good evening . good evening. i'm good evening . i'm rae anderson good evening. i'm rae anderson in the gb newsroom. pope francis has paid tribute to former pope benedict who passed away this morning aged 95. the described his predecessor as a noble kind and a gift to the church. earlier king sent his condolences. recalling pope benedict's constant efforts to promote peace and goodwill . pope promote peace and goodwill. pope benedict became of the catholic church in 2005. in 2013, he

became the first pope in 600 years to step down, citing ill health. former archbishop of canterbury, the most reverend rowan williams spoke to us about pope benedict's visit to uk. the first time that a pope had officially visited the united kingdom . the first time that kingdom. the first time that pope and archbishop had stood together at that shrine and for me, it was a moment of extraordinary depth to alongside this very the great very substantial man and be able to pray. and if you'd like to discover our unity at the deepest level for . discover our unity at the deepest level for. four lionesses who won the women's euros this year are among those recognised in the new year honours list. the first to be issued by king charles. captain leah williamson has been an obe whilst lucy bronze and ellen white have been given mbes. gb news is presenter anne diamond has received an obe for services to public health and charity and queen guitarist and animal welfare brian may has received

knighthood . the government has knighthood. the government has confirmed anyone travelling directly from to england from the 5th of january must show a negative covid test before departure. there are no direct flights from china to scotland, wales or northern ireland . but wales or northern ireland. but the government says it will work with devolved administrations to ensure that measures are implemented. there is, amid concerns of surging cases in china following , an easing of china following, an easing of restrictions . russia's defence restrictions. russia's defence ministry says 82 of their soldiers who were captured by ukraine now been released . the ukraine now been released. the latest prisoner exchange , the latest prisoner exchange, the two sides to slow the ukraine is yet to comment the claims. meanwhile, the mayor of ukraine's capital kyiv says ten explosions have been heard in. the city after air raid sirens were sounded in every region of the country . i were sounded in every region of the country. i and were sounded in every region of the country . i and the the country. i and the celebrations are well underway in many parts of the world. is the scene live in dubai as the uae becomes the latest country

to welcome in 2023. they're celebrating with a huge firework display , the world's tallest display, the world's tallest tower at the burj khalifa in downtown dubai dubai . and on downtown dubai dubai. and on dab+ radio. this is gb news. back the top of the hour . back the top of the hour. hello and welcome to gb news christmas special , hello and welcome to gb news christmas special, remembering our queen with me, alastair stewart . for the next hour, i'll stewart. for the next hour, i'll be joined by a host of guests who knew i'm majesty personally . those who worked the queen and royal experts and we will tribute to her life of service as we all embark upon our first christmas without her and the

first under our new . first under our new. king so as the late queen say that she was a constant in my life is no exaggeration . i was born in the exaggeration. i was born in the year of her accession, 1952. i reported on her death on the winning of several of her offspring and the birth of her as heir. i met her quite a few times in a personal capacity and on duties . times in a personal capacity and on duties. she was charm and elegance personified. but her visit to my beloved horse club in brixton captured for me, who she really was as a person. and what she stood for as far away from buckingham palace as . she from buckingham palace as. she visited her daughter in law, camilla is president and royal patron of the ebony horse club .

patron of the ebony horse club. she met lots of young children , she met lots of young children, of them from the wrong side of the tracks, learning all about what she knew so very well, highlighting that anyone can thrive in life if , they're thrive in life if, they're supported and encourage it, and that they will find no finer creatures in life than some of her beloved and ponies . now, her beloved and ponies. now, there were lots of dignitaries there, too, but for her it was all about the children and, the horses. she seemed totally at peace and in her element and is how i will always remember her. our late queen , a good woman and our late queen, a good woman and a lover of horses . gyles a lover of horses. gyles brandreth , friend of the royals brandreth, friend of the royals who met the queen on several occasions his new biography offers , insights into the offers, insights into the intimate life of queen elizabeth, including how she

deau elizabeth, including how she dealt with the death of her own beloved husband , philip. i spoke beloved husband, philip. i spoke to him about his new book and he paid his own tribute to the late queen elizabeth. gyles brandreth , your latest book is about friendship. it's love. it's working together . but also it working together. but also it does exactly what it says on the title page. it is an intimate portrait . that's what i wanted portrait. that's what i wanted to achieve. a couple of before the queen's death . i happened to the queen's death. i happened to be at windsor castle in the royal library, and there they showed me a portrait of elizabeth, the first. first of all, a reminder that we've had a royal family in country for more than a thousand years. and they said to me, this portrait was the first. it was one that she sent to her brother, edward the sixth. they were both the children of king henry the eighth. and with the portrait went a letter from elizabeth,

