thrown. she was there and smiling, a

grateful country warmly greeted her and her service. and we are seeing concern in a big way today. prime minister truss saying in a tweet the whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from buckingham palace this lunchtime, my thoughts and the people across the united kingdom are with her majesty the queen and her family at this time. no doubt the thoughts again of folks here as well, 15 presidents, she has seen 14 of them. president biden has been briefed about the queen's condition. his thoughts are with the queen and her family. along with the thoughts of a lot of people here and around the world. back to you. >> sandra: greg, thank you. steve hilton, host of "the next revolution with steve hilton," and fox news contributor. i know this is hitting us very differently today and very personal connection for you, steve, as we await any news out of balmoral.

>> yeah, it's interesting, sandra. i woke up to the news here in california, i'm an american citizen now, i tear up when i hear the star-spangled banner on july 4th, i love this country but took me back to the u.k. where i grew up. i was very upset to hear this news, despite the fact that as anyone can see with someone of the queen's age there is an inevitableness, you have never seen an announcement like this from buckingham palace, the fact the family and children are rushing to her side in balmoral, clearly a serious situation and very upsetting. i remember when i was a kid, eight years old, we had the day off school to go and see the queen during her -- the silver jubilee, the 25th anniversary of her reign. later on when i was working in

10 downey street as you mentioned, she came to lunch there, unusual for the head of state to see the head of government in 10 downing street, and i met her and prince philip then. she's an absolutely extraordinary person, there are no words to do justice to it. a photo, i think, can do some justice to it. that photo that we just saw put out after she swore in the new prime minister liz truss on tuesday up at balmoral, something about that photo that just captures why the queen is so beloved by so many. if you is an he that photo of her there, we now know how serious her medical condition has been, and there she is, 96-year-old, doing her duty, totally dignified and with that amazing wonderful smile as well. the photo captures where it's such a huge moment not just in the u.k., head of state for 14

other countries around the world. beloved around the world. there is literally no one like her and it is just difficult to put into words what this moment means for so many people in the u.k. and around the world. >> sandra: so well said, steve. and you and i had the pleasure and honor of covering together the wedding of harry and meghan in 2018 and then on the ground in windsor seeing people there filling the streets, supporting the royals, that i began to learn so much, became a very quick study of the royal history over the past several years, and she is just truly magical the way she has carried out her life, and i also want to put up some more recent pictures. we got some new pictures in of edward and william arriving there, steve, to your point about her immediate family, they are rushing to be by her side there at balmoral. we are waiting an update on her

condition. but this is a woman who was able to carry out her life with such grace. obviously this is one of her sons there, and the people there just, you know, rich or poor, they revere her, they love her. >> exactly. because she has conducted her life in this astonishing way, this absolutely unfailing sense of duty that her job as embodying the crown, remember, the crown is, you know, we often think of the queen and the royal family and a lot of entertainment coverage and gossip and so on, it's an integral part of the u.k. constitution, it's very much present. when i worked in 10 downing street, our official papers referred to hmg, her majesty's government. everything the government does is carried out literally in her name. the crown is a symbol on pretty

much everything official in the u.k. she embodied that with extraordinary grace, to use your excellent word there. and why? she understood her role was to be the symbol of continuity and unity to keep the country together in one of the most important aspects of that, and the most incredible achievement, really, was to never show herself in any kind of partisan light. for all those years, 70 years on the throne she has never weighed in on political matters, on controversies, anything that could be divisive. she has been the symbol of unity, absolutely extraordinary in the modern age of social media and endless scrutiny, we see how other members of the royal family have not managed to maintain that standard. she is completely phenomenal in that record, and so many are asking in the u.k. what happens now, what happens to the u.k. sense of national unity and continuity if, as may happen in short order, we don't know, and

obviously as you say, people are praying that she stays with us for as long as possible, but what happens when she's no longer there to be that symbol of unity. >> sandra: yeah, steve, and her respect for the united states as a country, it was very apparent and having read so much about her upbringing now, i see she was a huge study of american history and the constitution, even at a very young age she had tutors which brought her through the american history, it was very important to her, as seen with the presence that was so important to her in the united states, meeting with over the course of time i believe it was 13 or 14 presidents, greg palkot was reporting 14 i know for sure 13. we've got the pictures of her meeting with president trump, obama, the bushes, clinton, reagan, going back to eisenhower, this was a queen that spent much of her time

admiring the united states. >> yes, and very engaged in not just the symbolic aspect of the relationship, but the details, the policy details of the relationship. now, prime ministers never tell anyone what happens specifically in their weekly audience with the queen, which has been again a staple of this extraordinary reign. they see the queen once a week, all the 15 prime ministers now with liz truss. they don't say what goes on in those meetings, but i can assure you the specific advice that they give that the queen gives to those prime ministers based on her experience, incredible experience, imagine all the situations that she's lived through and been briefed on. access to all the government papers, she's briefed on every serious situation involving the country and relationship with the united states and other countries. she really understands deeply the political and policy environment her prime ministers

operate and gives them advice, very strong advice on certain occasions, no one on the planet has that kind of experience. >> sandra: so prayers and thoughts pouring in for the queen, we are live outside buckingham palace, the crowds are gathering there, sending their thoughts to the queen as doctors are growing more concerned about her health at this hour. we await any update as her family continues to arrive there and be by her side in balmoral. steve hilton, i'm sure we will check back with you soon. thank you so much for sharing your personal stories and observations of the queen and her very long life. 96 years old, she turned in april. we'll have more on this coming up throughout the hour. steve, thank you very much. john. >> john: really is quite an extraordinary scene in front of buckingham palace with all the people gathering and praying for the queen and her health. i grew up in one of the 14 commonwealth countries steve alluded to and i remember when i

was a very young boy, granted, it was a long time ago, the queen was on every denomination of currency we had, every morning at school we would sing "god save the queen," so it was very much a part of the early part of my life as well. so, we are all wishing the royal family well and praying for the queen. not sure how this is going to work out. the city of memphis rocked by a string of violent attacks yesterday. police arresting a 19-year-old gunman accused of killing four people and injuring three on wednesday. rampage lasting nearly 24 hours. police say some of it was streamed live on facebook. >> no faking, [bleep] for real. my mama, you think i'm playing [bleep] it's so real -- >> john: walking into an auto zone before firing, the suspect no stranger to law enforcement.

charges in 2020, including attempted first-degree murder. he was sentenced to three years in prison but released after serving just 11 months in jail. jonathan is live in memphis this hour. what are we learning about the timeline, jonathan? >> jonathan: yeah, john, it appears the timeline began much earlier than police initially thought. take a look at this diagram. police now believe the same gunman was responsible for shooting a 24-year-old man in his driveway around 1:00 a.m. on wednesday. at first it seemed like an isolated incident as things remained quiet in the city until late that afternoon, when separate shootings left a man dead inside his car and a woman injured. the gunman then went on facebook live, livestreaming himself walking into an auto parts store and firing a handgun and critically injuring a man. when viewers tipped off police about the livestream, they were

able to link it. multiple shootings at random locations and victims, memphis police urged all residents to stay at home or shelter in place. transit system suspended bus and trolley systems. a chase ensued, they took kelly into custody without incident. kelly was previously charged with criminal attempted first-degree murder but pled guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated assault and was released after only serving 11 months. >> if mr. kelly served his full three-year sentence, he would still be in prison today and four of our fellow citizens

would still be alive. >> and ezekiel kelly is scheduled for arraignment tomorrow morning, john. >> john: the city is now looking at another tragedy here, following the kidnapping and murder of eliza fletcher, which rocked that city. what came of the court hearing for the suspect in that? >> the suspect in that, cleotha henderson, appeared in court for arraignment on first-degree murder charges, that in connection with the death of eliza fletcher, beloved teacher and mother, the hearing had been he delayed for a day to allow the judge to look at his legal representation, the public defender's office had represented him before. the judge found no conflict of had. he will be held without bond until his next hearing which is scheduled for september 19th. john. >> john: another case of somebody being released from jail early, allegedly involved in another horrible crime.

something we will take up with joe gamaldi later this hour. >> sandra: las vegas police making a shocking arrest in the gruesome murder of a long time investigative journalist. new information on the public officials who police believe was out for revenge. >> john: all eyes around the world remain on balmoral castle in scotland. the royal family rushing to be by queen elizabeth ii side after doctors are concerned for her health. latest on the developing situation in the u.k. stay with us. w subway series me. the greatest sandwich roster ever assembled. for more on the new boss, here's patrick mahomes. incredible - meatballs, fresh mozzarella and pepperon- oh, the meatball's out! i thought he never fumbles. the new subway series. what's your pick? with prices going up and up, it's more important than ever to have extra cash in the bank. and for veteran homeowners, it's as easy as one, two, three. one: call newday.

