country are able to perform and boy, there is just something about the way you are able to put this together that makes it all so pleasing to the eye, and perhaps to the ear as well as we get into this service in a moment here. why do you think that's the case? why are you so good at it? >> well, i mean, firstly, this sort of thing dates backs hundreds of years. they didn't make it up in the last few days, of course. i think that is part of what's important. not that it looks spectacular but underlines the historic nature of the monarchy. while it isn't necessarily what you would design today, you wouldn't necessarily if you were starting from scratch come up with the idea of a king or queen, the reason we have it is because of our history and background and it is part of british culture. so i think at times like this when the whole world is watching, they can really show

that through these ceremonies, these processes. and you see just how well it is done. it has been well rehearsed, practiced and planned. she was an old lady who they knew would dywon day and while nobody wanted that day to arrive, they have been planning what to do for potentially decades. that means that when it comes down to it, all of the people you are seeing on screen now have practiced and practiced and practiced their roles. that includes, of course, her son, king charles, who now while he is grieving in the depths of his grief for his mother's death is taking on the enormous burden she used to have being a monarch. while people think about that in fairytales as a massive privilege and life of glamour, it is also an extremely difficult job and the burden of responsibility on him is now enormous. something that boris johnson mentioned when he spoke in the house of commons in tribute to

queen elizabeth about the enormous burden she undertook at such an early age. he is undertaking it at quite a senior age. that isn't easy. at nearly 74 years old he has to take on this very demanding and very busy job. >> bill: great answer. thank you for that. >> dana: duncan, could we have you come back, a fox news contributor for us during the royal coverage. could you speak to that in terms of the enormity of the task at hand for the new king? >> i was enjoying listening to the way that he put that myself. i mean, this is an enormous task for charles and at the same time as we just heard, you know, this is a time of deep sadness for him and morning. he has lived in his mother's shadow in a very positive way, not in a bad way. he has been carefully brought

throughout his life to this moment and the next few weeks and months. this is a king who served the world's longest ever apprenticeship and who was age 4 when -- age 5 at the queen's coronation when he tried to lift up her crown and put on the head of the queen. she turned to him and said no, not now, charles. well now is the time that he is, if you like, metaphorically picking up where he left off as a youngster. soon that crown will be on his head. but the name king and the job, that has already begun. >> bill: we'll remember that phrase you just dropped there. the world's longest apprenticeship. he has been studying a long time. thank you for that. we're getting closer to the st. giles cathedral and that's when we expect the program to begin

based on our lineup here of events. this service will last at least 30 minutes. >> dana: look at those crowds and the sunshine. so bright today. the u.k.'s ambassador to the united states, karen pierce, is a wonderful guest we can bring in now to make your observations as you've had a few days to observe the outpouring across the world but here in the united states, i think you can feel that there is deep respect for queen elizabeth ii and great interest about what happens next. >> yes, that's absolutely right. thank you for having me. we've been very humbled by the respect and affection and warmth in which americans have held the late queen. people have been coming to the embassy here in washington, d.c. to sign the condolence book, the president came the day the announcement was made. actually just ordinary americans, some ordinary brits who live here have brought flowers and raid them around

the representation of the flag we have and it is really very moving to see this from our closest ally. >> bill: what strikes you as you watch this from afar based on what we're seeing over the weekend and maybe it's the sense of national unity, which may or may not last after this with the funeral scheduled a week from today. but as you take all of this in as a citizen, how does it make you feel? >> i'm very conscious that i'm her, now his majesty's ambassador and that our diplomatic service is the equivalent of the am foreign service was her, now his majesty's diplomatic service. i watch it as a private citizen but also to be honest as part of my role, part of my duty. it really underscores public

service for me. when i have looked at the queen or look at the king, you see remarkable people as individuals. but for me i also see the whole of the u.k. embodied there. the commonwealth in respect of the queen. the major events of the last 70 years. it all seems to be part of what i think of when i think of her or think of the new king. i like to say it's both the human and the heroic brought together in the person of one individual. >> dana: what do you think, if any role, the king will play in some of the work that you do? some of the very important geopolitical ties and also the difficulties that are happening all around the world? i wonder what his role will be, if any. >> i think he will work that out with the new prime minister.

