king right there on b.a.r.t. >> internationally famous. >> yeah. >> nice night for a night out? >> perhaps, you know, we got some cooling temperatures a little humid outside. seven-day forecast tomorrow keeps one more day of showers and more cooling heading towards midweek. >> people love hearing that. >> that's gnd join us now tonight, we're live from the united kingdom where king charles iii was officially proclaimed the monarch today. the history and the spectacle playing out for the first time for all the world to see the moment charles officially ascended to the throne the procession in the streets, with thousands packing into see it >> three cheers for his majesty, the king. hip hip hooray >> the new king outside the palace today, meeting with his people surprise appearance. the young royals united prince william and catherine, inviting harry and meghan to join them as they greet the public

>> thank you all for being here >> plus, the queen consular, camilla, by the king's side today. the new roles across the royal family also breaking tonight, russia's retreat. the stunning advances by ukraine the most territory they've retaken in six months ukrainian soldiers raising flags and the emotional videos as residents welcome them back in the u.s., the vicious wind and rain in southern california this plane skidding off the runway as it lands. and the queen's fina farewell the palace releases complete details for her funeral. how it will play out, the massive security push, and we take you to the queen's favorite place how they're remembering her now. >> announcer: this is a special edition of "nbc nightly news," the ascension of king charles iii, reporting tonight from scotland, tom llamas >> and good evening

from edinburgh, the capital of scotland. this will be the first stop in the queen's final farewell today we witnessed history that has played out for centuries, but never like this. it's been 70 years since britain had a new monarch. and unlike in the past, today the ascension of king charles iii was televised for all the world to see everyone now able to witness images that have only been seen by a select few going back hundreds of years. there was the special counsel proclaiming charles the king, the announcement outside, letting the country and the world know it was official and there was the grand pageantry in the streets, matched only by the huge crowds but it was another surprising image that's also making waves across the globe. take a look at this. prince william and catherine, side by side with harry and meghan our team is across the country to cover all of it tonight, but we begin with the history made today the end of one era and

the start of another >> reporter: king charles iii taking his first steps in public after officially being proclaimed the king today. greeting supporters right outside of buckingham palace. his wife, queen consort, camilla, also shaking hands. earlier today, the ancient ceremony, beamed around the world. king charles iii's ascension finally declared current and past uk political leaders at st. james' palace in london, including six of the former prime ministers, there to witness history. >> my mother gave an example of life-long love and of selfless service. >> reporter: the time-honored ritual, a meeting by the ascension counsel, and today for the first time, cameras have been allowed in the event. king charles saying he's dedicated to serve and carrying the responsibility of his new role >> in taking up these responsibilities, i shall strive to follow

the inspiring example i have been set in upholding constitutional government >> reporter: queen consort, camilla, present with the king's son, william, most noticeably, prince harry was not in the room. >> i, charles the iii -- >> reporter: taking an oath and later signing the proclamation, and appearing to express frustration with the lack of space on the table, and the pen tray that was in the way. the pen and the tray, a gift from his sons, william and harry. shortly after, outside, the proclamations read to the public for the first time, from the balcony by the garter king of arms >> prince charles philip arthur george is now by the death of our late sovereign of happy memory become our only lawful and rightful legionlord, charles iii. >> god save the king >> god save the king

>> reporter: pomp and circumstance, as the band played the national anthem. ♪ >> three cheers for his majesty, the king. >> hip hip -- >> hooray! >> reporter: and the the new king arriving back at buckingham palace, greeting other government leaders as the nation still mourns the loss of their queen, but also expressing support for their new king >> we're all wishing him well we really have to do that and we have to get behind him >> reporter: the new king ushered in by centuries-old traditions, connecting with the public in a modern way the crowds weren't just out in london today, but also outside windsor castle some 20 miles outside the city that is where prince william and catherine made their surprise appearance all the more astonishing because of who was with them. harry and meghan molly hunter was there when it happened