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>> john: back to our top story here on "america reports," the royal family rushing to be at the side of queen elizabeth

after doctors say that they have concerns for her health. now prayers are pouring in from around the world and people are gathering there as you can see outside buckingham palace in downtown london. ashley webster joins us with more. what are we hearing? >> yeah, hi, john. reaction to the news of queen elizabeth's health have been swift and heartfelt. liz truss, the newly appointed british prime minister who just met with the queen on tuesday at balmoral tweeted "the whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from buckingham palace this lunchtime. my thoughts and the thoughts of people across our united kingdom are with her majesty, the queen, and her family, at this time." meanwhile, former conservative prime minister david cameron tweeted his deep concern of the news, he wrote i send my heartfelt thoughts and prayers to her majesty the queen and the royal family at this worrying time. justin trudeau, the prime minister of canada sending out a tweet saying my thoughts and the thoughts of canadians across the

country are with her majesty, queen elizabeth, ii at this time. we are wishing her well and sending our best to the royal family. meantime, justin welby, he tweeted this out, my prayers and the prayers of people across the church england and the nation are with her majesty the queen today. may god's presence strengthen and comfort her majesty, her family, and those who are caring for her at balmoral. in the last hour, the white house has said u.s. president joe biden's thoughts are with the queen and her family, although i have not seen any official statement yet but we understand the president is being kept up to date on the queen's health and we are waiting for -- speculation we may get another update at some point in the near future. it's all unknown at this stage, john, but it's been more than five hours since that initial alarming statement was made by the queen's doctors. back to you. >> john: we last saw the queen

on tuesday as she was welcoming the new prime minister liz truss, travel today balmoral along with boris johnson, she seemed to be in good spirits although she appeared to be frail, so clearly something has happened suddenly, if she was up and around, scheduled to have a virtual meeting with the privy council today and then everything got canceled. >> yes, reports her health has been deteriorating, as you point out the picture with liz truss, beaming and looked good, fragile, but she's 96 years old, but apparently too tired to hold that privy council meeting virtually and she's one for doing your duty so must have been something that happened in the last 24 hours that raised the alarm and doctors using the kind of language they rarely use, this was an unusual statement saying how concerned they were over her condition and the fact her family, her children and grandchildren are rushing to be at her side.

i think the rule there, except harry coming by himself, that also indicates a lot of concern. john. >> john: we'll keep following this. ashley, thanks so much. and you know, sandra, i don't know if it's related to what is going on at this moment, but the queen did come down with covid back in february. it was a mild case, but she said she had lingering tiredness from it, and we all know that covid works in very strange ways and she never seemed to completely recover from it. remember during the jubilee, a couple of occasions she had to bow out of the planned ceremonies. is this lingering effects from the disease, or something else, we just don't know. >> sandra: she is 96 years old, what a life she has lived. during her reign, john, 15 prime ministers, 14 u.s. presidents, seven roman catholic popes and back to your statement about canada, i was struck by this as well. over the course of her reign, the queen has sat for over 200 official portraits during her

reign, conferred over 404,500 honors, her majesty is better traveled than any british monarch before her in the commonwealth alone, made over 150 visits during her reign. visited over 100 countries as monarch, including canada, 22 times, more than any other country in the world, and france, 13 times more than any other country in europe. what a life, john. >> john: yeah, why wouldn't you want to visit canada 22 times. and incredible she has remained as active as she has until this age. age of 96, not a lot of people would have the stamina and the presence of mind she does, my mother lived to 96, but she age of 93 she came down with alzheimer's, but the queen still out there, representing her beloved country and 14 other commonwealth countries that she

is the head of state of. and we watch and we wait to see if there's any news from balmoral, hopefully it will be good news as the day progresses. >> sandra: and beautiful looking back at her upbringing. her father absolutely revered her and she him, and he sadly passed away when he was just 25 years old, and he had already taught her so much and just reading over the history of balmoral where she has clearly chosen to ride out the last days of her life, john, there is a lot written about how much time she spent with her father walking the grounds of balmoral, of windsor, and the important political conversations that they had. philosophical conversations and how important they were to each other and i also was struck, you know, reading so much about her upbringing, how -- what an important role her mother played beyond just mom.

her mother had such an important role in her faith, her christian faith, which she holds dear to this day, reading the bible to her daily -- her mother was very strict with the courtsy, they made her sit for early photographs, portraits during her childhood, amazing history there, and queen elizabeth has always taken her role so seriously, even as a young girl when she knew this was coming. >> john: yeah, and when you look at her national service prior to becoming queen when she drove an ambulance during world war ii, you know, willing to go above and beyond what many others in the royal lineage would be thought to have done, just because she wanted to be in service to her nation. >> sandra: we were looking back at one of the last photographs we have seen of the queen meeting the new prime minister, and so many people were struck

by her size and she is tiny, but she is mighty, john, and we are grateful for the last time we saw her there. we are praying for an update on her condition, john, and we hope to have one here soon. >> john: all right. looking forward to that. let's hope it's good news. >> sandra: police in las vegas holding a press conference after robert telles was arrested in connection with the murder of an investigative reporter, jeff german. this as we learn he had recently written several investigative pieces regarding telles's conduct in his office. complete coverage begins now. arthur cain who worked with him is standing by, but first mike tobin. what are we learning? >> a lot of bomb shells from the press conference with the las vegas metro pd and the sheriff. including dna evidence matching clark county administrator robert telles, to the murder

scene was found at the crime scene. telles has been charged with what they call open murder use of a deadly weapon. telles was taken into custody after a 12-hour standoff with police. telles was taken from his house on a stretcher. anonymous sources saying he had self-inflicted wounds. prior to that, telles had been seen entering his own house with a hazmat suit, he did not comment. telles was immediately suspected in the murder was the reporter, a veteran las vegas tv reporter spent months on turmoil surrounding leadership of the administrator's office. and gearman said he had a hostile work environment, bullying, favoritism and inappropriate relationship with one of his staff. and staff had recorded video of telles and the staffer in the back seat of a car.

he called it lying smears, and on friday gearman was stabbed to death outside of his home. >> always had the best interests of citizens at heart. it's just unbelievable someone just minding their own business on their own property could end up being murdered. >> as far as the evidence, police identified a red or maroon gmc yukon seen acting suspiciously in the neighborhood. that was identified as a vehicle registered to telles's wife. it was also seen on security video coming and going in such a matter that it timed out with the murder. there were clothing items such as shoes and a straw hat, and apparently bizarre costume linked now to telles with an orange road crew attempting to conceal his identity. shoes and the straw hat were found cut up. telles is scheduled to make his initial court appearance at 1:30 las vegas time, 4:30 eastern time. back to you.

>> sandra: mike, live on that for us, thank you very much, mike. >> john: arthur cain, investigative reporter and close colleague of jeff. arthur, thank you for being with us. if this turns out to be what police believe it is and this was telles who went after your colleague, i mean, this is something that we would expect to see in russia or maybe some third world country, not the united states. >> yeah, i looked at the committee to protect journalists and looked at filtered by u.s., and nothing end close to similar. there are reporters who were killed because of their reporting, maybe 8 or 9, but they were killed by mob people or shady business people or something like that. for an elected official to have done this, if that proves to happen in court, is pretty much unheard of in the united states. i can't think of another instance and no one i talked to

could. >> john: it is rather extraordinary if the allegations are true. your executive editor glen cook issued the statement, arrest of robert telles, enormous relief and outrage for the review journal newsroom. we are relieved robert telles is in custody and outraged a colleague appears to have been killed for reporting on an elected official. journalists can't do the important work of our communities -- i'm sorry, we -- arthur, we have to pause for a moment here. stay with us. we have some breaking news. sandra. >> sandra: the queen has passed away. the queen died peacefully, the royal family says at balmoral this afternoon. the king and the queen consort will remain at balmoral this evening and will return to london tomorrow. queen elizabeth ii has died at the age of 96. john, are her health in just recent weeks and months, obviously was called into