they will speak weekly, or almost weekly. i'm sure this is one thing that will be discussed. the king, of course, has no executive role. he is not part of government. he is what we call a constitutional monarch. but also well said the queen was the ultimate british diplomat. i'm sure that role of promoting friendships and promoting partnerships, bringing people together, that will continue. the king becomes head of the commonwealth as the queen was so already. there is a group with 56 nations that he will be interacting with. some of those members of the commonwealth he is also head of state for. so that will be an important part of his function. but we look forward to working with him and his household. he has always been very interested in america. he knows it well. the queen, of course, was a great supporter of the special relationship.

she had met 13 of the 14 presidents. so i'm sure the new king will continue that affection and respect for america. >> bill: madam ambassador, there was a report over weekend, i'm sure you heard it, the new king. i want to keep calling him prince. that will take a moment to adjust. the new king is requesting heads of state to fly commercial to the funeral. and apparently there is a request to travel by bus as opposed to your typical motorcade. what do you think of that proposal and how is that going to play out? >> well, i think it's not so much that the new king as the public servants trying to put this enormous state funeral together. there are a lot of arrangements and a lot of world leaders who want to pay their respects. but i'm also conscious that what you referred to was a leaked document. so i doubt it's the end of the story. i won't comment on that.

>> bill: okay. why don't we shelf that until we get better information. >> dana: barbados and another country are looking to -- >> he made a speech a few years ago about the commonwealth and he made it very clear in that speech that it's not for him or the royal family to comment on the form of government that countries in the commonwealth choose. if they want to stay monarchist that's wholly a matter for them. they are welcome at all times into the commonwealth and he looks forward to working with them as equal partners. he was very clear it doesn't matter whether you're a republic or monarchy, you are

welcome in the commonwealth and we'll work with you. that will be the spirit that carries him forward. >> bill: stand by one second here. i think we might be getting ever so close to the entrance to the church. let's see if that's the case. >> bill: we have not been able to determine that sound but we heard it a couple of times. it might be a cannon in the distance.

wow. >> dana: beautiful. the entrance of st. giles cathedral as the queen's coffin makes its way after walking the royal mile.

[silence] >> dana: martha maccallum, if you can see, we have the queen's coffin arriving there after the procession of the royal mile and here is where the funeral procession will begin. get your thoughts on that now. >> it is just a spectacular sight. it's a beautiful day. this is an ancient cathedral as we've watched it move up the steep royal mile, which adds to the drama of this moment.

edinburgh castle is at the top of the hill, a beautiful medieval castle as well. they made their way from holyroodhouse. the four siblings all together, charles, now the king, edward, andrew and princess anne. yesterday princess anne had a lovely moment outside of the arrival at holyroodhouse. after the coffin went by her she deep courtesy and went all over social media for its poignancy. at one point the family did a documentary in 1969 and opened up reality tv style and ann said she didn't like the whole thing because it was too intrusive. these are the most intense private moments, losing a parent. and all eyes, of course, are on them as they mourn their mother. they have not had a moment to

rest, especially charles, who has been in ceremony after ceremony since the moment that this happened last thursday. so it is an exhausting period for anyone. once again, the family squarely in the limelight as all of these people just flood the streets. it reminds me of all the appearances of queen elizabeth ii. everywhere she went people were crowding and hanging out windows whether it was australia, all over the world, canada, people trying to get a glimpse. today we see that as well. >> dana: thank you for that. duncan, this moment for you as they settle in before the beautiful service. it's called thanksgiving for the life of her majesty the queen and it's about to get

underway. >> that's right. i actually am reminded of a recent two funerals i've been to this year. and although people watching in britain and in america as well will not identify really very much with any of this as a funeral but they will identify this isn't a funeral but a queen who had so many birthdays in her life. two a year after she was crowned. i suppose it's only fitting that there are these funerals but -- what will appear like funerals. we can all remember that moment in our own lives. when we feel grief for someone we have never met, that's something special and that doesn't happen very often. i think a lot of people back home watching this on television will be thinking about loss in their own family

and people that passed recently and maybe during covid. we've lost in here the nation's mourner in chief. every time something like this major happened, it was the queen who spoke on behalf of our nation. so there is a sense of loss. that i think is the vacuum which the king is here today to show that the mourner in chief is now in him and we follow and we take his lead. and if you look at the number -- the sheer number of people in scotland. a country that recently almost voted to leave great britain forever, there is love there and this moment is scotland at its best. doing us all proud as part of great britain in honoring this incredible woman. >> bill: duncan, we have' arrived at that moment for today in the words of the ambassador a moment ago. she was the human and she was

the heroic and now she is being honored in a way that -- in a way that very few wanted to see happen after the leadership that she showed so many for so long. let's watch the entrance into the cathedral.