>> reporter: a surprise visit today at windsor castle, getting out of the same car, the new prince and princess of wales and harry and meghan the crowd, a thousand strong, astonished >> we didn't imagine all four of them to be together, but i think that was the queen's last wish. >> reporter: their grandmother's death bringing the brothers and their wives back together for the first time in years. but it was prince william who extended the invitation >> i saw all of them we were right by the barriers >> you saw all four very close >> she shook prince harry's hand >> what does this feel like >> it's such a somber moment, we are in a national mourning, but seeing all four of them together, what was that like for you? >> i think that was very special i was really surprised the four of them were together yeah, that's quite emotional, i think, being a brit, seeing the two brothers side by side. >> reporter: and the crowd's reaction, unexpected, contagious and joyful as the two couples made their way

down the long walk >> they'll never forgive me if i don't say hello. >> reporter: shaking hands, accepting flowers as they went >> it's quite unexpected >> it's amazing that they would come out today. >> and to see the brothers together. what is that like for you? >> they've been through a lot together and i think it's important that they get back together. >> reporter: it was the first time the new prince of wales has ventured out publicly since the queen's death. he has stood beside his father this morning at the ascension counsel. and in a statement, prince william says he plans to honor his grandmother's mother by supporting my father, the king, in every way i can. and the king clearly confident in his heir. >> with catherine beside him, our new prince and princess of wales will, i know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations. >> reporter: and with these new titles, his wife, kate, following ever more directly in princess diana's footsteps. but it's the heir to

the throne, william, who is now tasked with helping his father modernize the monarchy >> molly, i want to go back to that joint appearance today it really surprised the world, and i guess the big question tonight, is there any news on when or if we'll see the brothers together again >> reporter: tom, that is the big question. now, there are a number of opportunities where we might see the brothers together in the next week for example, as the queen's coffin moves through scotland, when she lies in state here in london, and of course, her funeral. tom? >> all right molly hunter from windsor tonight, we thank you. today's events the first of nine more days of ceremonies across the country people are coming from all over the world to be a part of it. all of it leading up to the queen's funeral. keir simmons is in london with more >> reporter: crowds crammed into the streets of london tonight, as they have all day, and for hundreds of years, on big royal occasions. >> really sad about the queen, but, yep, charles is king. >> everybody, you know, grieving

>> at st. james' palace, where a new king began writing the next royal chapter today, we met bill and debby kenny from boston, visiting london for the first time >> i think he's probably a little nervous. he wants to make sure that his people love him and respect him as they did his mother. >> this is a really hard thing to do this was his mother. and yet, not a beat passed and he became king >> reporter: st. james' palace has been the setting for some of the most important events in royal history. and today, for the new king's ascension ceremony it was built 500 years ago by henry viii, truly the weight of history on king charles' shoulders in the days ahead, britain's new monarch will tour the uk, first to scotland, then to northern ireland and on to wales. later next week, he'll return to london as his mother's body is taken by procession through the streets to lie in state finally, king charles

must attend her funeral, all while taking on the most important role of his life many tributes to the queen today, pointing to the many ways humor helped her through the year like when she struggled to cut a cake with a ceremonial sword. >> there is a knife if you want to -- >> i know there is >> reporter: or this spoof with the obamas and prince harry for the invictus games >> oh, really, please. >> boom. >> reporter: family anothe important support for her. she would have been delighted to see harry together with william this afternoon, as their father assumes the responsibility of monarchy with all of its restrictions carl wright, working for the commonwealth, met the queen many times. >> you mustn't speak your mind about political issues, you've got to keep neutral, you have to hold the whole country behind you regardless of politics. >> reporter: tonight, every world that king charles chooses is being studied. every expression scrutinized. we have been watching him his whole life,