question. there were some instances at around her birthday back in april she missed due to her health declining and it has come to this day we now say good-bye to queen elizabeth ii. >> john: i mean, when you think about her reign, it is remarkable. she became queen upon her father charles vi death, her coronation was june 3rd the following year, but she has sat on the throne for 70 years now, becoming not only the longest reigning monarch in u.k. history, but longest reigning monarch in world history as well, and she remained vital right up until the very end. i mean, it is a sad day in the u.k. and around the world. the passing of queen elizabeth, but what an amazing life she lived. what amazing service she delivered to the u.k. and 14 other commonwealth countries

around the world. and the fact she was so beloved here in the united states despite this country's history with britain going back to the 1700s, i mean, really is a testament to her being a force of nature and such a person to look up to in so many countries around the world. you know, as we digest this news here, let's go to martha maccallum has prepared this wonderful look back at the queen's life. >> martha: queen elizabeth ii born into the royal windsor family on april 21, 1926. at birth, as the oldest daughter of the duke and duchess of york and niece to the king, no one expected little elizabeth alexandra mary would one day be the longest serving and most respected. a love story would transform her

childhood to a different destiny. prince edward abdicated the throne, so her father being too the throne in 1936, making his oldest and 10-year-old daughter elizabeth his heir to the throne. age 14, the home-schooled princess took on some royal duties. outward expression of strengths and resilience as england was battered bri the blitz in world war ii. 1945, age 18, trained as a driver and mechanic in the women's auxiliary service. she and her sister margaret later joined those celebrating ve day on the streets of london. like thousands of others, she also had a sweetheart in the armed forces. her third cousin, prince philip of greece. they were engaged to be married

shortly after the princess's 23rd birth. 1947 in westminster abby brightened the gloom of the post war years. charles, prince of wales was born. then followed by princess anne in 1950, andrew 1959, and edward in 1963. 1952, in kenya, she learned the tragic news that her beloved father, the king, had died. in an instant, the 25-year-old became the queen of england. >> at my coronation i will dedicate myself anew to your service. >> elizabeth was to rule in a new era, her coronation in all its splendor was the first to be broadcast on television. as millions around the globe watched the transformation as it

happened. in 1957, queen elizabeth met president eisenhower. she would go on to meet every u.s. president during her reign since lyndon johnson. she often spoke of the strong and vital bond between america and the u.k. with the 1990s, came turbulent times for the royal family as the marriages of three of the queen's children fell apart, all under the scrutiny of relentless tv coverage and tabloid headlines. then in 1997, diana, princess of wales and mother to the princes william and harry, was killed in a car crash in france. as she was hounded by the paparazzi. at the time the queen was criticized for her reserved response. and persuaded to make an unprecedented live broadcast. >> so what i say to you now as your queen and as a grandmother, i say from my heart, first i want to pay tribute to diana

myself. she was an exceptional and gifted human being. >> martha: over time, the reputation rebounded. in april of 2011, the queen attended prince william's wedding to kate middleton, some 2 billion people around the world watched the ceremony. she also made an historic visit to the republic of ireland, the first british monarch to do so in almost a century, a step toward healing a long and painful divide. the following year the country turned out in force to celebrate queen elizabeth's 60-year reign, a diamond jubilee celebration spanning four days. thousands lined the banks of the thames as the flotilla of 1,000 boats led by the queen made its way down the weather. the worst of british weather tried but failed to dampen the mood. the queen and prince stood

side-by-side for the four-hour ceremony. >> i will continue to treasure and draw inspiration from the kindness shown to me in this country and throughout the commonwealth, thank you all. >> in 2013, the queen welcomed her third great grandchild, much anticipated prince george, son of william and kate. and now another george is second in line to the british throne. his younger sister, princess charlotte, is third. she was born in 2015. and later that year, queen elizabeth became britain's longest reigning monarch, overtaking her great, great grandmother, queen victoria. in 2016, the queen celebrated her 90th birthday. that was a four-day event honoring the queen's deep involvement with the armed forces and giving the nation a chance to celebrate her life. 2018, the queen watched on as grandson prince harry married the american actress meghan

markle, in a ceremony that brought glamour and hollywood royalty to the house of windsor and led them into the 21st century. about a year later, harry and meghan would famously decide to leave the royal family, move to america, and give a tell-all interview to oprah winfrey which caused deep divisions in the family. in 2021, the queen's beloved husband, prince philip, died at the age of 99. the nation mourned with the queen but covid restrictions kept the funeral small. the image of the queen sitting masked and alone in the church became the image of a country both in mourning and in lockdown. but as she had so many times before, the queen persevered. from an early age, queen elizabeth was one of the most recognized royals and recognized women in the world. nearly a third of the planet lived in the commonwealth that she ruled.

she managed to combine the truly regal with the country woman simple pleasures and embodied old fashioned values and virtue, faith and self-restraint, honoring to the very end the pledge she had made when she was just 21. >> i declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. >> john: martha maccallum, extraordinary look back at extraordinary life. 70 years on the british throne for queen elizabeth ii. and now a 12-day period, we will get into the funeral in more detail on "america reports." for now, over to sandra. >> sandra: the royal family announce and short time ago queen elizabeth ii died at the age of 96 peacefully at her balmoral estate. martha maccallum is joining us

now, mar that, you have covered the royal family extensively for years now, and with her death her son charles becomes britain's new king. >> martha: that's right, sandra. this is obviously a very sad moment for people all around the world. she was a beloved figure, a respected figure, someone for whom people all over the world had a great deal of respect for her ability to keep calm and carry on. sometimes during the most difficult of times. but i think that one of the most significant things to think about, and that we all think about when she comes to mind is what she said when she made that statement on her 21st birthday in capetown on one of her early trips as a princess. i declare my whole life, whether it be short or long, will be devoted to your service. and she put herself second and

her country first. and i think that is the thing that people so deeply respect about her, especially in the age where we live in where everyone tends to put themself before everything. she never did that, and great sacrifice at times to herself, even given all the immense luxury that she lived in. she was in service to her country, and it meant absolutely everything to her and her family right after that and you can see the people gathering here at buckingham palace as word starts to travel through the crowd and across the world. i don't think there's a better known individual on the globe than queen elizabeth, ii. >> john: as we watch the crowds gather outside buckingham palace, and i assume now that the news of the queen's death is being spread far and wide across london and the rest of the u.k. we'll see many more people make their way down there. we saw an official from

buckingham palace place something on the gates there, apparently it was a copy of the official notification that was on the royal's website that the queen died peacefully at balmoral this afternoon. but when you look typically at the reign of a monarch, particularly a monarch who is the head of state in a democracy, we see that length of time on the throne measured in a couple, three decades, but for her to be on the throne for seven decades, really is extraordinary in any moment in world history. >> martha: she's the longest reigning monarch, surpassed queen victoria several years ago, just after the 60th jubilee, and i'm also so mindful of the fact that she had that opportunity to celebrate that 70th platinum jubilee in june of this year, because you could see that although her schedule was a bit curtailed then, she came out on the balcony at the beginning and the end to book end those

celebrations and i think it was soffiting that she got to see the incredible outpouring of affection for her when she stood on the balcony, at night, her face in all different decades across the front of buckingham palace celebrating her, so i think it's a very good thing she got to witness all of that so close to her own passing, and there was a concern that when this happens, that london might become full to capacity, that there might simply not be room left for people in the city and i think that's what you will start to see happening here in the next hours and days as we begin this ten-day period, and just one other thing to mention, this process is called london bridge. her father's passing, king george vi was referred to as hyde park, a code work that

signifies the monarch has passed and the process is set to begin. a process planned for since the 1960s for queen elizabeth, and you are going to see an extraordinary methodical carrying out of exactly who informs whom and at what time. the prime minister would have been informed. this process needs to sort of happen in a very methodical way and we can also talk about, you know, the new monarch, who is now officially king charles. >> sandra: the queen leaves behind four children, eight grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, her children, the four of them, of course, charles, anne, andrew and edward. martha, there are so many stories, too many to even mention, but you were talking about the love that the people there in britain have for her as you see them gathering outside of buckingham palace and having

covered a recent royal wedding, you see the people in the streets there. they love the queen and they love all the celebrations. there was a story, one that looked back at the queen, and an author who recently published a biography of the queen who talked about the queen always having to strike that balance between two dispositions, if she was too mysterious and distance she loses her connection with the people. seems too much like everyone else, she loses her special mystique. and it's a really important observation because there was a story, and martha, i'm sure you have seen and read this as well, there was a story about at buckingham palace, a garden party in 2007, the queen asked guests standard questions, have you come far, after one introduction the woman said to the queen what do you do, recounting the exchange several days later, elizabeth ii said i had no idea what to say.