the first written in her beautiful handwriting in which she said, i'm sending you this outward image of myself. but i would to share with you my inward mind . and i thought to inward mind. and i thought to myself, i'm writing book. wouldn't it be wonderful to try and reveal to people the inward mind of elizabeth the second? we all know what she looked like, but what was she really like? and lucky enough to and since i was lucky enough to meet many years ago , first meet her many years ago, first time was the 2nd of may, 1968. i can give you the date because i keep a diary. and she went to remember the people that she met. most of them. because she met. most of them. because she met tens of thousands of people. but anyone who ever met the queen can remember that moment. and because keep a diary and because i keep a diary i kept a record of my kept a record of all my encounters with queen there encounters with the queen there were the years from were many over the years from that first encounter i was that first encounter when i was a aged 20 oxford a student aged 20 at oxford university. 42. she came university. she was 42. she came and the first thing i noticed was how the atmosphere, the room changed. nobody ever normal changed. nobody was ever normal with the queen. there was a kind of invisible motor around up. and she was always normal

and yet she was always normal herself. she was always herself . but everybody else responded in a different way. the other thing i noticed on that first day was i reprimanded president of the union waldegrave, who was a of years older than a couple of years older than me because we were going into the oxford union. he wasn't carrying an umbrella. it was raining. and i said, you should carried the queen's umbrella. he said, order, majesty insists order, no. her majesty insists on otherwise on carrying her own. otherwise the trickles her neck . so the rain trickles her neck. so i wanted to write a book and showed you what she was really like. i think you have done that . it also touches upon another very, very serious point. this relationship began with the late duke of edinburgh and that was as a result of shared interests and working . it wasn't court and working. it wasn't court frippery or queuing up, but some line to shake hands and be introduced. this was you and him carrying about something. the few people would have thought of immediately being a shared

passion between the late duke of edinburgh and gyles brandreth. well i've met the duke of edinburgh because i got involved in a charity called the national fields association. interest fields association. now interest and duke and the reason the duke edinburgh involved is that edinburgh was involved is that it founded by the queen's father who became george the sixth when he was duke of york in the 1920s. and it was to look after playing playgrounds playing fields, playgrounds recreated for young recreated in sport for young people. the edinburgh people. and the duke edinburgh took first took it on was his first national charity he married national charity when he married princess back in princess elizabeth, back in 1947. it was passion project 1947. and it was passion project and. i became involved and got to meet him and found he was a very different person from the caricature that you most of us got to know . and he asked me to got to know. and he asked me to write a short biography of him which i did, which was quite a challenge because i did take it into him and he had to, you know, he corrected it and it was all a bit frightening. but through him, i got to meet the queen and then later when i was a member of parliament, i got to meet the queen officially. and to relationship was

to see that relationship was fascinating. hands. fascinating. at close hands. they dovey in the they weren't lovey dovey in the modern way. are no modern way. there are no photographs the queen modern way. there are no photprince|s the queen modern way. there are no photprince philip the queen modern way. there are no photprince philip holding e queen modern way. there are no photprince philip holding handsen and prince philip holding hands or kissing but they were well, they a team. what was they were a team. what was extraordinary about the queen was she made commitment, was when she made a commitment, she kept to it. i think one of the reasons that people were so moved when she died wasn't simply longest monarch, simply longest serving monarch, wasn't to see somebody wasn't simply to see somebody whose commitment was was so real over , so many years. was it over, so many years. was it clear he was a rather unusual person in a dark world? watch the news to see what's happening in ukraine. you think? actually, here's somebody who was good. and i felt at the time of the funeral, people were almost reaching out to touch that goodness. whatever generation they who was they were somebody who was consistent, , kept their consistent, kind, kept their word . and her marriage , prince word. and her marriage, prince philip, was extraordinary . and philip, was extraordinary. and she accepted him for who he was. and i think they accepted each for who they were. you are one of the most well—read people i know, and you've written a number of really impressive

biographies and, books about the royal family with their lines in producing this that you imposed upon yourself that you could not cross , that there were cross, that there were restrictions that you placed upon that because you had had that intimate and private access over the years . that was quite over the years. that was quite a challenge because i didn't want to put particularly ladies in waiting, people who've been around them in a difficult position by and i didn't want to quote anybody anonymously so that was the challenge. i decided not to show the book to living members of the royal family before publishing it, which i, with my duke of edinburgh book for two reasons. one, i thought actually, i don't think they'll want to read it. the reason i say that is that somebody told me that they had with film the king's speech with the film the king's speech came out was rather a moving film about the sixth and his speech impediment . somebody film about the sixth and his speech impediment. somebody said to the queen, it's a wonderful film, as you see and she, film, as you see it. and she, well, why would i want to? it's about my parents . i knew them .