yet he knows first impressions count. and keir, we also now have the official date for the queen's funeral? >> reporter: that's right, tom this funeral will take place on september 19th at westminster abbey. that's nine days from now. tom, between then and now, the royal family must navigate their personal grief and those sometimes strange relationships in private and in public tom? >> all of this as the world is going to be watching all right. keir simmons from london for us. keir, we thank you now to the other breaking news today. a stunning retreat by russia, from a key region in ukraine today, as ukrainian forces take back territory. the surprise move marks one of the biggest setbacks for russia since vladimir putin launched the invasion in february megan fitzgerald has the late details from ukraine. >> reporter: tonight, ukraine is on the offensive and quickly gaining ground, reclaiming the largest swath of russian-controlled territory since april, when forces pushed the russians out of the

outskirts of kyiv. president zelenskyy saying that ukraine has liberated at least 30 settlements and reclaimed nearly a thousand square miles of land around kharkiv, the country's second largest city, including taking back the town of isum, a strategically important railway hub that was seized by russian forces in the spring after a week-long battle the russians acknowledging they're pulling troops from kharkiv, but saying it's only to redeploy them to the east the united states praising ukraine's advancement. >> we see success in kherson now, we see some success in kharkiv. and so that's very, very encouraging >> reporter: the liberation emotional for ukrainians living under russian-controlled territory for months neighbors hugging and thanking ukrainian soldiers soviet-era flags are coming down, as ukrainian flags are being raised but there's still grave concern about europe's largest

nuclear plant that's rapidly deteriorating. as the fighting intensifies. >> let me be clear the shelling around zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant must stop. and the nuclear safety and security protection zone agreed immediately. >> all right, meghan joins us now live from kyiv tonight meghan, we know the u.n. inspectors have been on the ground at that nuclear power plant and it's clear they do not like what they've been seeing. >> reporter: yeah, tom. u.n. inspectors are calling the situation at the plant unsustainable. if conditions continue to worsen, they may be forced to shut the entire thing down. meanwhile, the shelling continues tom? >> all right meghan fitzgerald furs tonight. meghan, we thank you for that and we have much more ahead tonight here from the uk, while back at home the legal showdown between former president trump and the justice department takes a dramatic new turn. and extreme weather out west, as a

small plane crash lands off a runway into san diego bay stay with us

we are back now with the legal battle escalating tonight between former president trump and the justice department attorneys for both sides have submitted a list of candidates to serve as a court-appointed third party or special master to go over documents seized during the fbi search of mar-a-lago. josh letterman has the latest >> reporter: tonight a lega tug-of-war between the justice department and

former president trump's lawyers, over who should be appointed to sort through government documents the fbi seized from mar-a-lago and how broad their review should be the justice department proposing two retired federal judges for the role of special master, including one nominated by former president george w. bush, but mr. trump's team offering two different candidates, one a reagan nominee, and the other a former florida deputy attorney general trump's team arguing that the review should include all the documents seized by the fbi, while the justice department insists it could cover only unclassified documents. the special master will decide whether any of the documents are privileged and must be excluded from the federal criminal investigations into mr. trump's handling of classified information. >> we're on new ground here, because historically, special masters, when they're appointed in situations like this, are appointed to review attorneys' office search warrant executions, not the review of potentially executive privileged documents in a former president's home and office

>> reporter: in an exclusive interview with chuck todd for "meet the press," vice president kamala harris saying the white house won't weigh in on whether mr. trump should be charged, but adding -- >> people are going to demand justice and they rightly do. >> josh letterman joins us now from washington and josh, ultimately, it's the judge that's going to make that final decision on the special master correct? >> reporter: that's right. judge eileen i a trump nominee and she will also decide who will foot the bill prosecutors want trump's team to pay, while mr. trump says taxpayers should pay half, tom. >> okay, josh. our thanks to you for that a programming note, you can watch more of chuck todd's exclusive interview with vice president kamala harris tomorrow on "meet the press," right here on nbc. out west, parts of southern california are dealing with intense rain and punishing rain as the remnants of tropical storm kay move offshore san diego county reported record rainfall take a look at this.