the first time anyone had asked her that question and she had a sense of humor and she had an ability to relate to just about everyone in some way and it really made her special. >> martha: i think it's an apt passage from the book, sandra, that's the line that she always had to walk to sort of have that majestic demeanor and i believe she takes all of those rituals and all of that responsibility very, very deeply and seriously and yet also be accessible to the people and to find that middle ground. she hosted those garden parties, she did not have them this summer but i think she's hosted them every summer since the beginning of her reign, or in the late spring, and this year some of charles and william and kate stepped in to take over those responsibilities. by all accounts, you know, a nice warm sense of humor,

ability to put people at ease, and i think one of the reasons you do see this outpouring of affection, not everyone in the u.k. is a monarchist, but some die hard republicans who want the monarchy to end will find moments in the coming days to respect the life of this woman because she really did stay out of the political fray, and represented the nation as a whole, and the heart of the nation as a whole, and you know, it has had its very difficult times and she has fought to put all of that in the forefront. i would assume because she knows it does mean a lot to so many people in the united kingdom. it's a cultural sort of flag of patriotism that they represent. the love of the country, and that is separate in this entity and this institution than the political fray. i think a lot of people

appreciate they can separate those things and love their country through this mechanism and keep it separate from the very rough political fray that lies beneath it. >> john: you know, you mentioned london bridge, which is the code name for what will unfold over the next 12 days or so, culminating with the queen's funeral, which will probably be 10, 11 days from now, the first thing to happen tomorrow, martha, the asession council will meet and declare charles to be the king. it will not be a coronation, that will come later. and then the queen's remains, because she is at balmoral castle, will be transported either under operation unicorn by train through the countryside and down to westminster hall where she will eventually lie in state for three days, or if they don't take her by train, and there you see the british flag

at half-staff over buckingham palace, she would be transported by plane. but westminster hall, 24 hours a day for three days people will be allowed to come in and pay respects to the queen. and as we saw when the queen mother died several years ago, so many people from across the nation came to pay their respects, i can't imagine what that lying in state is going to be like for queen elizabeth. >> martha: it will be extraordinary, john, i guarantee that. and looking back at a piece very interesting written several years ago in the guardian entitled london bridge is down, the secret plan for the days after the queen's death, and it details some of what we have gone through already today. there will be many bulletins -- bulletins from the palace but not many, and says it will be along the lines of the queen is

suffering from physical frustration, that they would characterize the fact they believed that she was perhaps on the end of her journey, that it was coming to a close, so that people would start to prepare for this. on her passing her eyes will be closed and charles will be king. his siblings will kiss his hands, the first official to deal with the news will be, and this name has changed since this article was written, now sir edward young, the queen's private secretary, and he has stepped into that role and he will -- he has a knighthood, he has been in the role, planning the funeral is one of the biggest jobs of the queen's sent and she has been intimately involved in selecting the music -- they already know whether or not she will be coming by train since she was at balmoral or whether she -- the body will be brought back to london by plane, but all of these details will be coming out in the coming hours, but all of

this has been mapped out in great, great detail, but it's also a family story and charles is 73 years old, and today his mother passed, and he became the king of england. he's the longest waiting in line prince in history and there you see the statement at buckingham palace where we have seen the births and the weddings placed on that same board and today you see the queen died peacefully at balmoral this afternoon and the king and queen consort will remain at balmoral this evening and will return to london tomorrow. so tomorrow charles and camilla, who is queen consort, designated by queen elizabeth not that long ago and that brought history, well-known, and talk more about that in time, they will return as king and queen consort. this is an enormous moment for the family and a moment of grief and a moment of looking forward as well. but mostly a moment of family grief. >> sandra: update coming from

the bbc right now that the prime minister is expected to make a statement, the last few moments staff had carried a podium on to downing street after buckingham palace announced the news of the queen's death. the union flags as we just noted have been lowered to half mast and the prime minister, liz truss, is expected to speak shortly. all of this as you mentioned, there will be serious protocol that has been put in place for quite some time, martha. the u.k. will enter a 12-day period of national mourning, the queen's body will lie in state and her funeral takes place, she will be at westminster hall. preparations have been underway for a long time and wow, has she proved anyone wrong who thought she might have passed earlier. 96 years old, what a life she lived, martha. >> martha: she had great genes, her mother lived to 103, her father died at a young age, but

she was in very good shape, you know, until not that long ago, she was still riding horses and driving and going out for walks with her dogs. she's clearly had a difficult past year, i would say, i think that post covid, which she had in the spring, we saw a drop in her weight, she looked much more frail, i would say after that. and i don't know how much we'll learn in time of any underlying illnesses, but these are things that really have not been discussed, other than the fact she had mobility issues, which was clear during the jubilee, and good days and bad days like a lot of people in their 90s, you would expect to have. she had an energy and optimism about the future and she talked about that at the jubilee, how optimistic she was about the future and let's face it, united kingdom is going through some very, very difficult times economically, they are in very

tough straits, the pound is extraordinarily weak. all of these elements that need to be dealt with, no doubt, she discussed some of this with liz truss the other day, the new prime minister and i think it was probably important to her to get that piece of business done, to meet with truss, to give her the invitation to form a government, the tradition that is always in existence between the ruler -- between the reigning monarch and the prime minister, so that was her real last piece of business was giving the invitation to liz truss to form a government and no doubt that is something this prime minister will remember for the rest of her life and feels quite deeply about the responsibility that lays in front of her right now. she will be overseeing much of this process and how her country responds to it. >> sandra: just want to note that speaker nancy pelosi here in the united states has ordered the flags at the u.s. capitol to be flown at half-staff due to the passing of her majesty,

queen elizabeth ii. so all of this we have just learned in the past hour. queen elizabeth ii has died at the age of 96. martha, we know you are going to get ready to cover this on your show top of the 3:00 hour eastern time, live at the flag at half-staff there at buckingham palace in london. john. >> john: and as you said, nancy pelosi ordered the flag to be half-staff, we have not heard from the white house whether the flag will fly at half-staff there, i imagine it will, and whether the president will issue an order for half-staff at federal buildings around the nation. douglas murray joins us now, a moment that obviously was going to be inevitable, everyone dies at some point, queen elizabeth ii delayed this as much as she

possibly could. your thoughts of the news of the passing of the queen at the age of 96. >> yes, i mean, for everybody i think around the world, especially in great britain, it's a moment of unbelievable sadness and a moment of extraordinary transition and the life of the nation. for most of us, for our entire lives we have known only the reign of elizabeth ii. it's important to understand as i think mentioned earlier in the hour that she stands above politics. the monarch reigns over politics and over the nation and at great times of national crisis it's the queen, the monarch that we look to, and we think recently with the covid crisis, it was the queen and her reassurances to the nation that really were what people wanted to hear. of course now the monarchy is an

extraordinary institution. queen elizabeth ii was one of its greatest exponents, greatest defenders, one of its greatest emblems. monarchy continues, the crown continues, and of course we now have a new king, king charles. this is an extraordinary transition that will be a deep feeling of public mourning in the u.k. and i think around the world. not just for the queen herself, but also for what she represented, what she represents still. devotion to country, devotion to other people, stoicism, courage in the face of adversity, being a feeling of selflessness, putting others first, the country first most of all, and i think many people arounds the world will recognize in those virtues something which has

passed to a great extent but mean an enormous amount to many of us still. so, yes, it's a very significant time in the life of the nation. >> sandra: world leaders are -- commence from world leaders following her death are pouring in from around the world. french president macron just releasing a statement saying her majesty, queen elizabeth ii embodied the british nation continuity and unity over 70 years. i remember her as a friend of france, kind-hearted queen, left a lasting impression on her country and her century. u.s. president bill clinton just putting out a statement saying "my thoughts and prayers are with the royal family and all the people her majesty inspired throughout her lifetime of service." to that note, she was an inspiration to many, douglas. >> yes, that's right. and i think many world leaders and particularly british leaders

constantly called on her source of not just knowledge, but also wisdom. we saw just in the last couple days perhaps her last public duty was being with liz truss as the new prime minister and seeing the outgoing prime minister. and prime ministers in the united kingdom in particular, acutely aware, her first prime minister was winston churchill. she saw her nation and indeed the world through the worst possible times. she was the link back to that greatest generation. remember when victory in europe day came, world war ii came to an end, her majesty was on the balcony of buckingham palace with her father, the late queen and queen elizabeth and her mother, and winston churchill. many people not only valued as i say her store of knowledge, but

the wisdom that came from knowing that nations and peoples go through terrible times and come through them. there are things above politics. remembering the significance of the nation, the service to the nation. these things are much more -- were called upon and admired and respected. i know by american presidents, by french presidents, by leaders around the commonwealth and the world. it's -- it's not going to be surprising, i think, that in the coming hours and days we are going to hear from quite bewildering array of people, both heads of state and also just the many millions of people whose lives were touched by queen elizabeth, the late queen elizabeth. it's -- we are going to hear a lot of tributes and they will be very well-deserved. >> john: among them, mitch mcconnell just released a statement, today all americans stand with our great friends

across the atlantic in mourning the passing of her majesty, the entire world loss. we join them in prayer and grief and gratitude, such a remarkable leader and successful reign. it's emblematic the special relationship the united states has with britain, considering the storied history with the country and the monarchy going back to the middle part of the 1700s. we know the prime minister will speak in the next little while, a podium at number 10 downing, according to london bridge, the official program to run after the queen's passing, it called for king charles to make an address to the nation at 6:00, 6:00 has come and gone in the u.k. do you expect we will hear from king charles today, or that won't happen until tomorrow, douglas?