about my parents. i knew them. and this is a book for people who don't know the queen to show how to you so that maybe people who did know. why? why would you want to read it? who did know. why? why would you want to read it ? well, there are want to read it? well, there are a number of revelations, as it were within it, and it's been serialised in one of the newspapers, as well as being available. and i thoroughly recommend people to get a copy of it and read it from cover to coven of it and read it from cover to cover. perhaps the most shocking revelation is that the death certificate says that she died of old age. not so . i don't of old age. not so. i don't think it's shocking. i felt i was writing a biography and has to go from birth to death . and to go from birth to death. and so i was simply reporting that i had heard that she had a form of a bone marrow cancer. and but i wasn't surprise and delight predicted that the death certificate would say old age because when a patient is over the of about 80 and when the person signing the death

certificate has been their doctor some years that one of the options that is open to them andindeed the options that is open to them and indeed that was the case of the duke of edinburgh. so i, i felt as a reporter because it is a biography, i put what i knew on the page . but you're right. on the page. but you're right. are you intruding on people's privacy? and in a sense, i am, because i'm quoting from conversations with the queen, which i would not have done dunng which i would not have done during lifetime , but i've done during lifetime, but i've done it because i wanted people to know people i think did know how compassionate she was. and also sharp she was. but they maybe didn't realise what a wry sense of humour she had. we got a flavour of when got the most flavour of when we got the most recently only earlier this year, you know , the jubilee, the you know, the jubilee, the wonderful bear sketch. but she did have this wonderful sense of humour and she had a side to it which we didn't often see. she was a quite a shy person. i think, and as happens sometimes with actors who are shy , they with actors who are shy, they come to life on the stage. and i

did have an interesting conversation with her about the war years and she talked about her father during , the war of her father during, the war of the father, her father was a really important person in her life. and incidentally, the anniversary of his death, he from cancer, she would always almost always on that particular day around then visit a cancer hospital or a hospice . she was hospital or a hospice. she was very aware of that all her life . so for her, the war years, her father at windsor, her father leading the country, winston churchill, these were important figures. but privately , what she figures. but privately, what she loved with the entertainers who came to windsor castle to entertain the family, entertain the royal family, i wanted to people smile, wanted to make people smile, laugh , realised who she was. she laugh, realised who she was. she had a sense of humour, but she wasn't frivolous. she she took serious things seriously. and you mentioned she'd met everyone and she was very careful. she would never betray who she liked most because she was very evenhanded in two things as you.

one is i remember going to the royal variety with her sitting in the royal box and the duke of edinburgh. we liked act would be loud in his applause, and then he'd look at the break room and say, oh, not elton, drama. but the queen was very evenhanded , the queen was very evenhanded, gave same amount of gave everyone the same amount of applause said to her at applause. and i said to her at the interval, seem enjoy the interval, you seem to enjoy the interval, you seem to enjoy the puzzle much , which the puzzle very much, which i did. said, seem to enjoy did. i said, you seem to enjoy every act equally. did you? and she said, well, perhaps not entirely, but like to applaud entirely, but i like to applaud everybody . case because is everybody. case because this is on television in their families are looking oh and actually that's really considerate. she was very thoughtful like that. and the only exception i found when trying to out of her who that she'd met that was particularly interesting or memorable. and she had met everybody from marilyn monroe and sinatra through to and frank sinatra through to madonna and even vladimir. she'd met everybody . the one exception met everybody. the one exception to mentioning somebody that she would give would be nelson mandela . and she admired him so mandela. and she admired him so much . and she's said this.

mandela. and she admired him so much . and she's said this . he much. and she's said this. he had emerged from 27 years in prison without any rancour. you wrote several very moving pieces when she died and obviously book is now here before us and people will reflect upon the content of it. but i'm going to i boil you as an old chum and simply ask this what is your personal tribute to? her? what i think is remarkable about the queen is that it's personality. her nature, her values that we want to remember and cherish . when to remember and cherish. when she died , there were in london she died, there were in london on that day for her funeral , on that day for her funeral, more heads of state, more prime, more heads of state, more prime, more presidents than they had everin more presidents than they had ever in any one city before, at any one time when queen victoria died, the world mourned. she was then our longest reigning sovereign, but she had executive power . she could do things. the