and as that nasty weather slammed the region, a private jet crashed off a runway at the naval air station in san diego two people onboard, they somehow mentioned to walk away, but were taken to the hospital as a precaution. the ntsb is investigating if weather was a factor there. and we're back in a moment with more on camilla, now stepping into the title of queen consort. what will her new role be

we are back tonight, live from scotland and more on the dramatic changes within the royal family

king charles' wife, camilla, will now have the official title of queen consort, a role that just 20 years ago, many thought would never happen for her. kelly cobiella now with more on what this new title means and how the people here in the uk are reacting. >> reporter: a new king alongside his queen. camilla, queen consort, a job with no salary and no official duties the consort's most important role, to support the king in his first televised speech as monarch, king charles calling her his darling wife >> i know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty on which i have come to rely so much >> reporter: the pair have known each other since the 1970s. they married in 2005 like king charles, camilla also a divorcee, both with children and grandchildren. >> did he get down on

one knee to propose? >> reporter: back then, queen elizabeth worried that the public wouldn't approve of the person late princess diana called the third person in their marriage >> love the flowers. >> reporter: camilla quietly carried on the palace slowly reshaping her image. now royal patron to more than 90 charities, taking on tough topics, like domestic abuse, and sexual assault >> there is strength in unity >> reporter: a quarter of a century after diana's death, many attitudes have changed. what do people think of queen camilla here? >> i think people have really taken queen camilla to their hearts, as well. >> she's so right for charles. she is so right. and she's loved around here >> the whole family has accepted her, the queen accepted her >> reporter: queen camilla will be crowned alongside king charles, but she will

never lead the nation as queen prince william is heir to the throne. still, admirers see her new role as key to the king's reign kelly cobiella, nbc news, balmoral, scotland and when we come back, queen elizabeth spent countless vacations and holidays at her beloved balmoral castle in scotland we'll explain why scotland held such a special place in her heart.

here in scotland, queen elizabeth found joy and comfort spending many summers at balmoral castle with her family. in the days ahead, scotland will pay tribute to the land she loves so much. for queen elizabeth, scotland and balmoral castle meant so much just 500 miles from london, for her, it was a world away a retreat for her to be a wife, a mother -- >> queen elizabeth and prince philip proudly introduced prince andrew >> reporter: the sprawling estate site of the queen's most candid moments with her own children the nature soothing her soul but even here, her work never stopped greeting officials, like the uk's new prime minister, just days ago ♪ and now, scotland is preparing to be the first stop in the queen's long good-bye. >> people have already started to line the streets here in edinborough, and it'

expected that the hears carrying the queen's coffin will come up this path here, it's known as the royal mile and take the queen's coffin into st. john's cathedral. the security presence in some parts is massive, like thousands of others today, we made our way to holyroodhouse the official residence of the queen of scotland people peering through palace gates and by the entrance rows of flowers and tears. >> we saw you put some flowers. how come you wanted to come out here? >> i wanted to show my respect to the queen >> and mom >> i'm quite emotional, i love the queen, so. >> reporter: young and old coming to say good-bye and in poignant tribute, we saw this 77-year-old fred mobeck, laying flowers and saying a prayer. when you said th prayer, what did you say? >> rest in peace and rise. >> glory >> reporter: rest in peace and rise in glory, a prayer almost like the queen herself, small but so powerful

scotland now ready to say good-bye to the queen. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday i'm tom llamas for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching good night right now at 6:00, smoke and haze challenging crews in a tough position as a fire continues to grow near lake tahoe. the impact it could have on our

air quality in the bay area. plus the final sweep under way, efforts to clean up a homeless encampment in the south bay continue. people living there were surprised by what happened today. the beginning of a new era. the royal family coming together to remember queen elizabeth as king charles' reign officially begins. the news at 6:00 starts now. thanks for joining us. >> a significant challenge for fire crews tonight as the mosquito fire is growing west of lake tahoe. it sparked tuesday and has spread to more than 33,000 acres in el dorado and placer counties. it's now the largest fire of the season so far. crews say it grew significantly overnight partly because of heavy smoke. cloudy visibility makes it hard to attack from the air. firefighters are hoping cooler temperatures this weekend will help crews slow it down. and smoke from the fire is