>> i would expect we will hear from him fairly soon. it's going to be very important that the sense of continuity is kept in mind. on the death of a monarch in the u.k., they say the queen is dead, long live the king and there will need to be, i think, a statement from the now king to reassure the nation. queen elizabeth was his mother, he has lost his mother as well as the monarch. but i would expect we will hear from him. i think there will be great public sympathy and support for him, and it will be very important that, you know, that this transition into a venue era is done steadily and with great care because i think a lot of people will be experiencing great shock as well as sadness of the news.

>> sandra: if you could stand by with us, we enter a new hour here, queen elizabeth ii dead now at the age of 96. >> fundamental concepts which have inspired both the united states and the nations of the commonwealth are the same. as between individuals, freedom, honest dealing, tolerance and justice under the rule of law, as between independent nations, free and sincere cooperation in the search for a just and lasting peace for mankind. let us pursue these ideals with faith and determination so that 350 years from now our descendants will be as proud of

us as we are of our forefathers. >> john: a young queen elizabeth in 1957 on her first trip across the atlantic, the first british monarch to set foot in the same united states that waged bloody war to escape the crown's clutches. >> sandra: the bonds bring our nations together in liberty for us all. >> john: now just past 7:00 in the united kingdom, a dark and rainy day, and now a somber night, word in the last half hour that queen elizabeth has died. hello, welcome to the second hour of "america reports." john roberts in washington. what an afternoon, sandra. >> sandra: sad day indeed, john. by the way, as world leaders weigh in on the loss of queen elizabeth ii, ukraine's president zelenskyy extending his condolences to britain and

the commonwealth what he calls an irreparable loss of the queen. the royal family gathering throughout the day for a final good-bye to britain's longest serving monarch. >> john: crowds have been gathering all day outside buckingham palace, news of the queen's dire health spread and now that her announcement of her passing has happened, we expect that more people will be gathering outside as well. unfamiliar moment in a nation where nobody under age 70 has ever lived without queen elizabeth as their queen. put it that way. >> sandra: and two days ago the queen meeting with the new prime minister liz truss, what was likely the final official picture of the 96-year-old monarch. >> john: we have coverage throughout the hour. greg palkot in london, and i don't know if you have it, i trust you do, a statement from

king charles moments ago at the moment of the passing of his mother. >> absolutely, john. sandra. a very sad time here in the u.k., sad time around the world and just in the past 3 or 4 minutes we have gotten a statement from, yes, king charles. let me read it to you here. a statement from his majesty the king at the time of the queen's death, the death of my beloved mother, her majesty the queen, moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. we mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much loved mother. i know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the rounds and the commonwealth, and countless people around the world. during this period of mourning and change, my family and i will be comforted and sustained by the knowledge and deep affection which the queen widely held. >> sandra: the new prime minister is speaking now. let's go to her live. >> a rock on which modern britain was built. our country has grown and

flourished under her reign. britain is the great country it is today because of her. she ascended the throne just after the second world war. she championed the development of the commonwealth from a small group of seven countries to a family of 56 nations spanning every continent of the world. we are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation. through thick and thin, queen elizabeth ii provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed. she was the very spirit of great britain, and that spirit will endure. our longest ever reigning monarch. extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years. her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories. in return, she was loved and

admired by the people in the united kingdom and all around the world. she has been a personal inspiration to me and to many britons. her devotion to duty is an example to us all. earlier this week at 96 she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me as her 15th prime minister. throughout her life she's visited more than 100 countries, and she has touched the lives of millions around the world. in the difficult days ahead we will come together with our friends across the united kingdom, the commonwealth, and the world, to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service. 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 1,000 years to our new monarch, our new head

of state, his majesty, king charles iii. with the king's family we mourn the loss of his mother, and as we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him. to help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all. we offer him our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much to so many for so long. and about the passing of the second elizabethian age, we usher in a magnificent era of our great country, by saying the words, god save the king. >> sandra: and of course, it was just tuesday she appointed the new prime minister, liz truss,

during a meeting at balmoral, which is now likely to be the last photograph that we'll see of queen elizabeth ii prior to her death, john. >> john: and in that photograph, she obviously appears frail, what 96 wouldn't, but she was beaming and looked to be in good health and two days later she's gone. joining us now is bret baier, and executive editor of special report, it's going to factor big in your program this evening. you know, it's extraordinary because i grew up in canada which is a commonwealth country, and i've never known any other ruler other than queen elizabeth, and you get a sense of how long she's been on the throne. when she ascended to the thrown, joseph stalin was the leader of the soviet union and harry truman was president. >> bret: it's truly amazing when you think about the reign, the

longest reign for a monarch across the world. you think about how she was on the throne throughout the u.k. efforts as you look at the picture of her welcoming in prime minister truss and establishing her as the 15th prime minister to sit in that seat. but she, queen elizabeth ii was on the throne as the u.k. rebuilt from world war ii, from, to your point, and she was on the throne when they entered the e.u. and when they left the e.u. in brexit. she has seen amazing things over those decades on the throne but managed to do it in a non-partisan way, in a way in which her feelings about partisan politics inside the u.k. really never were seen. she advised prime ministers, she advised privately, we never really got a sense unless it was put out by the royal family exactly how she felt. you know, one of the things that

is going to come in coming weeks, not right away because of this, is the northern ireland back and forth, the protocol in the wake of brexit. the irish, the prime minister there put out a statement, saying the queen's reign was one of historic duration, immense consequence and a focus of respect and admiration around the world. our world is a poorer place for her passing, but a far richer and better place as a result of her long life and enduring contribution. i didn't say it with the irish brogue but you can get the sense of that. >> sandra: as we look live outside balmoral castle, as the family rushed to be by herself and say their final good-byes in the hours prior to her death. the statement by the king is beautiful, when you think about him losing his queen but also his mother, the death of my beloved mother, her majesty the

queen, a moment of great sadness for me and all the members of my family. we mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and much loved mother. i know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms in the commonwealth and countless people around the world. during this period of mourning and change, my family and i will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection which the queen was so widely held. the "new york times" put out a photo of buckingham palace and a double rainbow that they are reporting shimmered across the crowds gathered outside the palace when the news of queen elizabeth ii death broke after a hush, people broke out in god save the queen, bret. >> bret: it's pretty telling, i'm sure the pictures will light up different television networks throughout the u.k. and also on papers and broadcast. you know, the prime minister, liz truss, saying queen

elizabeth ii was the rock upon which the modern u.k. was built. think about 70 years visiting more than 100 countries around the world and the impact that this person had. how many people around the world knew who she was. probably more than any other single person in the world. so, this will be a process of mourning for the u.k., but they have been preparing for this for quite some time. now king charles will make his way around the u.k. over four days, we are told, and all of the pomp and circumstance will come out, you know, in coming hours. but the big coronation for king charles will come months later. the big funeral will come probably weeks later. >> john: history, the last time there was a coronation in england it was june 3rd of 1953, and that was about 14 months -- 16 months after king charles vi had died. so the coronation is something

for another time. but tomorrow charles will travel to london where the asession council will meet and proclaim him to be the king of england, and then as you mentioned he will embark upon a tour where he will go visit scotland, visit northern ireland, make his way around the country to accept messages of condolence from the local governments there and to give a tour as the new king of england and the queen will lie in state at westminster hall and then we will have the funeral which will occur i believe on the 10th day and the burial on the 12th day. so when you look what's about to unfold in london, the last thing we can remember is the funeral of princess diana, this will eclipse even that. >> bret: exponentially. obviously the emotion around diana's death and the suddenness of it, this had been planned for, but this will, as far as the pomp and circumstance surrounding it, the preparations for it, will exponentially be bigger.

and you can imagine world leaders coming from all over to express condolences and to be a part of that ceremony. it's interesting if you just look at the politics of this moment. liz truss takes over as prime minister in the time the u.k. is in trouble financially, as far as energy is concerned, she had a really heavy lift as she steps into this job having been essentially the foreign secretary in charge of foreign affairs and now has to deal with the domestic not only troubles, but also handling this effectively as saying good-bye. >> john: i should mention before we go back to sandra, we have obviously seen other funerals as well, prince philip last year, as well as the queen mother, princess margaret. but when i was talking about the last big funeral. >> bret: impact. >> john: so much impact would have been princess diana.