power. she could do things. the queen couldn't do anything. the queen could only be what she and you know, and queen victoria died . we were the number one died. we were the number one country. now the 21st most populous country in the world, sixth largest gdp . and yet that sixth largest gdp. and yet that woman personified , the best of woman personified, the best of british. so what's not to be for and to have lived such long life and to have lived such long life and been so consistent to have been an exemplar of goodness? well, it's fantastic . you said well, it's fantastic. you said earlier that she was very clear in conversation with you and others that she owed so much to her father she adored. but the philosophy, the rules of engage judgement of the. she got a lot of it it struck me very from the moment of charles becoming king charles iii that he drew so much from his mother. i mean that very first speech to the nation. she could have written it was an

echo of one of her most famous speeches. echo of one of her most famous speeches . and it was remarkable speeches. and it was remarkable was that recognition what you can learn from metre and pater and paul style the generations perhaps one of her greatest gifts to him. well i think the way the transition has happened has been brilliant . i mean, he has been brilliant. i mean, he hit the ground not running, but obviously morning and yet he said all the right things on the first day. and i thought, yes , first day. and i thought, yes, it's going to be all right. first day. and i thought, yes, it's going to be all right . and it's going to be all right. and also, he made it crystal clear that he was going to be a constitutional monarch. nothing ever , you know, set in stone . ever, you know, set in stone. there will be changes. but basically he is taking on from her just basically he is taking on from herjust as basically he is taking on from her just as the basically he is taking on from herjust as the queen consort is her just as the queen consort is taking on from the duke of edinburgh at that birthday lunch that i referred to . she said that i referred to. she said that i referred to. she said that she was going to follow his rule. look up, look out, say less, do more . get on with the less, do more. get on with the job. that's what they're both going to do. and i them all the best of luck . may i just say best of luck. may i just say thank you for your friendship

and loyalty over many years and for your kind of gb news upon which you appear as often as we ask you to , which is lovely, and ask you to, which is lovely, and may we wish you a very happy christmas. i'd like to wish you very christmas. a peaceful very happy christmas. a peaceful new and whichever of us two lives the longest , we'll be lives the longest, we'll be there to make the tributes. so if that is to before i do, i should be saying some very nice words about him . but if i go words about him. but if i go before you do, i would be delighted to reciprocate or or get just a little ahead of him . get just a little ahead of him. but going to open a book but i'm not going to open a book on odds. gyles brandreth on the odds. gyles brandreth complex , thank so much .

welcome back. in june this year, the whole of the united kingdom joined in what was the biggest

party of the century. as we mark queen's magnificent 70 year reign, making her the longest ever serving monarch. the platinum jubilee saw a weekend full of events, including the historic trooping colour, a service of thanksgiving and the platinum jubilee at the palace dunng platinum jubilee at the palace during the jubilee weekend . the during the jubilee weekend. the queen missed a number events due to ill health, but the world was surprised when she, along with other working royals, made an appearance on the balcony at buckingham palace to wave to thousands of well—wishers and of course, watch her beloved red arrows fly over the palace. well, joining me now to take a look back at the whole weekend is royal commentator and expert my good friend jenny buckland. jenny, with respect you are literally one of those. been there done . royal correspondents there done. royal correspondents . but did you ever in your deepest dreams and imaginings

think you'd be covering this amazing jubilee event? oh my goodness me. no, i don't think even with the best will in the world many of us thought that the late now would manage to reign for a full 70 years and that grand age take part how the minimally in those wonderful celebrations. it was a fantastic . what struck me well and i wonder if it struck you too was that it was a magic mixture of the of the formal the traditional and the very, very informal normal out on the streets of her majesty's kingdom. yeah. i in many it followed the pattern of previous jubilees. there is a sort of routine to it, but there was a special joy about one, a celebration, unlike other, as you say . and it's a wonderful you say. and it's a wonderful mix of the bizarre and the pageantry the formality of the informal . the craziness of that informal. the craziness of that comes sort of the magic , comes sort of the magic, obviously, of seeing her majesty

the queen, having tea with paddington bear. i mean, that's the moment that i remember the rest of the family played a bunder rest of the family played a blinder as particularly the children, the very young children, the very young children . well. i mean, it was children. well. i mean, it was clearly a family outing, but goodness me, it was a very constructed tableau so tableau of this family. constructed tableau so tableau of this family . and it nodded of this family. and it nodded toward the future . yes, it did. toward the future. yes, it did. yes, i everybody remembers that little rather misbehaving as the zoo progressed. it was a long concert for children sit through and it was lovely to see little louis sitting on his grandfather's knee. charles look very home looking after the kids . and as you say, we saw the members of the family, the many of the events and the concert. we saw the extended family actually was on mike tindall then when he was just joking around with george. so it was a delightful, delightful event made into , i think by that made into, i think by that tableau of the queen with bear