>> dana: we're now in st. giles cathedral. jonathan, are you still with us? i wonder if you could give us a taste of the history for this cathedral? >> well, st. giles cathedral in edinburgh is important and that's why here it's part of this process. we've seen the queen tour through the whole of scotland in a sense and conclude in edinburgh and go to the cathedral. now it's the mourning point for the death of her majesty, the queen. no better place for that to happen than this historic setting. as the cathedral or the high clerk of edinburgh, part of the church of scotland.

part of the parish church of scotland and worth noting as well that after his declaration of accession, king charles had to make a specific statement about the church of scotland because of the history of the union and this is something that reflects the great respect that the monarch also have to have for the church of scotland so there would be no potential conflict there in his role. >> dana: let's listen in the beautiful music here. [choir singing] ♪♪

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>> i welcome all of you to st. giles cathedral, the high kirk this ancient parish church of edinburgh. welcome to all around the world who are watching this service

being broadcast here at st. giles john knox confronted mary, queen of scotts. here james the vi argued about liturgy. here oliver cromwell preached. here parliament sometimes met. here our late queen received the honors of scotland and the stone of destiny rested on its return to scotland. we are graced by the presence of the king and members of the royal family. present here are representative of our nation's lives and whose people whose lives were touched in the queen in so many unforgettable ways and so we

gather to bid scotland's farewell to our late monarch, whose life of service to the nation and the world we celebrate. and whose love for scotland was legendary. let us worship god. [organ playing] [congregation singing] ♪♪

>> our help is in the name of the lord who made heaven and earth. the eternal god is our refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. god is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. [choir singing] ♪♪

>> eternal and ever blessed god, receive us if your mercy and grant us the comfort and peace of your holy spirit

through jesus christ, our lord. almighty and everlasting god, you send forth your spirit and we are created. you richly endow us each with gifts to bring blessings to ourselves and to others. you enrich the life of our communities and our world. and at life's completion, you rejoice to welcome us into your presence. we gather at this time a sorrowing nation, yet remembering with gratitude the long life and reign of your servant, elizabeth, our queen, and for the many gifts and graces with which he endowed her, for her faithfulness to the trust committed to her, and

for all the benefits which, through her, you have conferred upon this people. high king of heaven, help us by the faith in which she lived and died, to cherish those virtues which were dear to her heart and mind, and bring us, with her, when our days on earth are ended, into your heavenly presence and glory through jesus christ, our lord, amen. ♪♪

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>> for everything there is a season and a time forever matter under heaven. a time to be born, and a time to die. a time to plant, and a time to pluck up. a time to kill, and a time to heal. a time to break down, and a time to build up.

a time to weep, and a time to laugh. a time to mourn, and a time to dance. a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together. a time to embrace, and a time to be free from embracing. a time to seek and a time to lose. a time to keep, and a time to throw away. a time to tear and a time to sow. a time to keep silent and a time to speak. a time to love and a time to hate. a time for war and a time for peace. i have seen the business that god has given to everyone to be

busy with. he has made everything suitable for its time. more over, he has the past and future into the maze. yet we cannot find out what god has done from the beginning to the end. i know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live. moreover, it is god's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. i know that whatever god does endures forever. nothing can be added to it nor anything taken from it. god has done this so that all should stand in awe before him. that which is already has been.

that which is to be already is. and god -- what has gone by. here ends the first lesson. ♪♪

>> reading from the letter of st. paul to the romans, i consider that this sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. we know that all things work together for good for those who love god, who are called according to his purpose. what then are we to say about these things?