>> sandra: and an important note and observation by chad pergram in his note earlier, bret, as we were talking earlier about queen elizabeth was a huge study of american history, a huge study of the constitution, starting at a very young ache. and chad is making the note, she spoke to a joint meeting of congress, 1991, the only british monarch to do so, may 1991. prince philip sat at her side as he has always said up until his death, he believed his role was to support the queen. and during that address she spoke about the gulf war, which the u.s., u.k. and other international coalition had just entered into to liberate kuwait after the invasion of iraq. elizabeth spoke about the special relationship between the united states and the united kingdom saying "the best progress is made when europeans and americans act in concert" and then on the senate floor

this morning, bret, senate minority leader mitch mcconnell said the queen was an exemplar of study leadership. added that elizabeth changed the world. and nancy pelosi, the house speaker, has ordered the flags at the capitol to be lowered half-staff to honor the late queen. >> bret: there will be a lot of reaction from lawmakers, from the administration, obviously, from president biden and the first family. this is a figure that will obviously have impact around washington because of her long history. she was fetted at a state dinner, and nancy pelosi said she was a pillar of leadership in the global arena, friend of freedom. that sums it up. >> sandra: as we continue our coverage here, a live look outside buckingham palace, that

is one view of the flag flying half-staff there, as the crowds continue to gather and say good-bye to the queen. steve hilton, we continue to see world leaders, reaction from all corners of the globe. >> sandra, it's been an amazing feeling. an hour ago as you said we spoke, i had lots to say about the queen and her reign, your producer said could you stand by in case we hear the worst, i said of course. but i didn't imagine that it would happen because it's the queen, and she will just go on forever. and so it just -- i heard the news, i can tell you, i let out this howl of anguish, and it takes me to a point that many have made. bret made it, doug murray, martha made the point very well, regardless of your views on the

institution of monarchy, i've always been against the institution of monarchy, why i'm so proud to be an american now. regardless of your views about that, this person, this incredible public servant transcended all of that. you could see all she cared about was her country, representing her country, doing her duty, doing it with dignity through everything that happened. and so i think the grief that people will be feeling in the u.k., around the world, is not just for the person. of course, it's incredibly painful for anyone to lose their mother, and that was reflected in king charles' statement. but the grief for the loss of someone who embodied so much that is good and admirable about the world we want to see and the way we want people to behave in that world and those virtues that in many senses are disappearing. that's why it feels so painful,

why i think it's going to be such a huge, huge shock around the world because she was so indominable, it feels unbelievable she's gone, despite the fact with the statement we were reacting to earlier, we have been preparing for this news ever since her illness, you know, really, roughly a year ago. people have been preparing for this. but it still feels like such a shock. >> john: steve, looking at a statement from former prime minister boris johnson, who i believe traveled to balmoral with liz truss for the ceremony to meet the queen, wave after wave of grief is rolling across the world from balmoral, and breaking here in the united states as well, the flag being flown at half-staff over the capitol. we probably would expect president biden to announce the flag will fly at half-staff over the white house and federal

buildings as well, and congress is going to draft and pass a bereavement statement, we are told, on tuesday. you know, i said this to bret, you get a sense of how long the queen has been on the throne when you consider joseph stalin led the soviet union, harry truman was the president here in the united states and we are looking at balmoral castle now, but when we had the picture of the roof of buckingham palace, i remember not too long ago, brian may, the guitarist from queen, and there you see it there, up on one of those parapets during one of the many jubilee celebrations for the queen playing with his famous red special guitar, "god save the queen" and i know you probably did this as well, steve, but during my entire youth at elementary school every morning we would say the pledge of allegiance and say "god save the

queen." >> that's right, and it was played and stand up and there she was, and she just goes on. and so many memories and i think and reflect on her life and in her personal sense. you just reminded me of something that i hadn't even been thinking of, which is for the 2012 olympics, just before i moved here to america, i was working in the cameron administration and i was the point person as it were for the opening ceremony of the london olympics working with danny boyle, who was the director, the creative director and putting all of that together. and the most memorable part of that whole ceremony was the opening where the queen was greeting daniel craig and his characters james bond and took her in the helicopter and there she was, and of course in the end we know it was a look alike, parachuting into the stadium. and i remember talking to him about that plan and had he

discussed it with the royals, oh, you need to help me with that, and went through the process and could not imagine he would be able to pull it off and she would agree to it. but of course she did it. she knew how amazing that would be and how the whole world would remember that moment and she had this fantastic sense and an understanding and a connection with people and with the country and a sense of humor and although she had that dignity, martha was speaking to this earlier, she had that sense of dignity and majesty, and the ability to have some fun, to relate to people, to have a sense of humor, and all these things, all these reflections and memories will be pouring out over the next few days, of course. but in the end it really is, it's such a cliche to say this, we talk about the passing of an era, she embodied so much of a particular spirit and in the u.k. i think a lot of people will be thinking back particularly to the wartime spirit, that sense of determination and grit and

resilience, she really represented that better than anyone and why it will be felt so strongly everywhere. >> sandra: steve hilton, thank you for sharing your heartfelt memories of the queen. thank you for joining us. we are joined by shannon felton spence, thank you very much for staying with us here. there is a brand-new statement by another u.s. president, president george w. bush, and his wife laura, saying we are honored to have known her majesty, queen elizabeth ii, a woman of great intellect, charm and wit, spending time at buckingham palace, and having tea with her majesty and her corgis is among our fondest memories of the presidency. she abebly led england through dark moments with her confidence and vision for a brighter tomorrow. our world benefitted from her steady resolve and we are grateful for her decades of service as sovereign. americans in particular

appreciate her strong and steadfast friendship. laura and i join our fellow citizens in sending our heartfelt condolences to the royal family and the british people. and you are reminded that during her reign there have been 15 prime ministers, 14 u.s. presidents, seven roman catholic popes. your memories of the queen? >> first of all, my deepest condolences to the king and the entire royal family and the people of britain. this is such a time of sorrow and mourning and i hope they know how deeply this loss is felt in america and throughout the world. i was just in the u.k. for the platinum jubilee in june and the energy was like nothing i have ever seen. streets of london were just full, shoulder to shoulder of people from around the world showing up to celebrate 70 years on the throne. and i truly have never seen

anything like it. she will be so deeply missed. >> john: you know, in terms of how deeply missed she will be, you know, the sadness, obviously, that this is going to precipitate in london, and beyond in the u.k., but we have ceremonies that are coming up over the course of the next 12 days that are going to pay such tribute to this queen, the is aedness no doubting will turn to celebration at some point, will it not? >> oh, absolutely. i mean, 70 years on the throne, the world's longest reigning monarch, it is something to celebrate. so they have a process for this. we will go into a period of mourning of about ten days and have the funeral and then we have an exciting transition to look forward to. there is a new king, god save him, and you know, this is what the crown does. the crown passes down, the crown remains. >> sandra: still waiting on an official statement from the

current u.s. president as reaction pours in from world leaders, and donald trump also sharing his tremendous loss and sadness on the passing. he and melania deeply saddened to learn of the loss of her majesty, queen elizabeth ii, we send our sincere condolences to the royal family and the people of the u.k. during the time of great sorrow and grief, and you are remembered of images of his visit to see the queen, and this was such an important part of her reign to continue all those relationships in particular with the united states and the many presidents during which she saw under her reign. >> absolutely. so, there was a poll actually in the last couple weeks from the association of marshall scholars and emerson college that asked americans for the next generation how important will the monarchy be for u.s.-u.k.