and that she kept a secret a secret her family and everyone . secret her family and everyone. so when they saw her come on screen, you know, putting a marmite marmalade sandwich from a bag that they were absolutely gobsmacked. other thing i wanted your thoughts and i suspect that did have the queen's all over it . and that was the imagery of the family in the sense of an an heir apparent and an heir presumed to have. here they are . he all the special ones are the ones who will carry on the good work. yes. i think it had the queen's fingerprints over it, but also charles, as we all know, that charles has been intent making it known that he thinks that the monarchy should be slimmer, sleeker , fewer be slimmer, sleeker, fewer whatever you want to them hangers on in of extended family and of well core working royals within that a core of the

immediate successors to the throne as you say that was the emphasis time and again we were seeing those absolute members in direct line of succession to the throne and that's message that was put across. there's plenty them now. the succession certainly guaranteed because charlotte can take over if necessary . the anything that's necessary. the anything that's happened to george and then we've got louis. so we we've got the and maybe queens of sort of family there . let me finish with family there. let me finish with with the personal because obviously with with the death of the queen he not only became the king a job which he had been waiting a very long time, but he also became the head of the family. and at this time of yean family. and at this time of year, we all know that for royal family, it's as perhaps even more important than for ordinary families . and down the land . how

families. and down the land. how do you imagine it will be for them trying host and enjoy and celebrate this first christmas without the matriarch. well it is going to be a difficult christmas for them. they're going to gather sandringham and most of them i think harry and meghan will be there. but the rest of them are going to gather at sandringham and. obviously, there will be the empty chair. whether they'll actually leave it , don't know. but it empty, don't know. but absence of the queen obviously will be keenly, keenly felt not just by the family, but when we watch them go to church . we've watch them go to church. we've been so used to . the image of been so used to. the image of the queen arriving lately in the car and just being there at the head of the family. and now that's charles. it's a bit a poisoned chalice, really, because it's always it's quite a troubled family in so many ways, as we've seen in recent weeks, months. but that is his job now, not only be our head of state, but head of that family

christmas hopefully will be a time when put any difficulties behind them, get round the table and into their turkey, let us hope so indeed and wish them well and. jenny, thanks for all of your kindness, friendship and support over the year. may we at gb news also you a very happy christmas and a peaceful new yeah christmas and a peaceful new year. jenny, thank you so much for your time. you, too. thank you . you. this on gb news. we've got brand new members in the family. join across the entire united kingdom. we cover the issues that matter to you. gb news always stay honest. balance and fair. we want to hear what ever fair. we want to hear whatever is on your mind and we talk down to you. the establish movement had their chance. now we're here to represent you, britons , come to represent you, britons, come join us on tv .

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channel but many of us across the united kingdom and commonwealth, the queen's speech was a staple of christmas day festivities. christmas day festivities. christmas in. her own words was like no other. and her familiar elegance and reassuring presence will surely be missed with every address that she delivered. her majesty share her personal reflections on the year that had passed . touching on everything passed. touching on everything from global events and current issues to national highlights. personal losses , gains. she gave personal losses, gains. she gave thanks and always managed to inspire motivate and touch the hearts of all of us. they were her speeches and she decided on everything that went into them.

even down to the little photographs that appeared beside her every effort to give us an insight and a reflection upon all of that. i caught up her majesty's former press officer , majesty's former press officer, dickie arbiter, who witnessed first hand how they were written , produced and delivered . you , produced and delivered. you were one of the consummate professionals and communicators . what the queen was doing, why she was doing it, what the significance of it was . but when significance of it was. but when the moment came for to speak directly to the nation, it was always a moment of significance. it was always a moment of significance. i think we need to put this into context because you say when she was ready to speak the nation, she wasn't just speaking to the nation. united kingdom. this is the queen's commonwealth christmas message. so she was speaking . message. so she was speaking. now, today in 2022, the king be doing it to 54 nations because

it was reaching out to the commonwealth in much the same way as her grandfather did in her his first christmas message in. 1932 reaching out to the empire it was his way of getting out and it was the queen's way , out and it was the queen's way, her life of getting out to the commonwealth in her own . was commonwealth in her own. was that a formula in terms of content? you mentioned importantly the commonwealth. but did did the late queen have a list of. yeah, these are the five things that must be included in a monarch's christmas address. the queen was always fastidious about what went into the address. religion was key to it. she was a very religious, not just because she was a supreme governor of the church of england. she was a religious person . she was religious person. she was brought up with religion and that carried her through her life . the family was important life. the family was important in terms of a message there, the separation families be through conflict, be it by being on duty