if god is for us, who is against us? he who did not withhold his own son but gave him up for all of us, will he not also give us everything else? who will bring any charge against god's elect? it is god who justifies. who is to condemn? it is christ jesus who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of god and intercedes for us. who will separate us from the love of christ? will hardship, or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sorrow? as it is written, for your sake we are being killed all day long. no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us, for i am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor

things to comes no heights or depths or anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of god in christ jesus, our lord. here ends the epistle. ♪♪ [congregation singing] ♪♪

>> a reading from the gospel according to st. john. do not let your heart be troubled. believe in god, believe also in me. in my father's house there are many dwelling places. if it were not so, would i have told you that i go to prepare a

place for you? and if i go and prepare a place for you, i will come again and will take you to myself so that where i am, there you may be also. and you know the way to the place where i am going. jesus said, i am the way, and the truth, and the life. no one comes to the father except through me. peace i leave with you, my peace i give to you. i do not give to you as the world gives. do not let that your heart be troubled. and do not let them be afraid. here ends the gospel.

>> death has been overcome. these are the words of hope expressed and centered around jesus, who died and rose again. and this is clearly something her majesty, queen elizabeth, acknowledged and personally embraced. these last few days, as tributes to her majesty have

poured in and we have watched images of her on screen from her earliest years capturing that remarkable life, yet now beginning to sink in that she is gone from us. gone home to express our own words. today we gather in this place of worship and throughout the nation to express our thanks to god for her majesty, queen elizabeth's extraordinary life. we are united in sorrow at the death of our monarch. but we are also so aware his majesty, king charles, and all

his family are not just grieving the loss of their queen, but their mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, too. her majesty, queen elizabeth, began her reign like king solomon by asking for wisdom. something she demonstrated in large measure and to which was added duty, honor, commitment, and faith. these are the words that we reach out for today to describe the life and the reign of queen elizabeth, whose passing is mourned not only in her native land, but across the commonwealth and the world, as has been so evident to us in these recent days.

most of us cannot recall a time when she was not our monarch. committed to the role she assumed in 1952 upon the death of her beloved father, she has been a constant in all of our lives for over 70 years. she was determined to see her work as a form of service to others. and she maintained that steady course until the end of her life. people who were in her company always felt they were being listened to carefully and attentively, and with compassion. she possessed a sharp, intelligent mind with amazing

recall, a kindly heart, and a gentle sense of humor. she understood the breadth of world affairs and also cared about what happened to all of her people. and although sometimes buffeted by events around her, she continually and resolutely and cheerfully fulfilled her responsibilities. and so today we give thanks not only for the length of her reign, but for the qualities she displayed so steadfastly. we recall also with gratitude the many who have supported her throughout her reign. we think especially of the duke of edinburgh who stood faithfully beside her through their 73 years of marriage, bringing his own energy and

intellect to the service of the monarchy. much has been said about the queen's contribution to the life of the united kingdom and the commonwealth, which meant so much to her. but here in scotland, we acknowledge with gratitude her deep links with our land and its people. her love of the balmoral estate is well-known. and being there brought her great comfort. the she was valued as a neighbor and a friend, and there she drew strength and refreshment during the summer months. she was active in the life of civic scotland, traveling across the country to support numerous causes, entertaining

guests at holyroodhouse palace and this church. here she received the scottish crown in 1953, an event memorialized in the painting about artist stanley kusator. her links with the scotland were deep and lasting. she was the supreme governor of the church of england but worshipped in the church of scotland in cannon gate kirk. prevented from doing so only by infirmity lately. she perceived little difficulty in belonging to two churches and appreciating the strength of each. it is clearly evident and

without doubt that the queen's christian faith was genuine and often gave clear and sincere expression when there were those remarkable christmas broadcasts. she spoke unashamedly of her trust in god and of the example and teaching of jesus christ, whom she sought to follow as best she could. indeed, of that faith she said she had no regrets. her focus on family, on community, on reaching across divisions and differences, wherever it was throughout these short yet meaningful festive messages. for 70 years she reigned as our queen. she has been present among us

as a follower of christ and as a member of his church. and for that i am -- we give god thanks together this day. today we mourn her passing, but we also celebrate the long and happy reign that we experienced with her. and we pray god's blessing upon king charles, who will surely draw strength from his mother's example and of these days. and prayer from the church and our support for him as was offered to his mother, the queen.

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