ties, and the poll found 64% of americans between 18 and 34 think for the next generation, the monarchy will be as important or even more important than it is now. and that is a testament to her legacy. she has watched western european monarchs fall and lose significance her entire reign and to see that the special relationship is that strong that we know that the monarchy will be important to our alliance and our friendship, it's just remarkable. >> john: shannon, we are just getting a response from former president obama and michelle obama, coronation, the first one televised to this moment, her majesty, queen elizabeth has captivated the world. today michelle and i join so many others celebrating her life and mourning her passing. it is rather extraordinary whether you think of the violent history that this nation had

with the british monarchy so many years ago, how beloved a british monarch actually became. >> absolutely. i was thinking when you were speaking with steve about singing the british national anthem "god save the queen" at school every day and reminded that actually our country tis of thee is the same tune. listen, we are bound to each other in friendship and in history and in value, democratic values and that's just a fact. >> sandra: much will be made about who made it there to say their good-bye, of course we kept track of her children her grandchildren who flew there to be by herself, obviously william and harry making their way there. we quickly learned while we thought that meghan had been along with harry that she was not, but her family was so

important to her and no one will really ever know, i'm sure a lot of stories will be told about how she tried to mend that relationship towards the end with harry and meghan distancing themselves from their family. >> i don't think there is much to be made of meghan, originally announcing she was going to balmoral and then saying that she wasn't. i actually just think that kate middleton did not go, so they understood the proper thing to just send the boys. but listen, it's been a rough couple years with the queen, the duke passing last year, the pandemic, harry and meghan leaving, a very high stress time for the whole world and even inside the palace walls in her own family it's been quite difficult. >> john: you know, shannon, we saw during the silver, or the

platinum jubilee, rather, back in june, a queen who sometimes was able to attend the various ceremonies such as being on the balcony there with her family, but then she had to cancel some events. then there was a moment that showed the fact the queen for all of her perception as a very, very serious person, had an irreverant side as well, let me play this video when the queen showed up on television with paddington bear. ♪♪ >> thank you for having me. i do hope you are having a lovely jubilee. >> tea? >> oh, yes, please.

[gulping] >> oh, terribly sorry. >> never mind. >> oh, dear. perhaps you would like a marmalade sandwich. i always keep one for emergencies. >> so do i. i keep mine in here. for later. >> the party is about to start,

your majesty. >> happy jubilee, ma'am. and thank you for everything. >> john: such an endearing moment and surprise as well when that hit the airwaves. so many people thought the queen would never do anything like that, it was a wonderful moment as she celebrated the jubilee. >> it's bringing a tear to my eye to watch it, it was sweet at the time and now just is so heart warming. you know, she had a silly side. steve was talking about when she jumped out of the helicopter for the london 2012 olympics with 007, so exciting, and you might remember a funny social media video that prince harry and the queen did with the obamas when they were promoting the invictus games, she had a sense of humor about herself. she knew how people saw her and every once in a while she was sort of break and give us a

sense to her true personality. and of course, you know, she loved her family, she loved her country, and as paddington says, the country loved her back. >> john: and loved marmalade sandwiches as well. >> it was always a joke when she had in her purse, now we know. >> john: a president from president biden and the first lady, it's a long statement, she the queen was a steading presence and source of comfort and pride for generations of britons, many have not known their country without her, and united people across the common welcome back, seven decades of her history making reign bore with it to an age of unprecedented human advancement and the forward march of human dignity. again, it's a much longer statement, we'll get to in the moments ahead. >> sandra: and obviously a lot is already underway in just the

hours after her death, a live look outside of balmoral castle there in scotland. ashley webster is joining us by. so many stories will be told of the queen and she was known for her caution, ok, as one recent biographer notes, although she refused to wear a hard hat when riding on horseback, which she did really up until the final years of her life, but it turns out for a practical reason. prompting the staff at windsor castle to joke that "the only thing that comes between the queen and her air is an scarf, more does she use a seatbelt in cars and she drives on the private roads of her estate like a bat out of hell." ashley? >> you know, let us not forget also towards the end of the second world war she was trained as a mechanic on trucks and always took a lot of pride in

being able to try and fix anything that was wrong on her, you know, her land rovers on her royal estate. she was first to say let me get under the hood and see if i can fix it, always made me laugh. and confirmation that charles will be known as king charles iii. there was a lot of speculation, he could have use charles, he could have used his other names, phillip, arthur or george, he could have been king arthur, interesting, but settled on king charles iii. interesting news, but for now the focus on the queen and her remarkable life. and when you look at the statements from heads of state, she was of mind. the u.k. is going to be o overwhelmed with national sadness. it's hard to think of her not being there and that will come home, the reality will set in and a whole brand-new era will begin. she was 96, we knew the day

would come at some point, even so, it's still a shock. >> john: it's a long time since we have had a king charles, king charles i, 1625, until his execution in 1649, and then charles ii, 1630 to 1685 he lived. so, this is a name that has been resurrected from the anals of history, i think for people in the u.k. has a measure of significance. am i right on that? >> you are, yeah. i mean, look, you know, when you grow up in the u.k. you don't really think of the centuries and centuries of history until you go somewhere else. and you know what, there is a very long history, it is remarkable, and when you trace it through the monarchy like that, it is, you know, king charles i was beheaded not far from where buckingham palace is, just up whitehall and an area on the right. so, yes, there is a lot of

history, some a bit bloody but the name charles itself holds a lot of sway and certainly one for the ages when it comes to the monarchy and the different rulers over time. just to sing the national anthem "god save the king" is going to take some getting used to. it has been "god save the queen" for 70 years, an interesting time. >> sandra: and the words of the national anthem changed, postage stamps, currency created to reflect prince charles' ascension to the throne, he has chosen to go by king charles iii. that's a live look at london outside of buckingham palace, the crowds have been gathering for hours. i would say even days as they started to learn of the possible passing of the queen, which we obviously broke the news just a short time ago, about an hour and a half ago, that the queen has passed, age 96. and john, we have the photo now outside buckingham palace as they were waiting word on her

health, are there was a downpour and the crowd turned after the rain passed and a double rainbow formed. "new york times" first reported this with the picture, here is the picture, and the crowd broke out in song as those mourners continue to gather there outside the palace. >> john: it's a very rare occurrence, and you know, is there spiritual significance to it? there could be. douglas murray is back with us now. douglas, we did not know of the queen's passing the last time we spoke with you. your thoughts now that we have learned. >> yes, i mean, it's an incredibly sad day for people of great britain, for the commonwealth and i think for the world. the queen has been such a mainstay of all of our lives really and connects the people of the united kingdom and her allies and friends back to that

greatest generation of the second world war, enormous significance in her passing. and prime minister liz truss said earlier, passing of a second elizabethian age, and the era of king charles iii. that does have great significance, of course the history of the charleses is a complicated one, you mentioned the end of charles i, but charles ii represented the restoration of the monarchy in the -- in the 17th century. so there is great significance that king charles iii will reign over a nation that is certainly in great mourning at the moment, but i think will also be a nation which there is deep gratitude for the many, many decades of service queen elizabeth gave, and it is the

single thing of her reign is that clip which you played earlier in the hour of her statement as princess elizabeth, at age 21, long or life her life would be dedicated to the sense of service, dignity, of stoicism you might say, in the face of all manner of challenges and changes is something that elizabeth ii will always be remembered for. >> sandra: that exact statement when she was speaking to her future subjects, her 21st birthday, april 26, 1947, said i declare before you all my whole life, whether it about he long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. what also strikes me, douglas, looking back at her first televised christmas address in 1957, she said i cannot lead you into battle, i do not give you

laws or administer justice, but i can do something else. i can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations. just an incredible way with words throughout her reign. >> yes. she did have, it's a very moving statement and something she absolutely held to. you know, the queen did not say very much publicly but when she did it was always of great significance. you might remember that after september 11th, there was the service of national mourning, i think st. thomas, 5th avenue in new york and the queen sent a statement through one of her representatives where she said to the american people, she said, grief is the price we pay for love. it was an extraordinarily poignant and deep insight, and that is something that i think people admired her for,