or by by demise. conflict, be it by being on duty or by by demise . also very or by by demise. also very important to her. so they were key elements to these these christmas messages, i should add here and now they were her messages she wrote them yes she would get a bit of feedback from prince philip . she would always prince philip. she would always bounce ideas from of him. but it was the only time of the year where she could express in her words and not somebody like the state opening of parliament, which was downing street's speech. the other thing i picked up and i'm not breaching any confidences at all, but from from from senior who were involved on occasion in the television. one was that she was an absolute stickler for what we'd call set dressing and which were either on table or the desk or imagery that was in the background . and she wanted to background. and she wanted to make absolutely crystal clear that what she wanted was there and that it could be seen properly because was there properly because it was there for purpose . it was there for

for a purpose. it was there for a purpose. it was her message and therefore her message, the set be properly it was set had to be properly it was very important , the late queen, very important, the late queen, that the setting was absolutely right. the photographs were important because it important to her because it a case of who was in and who was out. it was just something that had to fit the ambience to fit message. i mean , example, when message. i mean, example, when william and catherine got married in 2011, there were pictures of them on her desk , pictures of them on her desk, quite rightly so . that was her quite rightly so. that was her choice. and people sort of looked into it. we she sending out a message here, but if you interpret the message, then so be as far as she was concerned her message, her dressing . yes her message, her dressing. yes when she addressed the nation dunng when she addressed the nation during the pandemic , there were during the pandemic, there were lots of people in the media and in the world of politics saying is something that uniquely she can get right because we're all having a tough time of it. we're losing loved ones. we're not being able to go out and about. we're dire economic straits and

all the rest of it. she's the only one who can get it right and goodness me, thanks to vera lynn, she got it. absolutely spot on. she was spot and she is like everybody else. she's being locked in. can't move around in way that she would want to can't do her engagements in the way that she would want to and is in with prince philip. and incidentally , particular period incidentally, particular period of covid is the period that both she and prince have spent together in their 73 years of marriage. so it was unique in that respect, but it was an opportunity for her to talk to people about not just how she felt, but the country felt and how must all work together to beat this evil virus and who can forget the 5th of april 20, 20, those immortal words . we will those immortal words. we will see our friends again . we will see our friends again. we will see our friends again. we will see our friends again. we will see our families again. we will meet again. she got it. absolute right. and those immortal will

live on forever . a.j, you live on forever. a.j, you mentioned right at the beginning of the conversation, dickie and i want to return to it that , i want to return to it that, too. the late queen , the too. the late queen, the religious dates, the faith dimension of christmas was tremendously important and several occasions you alluded to the enormous importance of family to her and to that family . this is the christmas, of course, without her many duties, will to king charles, not only as head of state, but also now as head of state, but also now as head of that family as well. and the final i want to pick up is the one that you made just then about traditions when it is a traditional thing. she that right. but there is a little latitude on other occasions christmas for her was a perfect of both and she liked the traditional role. she liked the old stuff and she wasn't averse to a little bit of new. what will christmas be like this in

your imagination ? for me, the your imagination? for me, the queen be missing. i still trying to come to terms with the fact that she is no with us but having said that watching the king he hit the ground running and shortly after she died and he's doing an incredible job as has the queen consort so we have to move on as she would wish . to move on as she would wish. the king's message will be probably in the same vein . probably in the same vein. family, religion , because he is family, religion, because he is religious as well . he family, religion, because he is religious as well. he is family, religion, because he is religious as well . he is another religious as well. he is another one type person. i've worked when i was working for him as his press secretary, many times we'd go and do to camera, particularly for the prince's trust and it would be one take if he wanted to do something again. it was maybe a bird had tweeted or something had dropped, but he , a consummate dropped, but he, a consummate professional . it comes to professional. it comes to television and addressing, as we saw after the death of his mother . so it will be different

mother. so it will be different message, but it will carry the same message . the message of same message. the message of religion , the message of religion, the message of christmas , the message of christmas, the message of family. we will the king in a new light . the family will mean new light. the family will mean a lot to him. the loss of his mother. and i'd be surprised if there wasn't mention of his mother in his message. well i'm sure you and i won't be in watching. it's of the highest rated television every year. dickie, on a personal note , you dickie, on a personal note, you for your friendship and support and loyalty to us over the year. it's always a pleasure working with you, but particularly in the in recent times here . gb the in recent times here. gb news thank you very much indeed for your kindness and your friendship. may we all wish you a happy and a very happy christmas and a peaceful new year. i wish you and all of gb news a very happy christmas and all the very best for 2023 .