statesmen admired her, people around the world recognized she was not just of historical significance but also historic wisdom. that's why so many american presidents and others so enjoyed the time they spent in her company. i've heard this from several people in the administration, democrat and republican in america. they talk about the way in which the hours they spent with the queen were among the happiest and most meaningful of their time as president, and that is partly, largely perhaps to do with the fact that she was a person of great wisdom. also, of course, embodied a type of quiet courage that so many people admire and perhaps so few people show. you mentioned the war. of course, she did serve in a capacity then as a young woman, and it's also important to remember that, you know, her first prime minister was winston

churchill, her first prime minister as queen. on the day that world war ii came to an end, she was standing on the balcony of buckingham palace with her father, the late king, her mother, the late queen mother and also winston churchill. and you know, enormous significance to that. you know, during the war, during the second world war there was talk that the royal family, particularly the princesses, now late queen and her late sister, the princess margaret, there was talk they should perhaps be taken away from britain to a safer place, perhaps to canada because of the proximity of the nazi invasion. you know, the late queen mother said very importantly when this was put to her, she said the girls will not leave without me, i will not leave without the king, the king will not leave. and that sense of standing firm at the worst times was something that i think everyone will recognize and honor the queen

for, recognize that lifetime of service, that extraordinary lifetime of putting others before herself as she promised to do as a young woman. she's going to be very, very deeply missed and this is really a very unusually meaningful time. >> john: a moment of courage there that we saw reflected recently with vladimir zelenskyy refusing to leave ukraine, he's going to stand tough. and the queen with paddington bear, we have an old movie tone reel from 1957 that i want to put up. this is charles, a young boy at the time, greeting his mother as she returned from her first visit to the united states back in 1957. do we have that video that we can put up? and let me just read the statement -- let's see the video, there is the queen coming

back with charles. >> making her debut as a toddler, nothing to do with the kilted greeter. the hand by prince charles, one day will be king, proper respect for the royalty. >> john: 1957, now 2022. a statement from charles released, death of my beloved mother, her majesty the queen, a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. we mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. i know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms of the commonwealth and countless and the world. my family and i will be comforted and sustained by our j no of the respect and deep attention in which the queen was so widely held. that is a fitting and beautiful tribute to his mother. >> yes. it is, and it also reflects

something worth commenting on, the significance to the now late queen of her faith. she was a woman of very deep faith. she was, of course, one of her titles was defender of the faith. she was the head of the anglican church, the church england, and that was not just for her an honorary title, it was something she took as being deeply meaningful role. she was herself a person of very deep christian belief and courage and she very often would reflect on that in her messages to the nation and the significance in her life of her faith in god and her son will now also take over that role and as he said, i'm sure the family will be comforted, not just by the huge outpouring of feelings around the world, but also be comforted by their own faith. it's an extraordinarily important aspect of the monarchy

in the u.k. >> john: douglas, appreciate your thoughts. thanks for joining us. >> sandra: bring in darin mcgrady, former chef to queen elizabeth ii. darin, thank you for joining us. please do share your memories of the queen. >> i spent 11 years travelling around the world and every day cooking breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner for her majesty and the nation's lost a grandmother. in fact, i think the world has lost a grandmother and just seeing, you know, her beaming smile as she came into the kitchen, with or without the corgis is just such a sad day right now. >> john: you know, we saw her fondness for marmalade sandwiches in the clip we played earlier this hour with paddington bear. so many of us only saw the public persona. you know, again in that clip with paddington bear, but the

most time, the queen we saw was stiff upper lip. >> most people only saw the queen on duty and to be at balmoral with the queen and see her sense of humor and i remember the first day i met her, i was walking along the path at balmoral by the river and she was coming the other way with the corgis, and the corgis saw me, started barking, all ran towards me barking like crazy. she did not call them off or anything, bless her. she's just so funny, and you know, another time i was in the kitchen at sandringham, and making crepes, and i thought this is a royal command performance, she's going to be really impressed. she looked at me and said isn't that cheating? shouldn't you be flipping them? and i thought oh, my goodness, i've got to do six pans now in front of the queen. i did, one after the other and she looked at me, laughed, a big

beaming smile and said bravo, and walked off. >> sandra: it's interesting you say that. howard morgan, an artist who painted the queen's portrait in the 1980s was quoted saying her private side took me totally by surprise. she talks like an italian, waves her hands about, enormously expressive. to your point, chef, most of us only saw her in her formal duties. i've also read that she was very particular about what she ate and when she ate it. and that often times it was the exact same thing every single day. was that your experience with her? >> yeah, the queen, you know, the queen ate to live rather than live to eat, and so it was always difficult trying to put a new recipe on the menu. but when you did, you are supposed to send the recipe up to the queen so she could read it and take a look at it first and say yes i'll take that, or no thank you.

i sent up a dish, failed farmer's daughters and forgot to send the recipe. and who or what are the veiled farmer's daughters with a smile. >> john: veiled farmer's daughters, a terrific name. as we see, chef, the people, and hundreds, now looks like thousands gathering outside the gates of buckingham palace. what's the mood of the country right now? i mean, it's never easy to lose a monarch, even at the age of 96. but hers is the very definition of a life well lived and a life b to celebrated. >> yes. i mean, you think most of the country have grown up only ever knowing this one queen and one monarch ruling and giving stability to the nation and she really was the nation's grandmother. when we saw her, i mean, the paddington sketch was the epitomy of the queen.

her happiness, sense of humor, her smile, i'm thrilled she got the platinum jubilee in, and it's a sad, sad day today and i think that right now she's on her way upstairs and i think she's having dinner probably a barbecue at balmoral with prince philip. >> sandra: oh, and as we get these beautiful images coming in as people all around the globe are laying flowers and remembering her and we are also getting word from the paris mayor that the eiffel tower will go dark as night falls in europe. the french mayor, the paris mayor saying the eiffel tower will be extinguished in homage to her majesty the queen, elizabeth ii. chef, it's so important for all of us to remember these stories. you have such personal ones and you see this crowd gathering outside buckingham palace, for

the most part, people who never got to know her personally but loved and adored this queen. >> i think, you know, over the years she touched everyone's heart, >> she wouldn't move away to kandahar anyway and none of the royal family light. just going through everything she had been through over the 70 years. i had to be thrust into this at 25 years young, and told she was going to be queen she just did an incredible job and i think that the nation lost a grandmother. >> chef, you mentioned what she had been through, and she has been through so much i mean who wouldn't, when you are on the throne for 70 years you tend to go through a lot. she lost the love of her life philip in april of last year, and what was your perception and to some degree she lived the

last 16 months of her life with a broken heart. >> i think that, the last of philip was a major loss to the crane. and i think that even though she had her royal corgis, and she loved those corgis, to have them by their side, it was never prince philip. just thinking back now to the days where she was dancing with prince philip and the royal castle. i think she started deteriorating after he died. speak out an incredible love story those too. and it started so young, and she had gone on the record over the air saying that when she first, when their eyes first met she just knew. she knew that philip was the one for her and she settled on him. and they lived a very long and beautiful love story and life together. chef we really appreciate you

joining us today thank you so much. >> thank you for sharing your man marries. >> also interesting to note, for so many of us some of us of the newer generation of royals including kate militant. she is so loved by that country jeff john. and the queen's biographer, speaking today telling "people" magazine that kate middleton has modeled herself after the queen. the duchess is 40 years old, she said she has observed the monarch as she prepares to take on her future role as queen consort. the biographer has learned by observing, she knows what's resonates and she has absorbed a lot from this queen. and i think we have all witnessed this very special relationship between those two as well. >> for chef kept her corgi, and more than 30 corgis, and doggies

as well. which is a variation. all going back to her first corgi susan, who was given to her on her 18th birthday. let's rewind the clock a little bit here, let's go back to june 3rd 1933. >> queen elizabeth accompanied by her dog. again the coach just starting by her majesty transported the royal pair to west bend abbey. and as a possession made its way through the history of how the streets of london, her loyal people right out her acclaim. >> ri, some memories from 70 years ago now. it is amazing how much time has gone by so quickly. for all of us. i remember as a boy, singing god save the queen, and now bidding

farewell to queen elizabeth. >> a queen, a grandmother, a leader, a leader to many, she will be missed john. and i prayer and thoughts are with her family as they grieve the loss of queen elizabeth the second. speak up and a lot more to come over the course of the next seven days. >> will see you again tomorrow the story with my first us right now. >> good afternoon everyone. the breaking news today, the enormously large news coming from london and from scotland today as you see the crowds responding to it pouring in. it is not 8:00 p.m. at buckingham palace. reaction coming in from all over the world. after the passing of queen elizabeth the second earlier today. so theac