for 2023. we are gb news the people's. i'm right across the united kingdom . you can find us on sky channel one two virgin media channel 2604 freesat channel 216 freeview channel 236 and youview channel 236. you can also take with you on dab plus radio with the gb news app and the website gbnews.uk. we're absolutely everywhere. come us on gb news. the channel britain's news

channel on the evening of thursday, the 8th of september, buckingham palace announced the death of her majesty queen elizabeth, the second it said, her majesty died peacefully at her scottish estate in balmoral , where she estate in balmoral, where she spent a lot of her time . what

spent a lot of her time. what followed was ten days of state mourning . history was made as we mourning. history was made as we watched the queen make her final journey from scotland to london . queues upon queues across were formed so that the public could pay formed so that the public could pay their personal respects to her majesty as she lay in state in westminster hall, we watched as the grieving family paid their own respects as well. through the vigils they and then we all came together on the day of the funeral as a country and across the globe said farewell to our beloved queen. the death of the queen marks, the end of the longest ever reign of a british monarch , and the british monarch, and the beginning of a new era under king charles iii, we will all witness to history. as for the first time ever, the proclamation of our head of state was televised . i caught up state was televised. i caught up with royal historian david starkey, who sat beside me for

the majority of our coverage of the majority of our coverage of the death of queen elizabeth here at gb news. how did david starkey feel personally when he heard that elizabeth, the second, had died died ? dare second, had died died? dare i say , i really felt . not much. i say, i really felt. not much. i l, say, i really felt. not much. i i, i cannot . what clearly so i, i cannot. what clearly so many people genuine . they felt many people genuine. they felt the sense that somebody was personal to me had gone. i didn't feel that i didn't feel that with diana . that was you that with diana. that was you know, this is extraordinary it's a case, in my view, of the pathetic fallacy of imagining that there's a personal connection when . there isn't. connection when. there isn't. but it is part of the magic, of monarchy. so she comes in and out of my life as she did of so many . and so it's that tray of many. and so it's that tray of memory that was triggered . and memory that was triggered. and then, of course, the that actually this now literally is

history. but i think you key historic and political point is that on several occasions during coverage you repeated crucial truth which is encapsulated in that observation that we've seen historic films that read in historic films that read in historic biography and what have you and it's about the monarchy . the queen is dead, comma long live the king at that moment being then. yes, it is . it is at being then. yes, it is. it is at that moment in one sense. and we saw it very literally and despite his very evident personal grief, the king instantly stepping into the shoes and doing in a way that in some ways not in not actually. let's eliminate the moderator that was much more dramatic than mother. i'm curious you next area i want to talk about is the

mixture of invention and the mixture of invention and the mixture of invention and the mixture of tradition the for the great events that then unfolded an awful of this had to be done it was semi constitutional it was how it had always been done but in terms of services involvement and folk , her involvement and folk, her fingerprints were over all of it . personal choices, personal going way back . yeah i think going way back. yeah i think i think it it was also again , the think it it was also again, the chance the possibility of her of her dying in scotland had already been factored . so there already been factored. so there was a kind of supplement to operation london bridge , which operation london bridge, which was which would be again , the was which would be again, the fact that the fact that your death sounds like a military exercise, which of course it very much was. and you then had all of that worked out again , all of that worked out again, it's very difficult . we have not it's very difficult. we have not actually be we none of us were fully privy to the extent which

things were modified by the accident of circumstance or modified by the decisions of the king. the council where and i think it's reasonable to remind folk who are kind enough to be listening, watching this conversation that you and i got very excited about , because this very excited about, because this was a first this was the first time the accession council been televised. the accession council was a sort of brief, televised. the accession council was a sort of brief , abstract of was a sort of brief, abstract of the history of the monarchy and its constitutional significance, just worked out for you that the idea that the king waits outside whilst they decide whether he really is the king, his first speech to the nation , you speech to the nation, you mentioned a little earlier on when we were reflecting upon on our coverage, you said he bad his soul . we now know a little his soul. we now know a little more deep down of what makes this new king tick i felt that strongly. i mean he he said things that he'd no need to say

. they were wise that he said . . they were wise that he said. but he made clear his awareness of . the fact that many people of. the fact that many people had felt that he had overstepped role as prince. he offered the direct assurance that understood that being king was he , as it that being king was he, as it were, embraced limitations on his new role . and what is very his new role. and what is very striking, isn't it ? i his new role. and what is very striking, isn't it? i mean, he's had the most dramatic of tests, which is from prime minister, who proved to be , you know, this who proved to be, you know, this extraordinary figure who preaches to reigns but barely three weeks, not going to the summit, the thing that that for him represent the enduring commitment of a lifetime . simply commitment of a lifetime. simply saying right, i can't. commitment of a lifetime. simply saying right, i can't . and that saying right, i can't. and that seems to me again to be a bit dramatic in both amount of i think he's self—aware ness i want to take you back to the

great hall of westminster not fair for the king's speech but for the lying in state there the london yesterday we talked about the that some tells is giles the one that some tells is giles is already already we were both deeply moved by that for a whole range of reasons. deeply moved by that for a whole range of reasons . the first was range of reasons. the first was the sheer volume of her subjects the sheer volume of her subjects the citizenry who queued most of them queued and waited for ages and ages to get all of 4 seconds. but also the role the family, the prince's vigil, the grandchildren . talk a little grandchildren. talk a little about how that struck you, because it really did at the time. i remember that very poignantly. it gives you the most powerful sense of the combination of the of the of the personal and the office . and you personal and the office. and you could you one of the things, again, that strike you repeatedly through this is and i speak as an atheist, repeatedly through this is and i speak as an atheist , people have speak as an atheist, people have a longing for a meaning goes

beyond themselves that gives some sort of structure to their life, their families life, their countries life and you don't just get it in grandiose historical documents. it's that what anthropologists call the liminal moments, birth death, marriage and what monarchy does course in the most dramatic fashion possible to combine the person and the gigantic , person and the gigantic, impersonal . and you could see it impersonal. and you could see it in the way people were reacting . the expression on the king's face. i mean, i think . i see the face. i mean, i think. i see the times when we i felt . one should times when we i felt. one should be inured to it and particularly having been on both sides the television camera and. but you could see that the tension i

think it was there , felt the think it was there, felt the tension most strongly between what he was going through privately and publicly . and privately and publicly. and finally, as he leads the festivities and attends and everything else that family's always done at christmas time as the head of that family, as well as, our head of state, he is surrounded by good people and true . he is he is surrounded by good people and true. he is he is also surrounded by family tension. christmas it's a time . we the christmas it's a time. we the fact that the tension with one of his sons . fact that the tension with one of his sons. um that i think we should all feel rather sad about . i think it is sad it is a it is a blemish. it's flaw. . i think it is sad it is a it is a blemish. it's flaw . and is a blemish. it's flaw. and it's a pity that it's been as brutally exploited as it has the queen now buried alongside beloved husband prince philip ,

beloved husband prince philip, her mother and her sister in the king george the seventh memorial chapelin king george the seventh memorial chapel in the grounds of windsor castle . so and there we have it castle. so and there we have it you've been watching, remembering our queen with me, alastair stewart . we will always alastair stewart. we will always remember her. despite this year's highs and lows we have to look forward to in 2023 under our new monarch. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. and i'll see you in the new year. looking ahead to tomorrow's weather around the uk will be wet and wintry . the north. wet and wintry. the north. brighter and milder in the south though there will be some showers. here are the details. starting off across scotland and here, it'll be a cloudy and wet start to the new year with outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow and some icy patches, too. also cloudy and wet for much of

northern ireland here too. there may be some sleet or snow, though mostly confined to the hills . heavy showers to watch hills. heavy showers to watch out for across north—west england as these push through on the brisk winds, we could have some very strong gusts . it's some very strong gusts. it's going to be a similar picture as look across liverpool and into the overnight clear skies will give sunny spells through the morning but also some squally showers. meanwhile the weather for the east midlands, first thing on this day is looking and often sunny , most albeit quite often sunny, most albeit quite blustery with temperatures down a touch on some recent days. that's the story as well across east anglia . whilst it will be east anglia. whilst it will be a dry and bright showers will push in during the day with temperatures rising , double temperatures rising, double figures , plenty of showery rain. figures, plenty of showery rain. for more counties. first thing on sunday, the strong winds gradually ease through the day , gradually ease through the day, though. some of the showers will be heavy the showery rain, sleet , snow will continue for northern. drier and brighter.

further south, though, some showers in the south—east. and that's how the weather is shaping up tomorrow morning .

happy new year's eve. i'm andrew doyle in mark dolan tonight. we've got a great lined up as we ring in the new year. we'll take a look at whether the bbc is guilty of promoting a partisan agenda. after a review found that they were filling shows with leftwing ideology. plus, after new year's honours after the new year's honours list was released with a few questions, making the cut. questions, names making the cut. is for my all star is time for reform? my all star panel will be debating that and more throughout the show and bnng more throughout the show and bring you a first look at tomorrow's front pages. we get them. but before that the them. but before all that is the news radisson . thanks

news with radisson. thanks andrew. here's the latest from