'This Week' Transcript 9-11-22: U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Jane Hartley

A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday, September 11, 2022 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors. For previous show transcripts, visit the "This Week" transcript archive.

MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC HOST: It's the dawn of a new era. The United Kingdom has a new King. Charles III after the death of brittle Britain’s beloved Queen Elizabeth II. Live from London, a special edition of “This Week” starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUEEN ELIZABETH II: I declare before you all with my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.

RADDATZ (voiceover): A seminal moment for the United Kingdom and the world as the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II comes to an end.

LIZ TRUSS, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: She was the rock on which modern Britain was built.

BORIS JOHNSON, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: She showed the world how to give, how to love, and how to serve.

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE: We will remember the values she never ceased to embody. The moral fortitude of democracy and freedom.

RADDATZ: And historic friend of the United States, a champion of democracies around the globe.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II: The Atlantic unites not divides us. Ours is a partnership always to be reckoned with in the defense of freedom and the spread of prosperity.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in their grief.

RADDATZ: Prince Charles becomes King Charles III. The weight of the monarchy now on his shoulders.

KING CHARLES III: As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I, too, now solemnly pledge myself to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.

RADDATZ: What's ahead for America’s closest ally? And how will this seismic shift shape things back home? We cover all the angles this morning with the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K., Jane Hartley, Maggie Rulli at Balmoral Castle, Amy Robach in Scotland, and Ian Pannell and James Longman here outside Buckingham Palace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: From ABC News, this is a special ed edition of "This Week" reporting live from London, co-anchor Martha Raddatz.

RADDATZ (on camera): Good morning and welcome to "This Week."

We join you this morning from London where a nation in mourning has welcomed a new King while preparing to say good-bye to its longest reigning monarch.

There's the coffin bearing Queen Elizabeth II. The procession departing for Edinburgh a short time ago from Balmoral Castle in Scotland where she died Thursday.

Buckingham Palace has announced 10 days of commemorations for the Queen, culminating in a state funeral to be held at Westminster Abbey next Monday. President Biden has confirmed he will be attending.

Yesterday the Queen's son, King Charles III, was officially proclaimed Britain’s new sovereign in a historic ceremony that was televised for the first time. He paid tribute to his mother's seven decade reign and earlier pledged lifelong service to Britain in his first address at monarch.

Members of parliament also took their oath of allegiance to the new King yesterday, who now faces the difficult task of balancing tradition with progress. His own ideas of the monarchy, and steadying a family rocked by recent upheavals. His sons William and Harry and their wives coming together for the first time since June.

UNKNOWN MALE: You've got opinion --

RADDATZ: This morning we'll reflect on the Queen's remarkable life, her unparalleled legacy and challenges ahead for the new King as the end of the second Elizabethan era further deepens a period of uncertainty and anxiety for the kingdom Charles now leads.

Our coverage begins with Amy Robach in Edinburgh, Maggie Rulli at Balmoral Castle. We’ll start with Maggie. Good morning, Maggie.

MAGGIE RULLI, ABC NEWS FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning, Martha. Yes, we were standing right here watching as the Queen's coffin made its way down this road leaving Balmoral Castle for the final time and just knowing that she’ll never be back here in this place that she so loved, often called her favorite. It was emotional.

We saw through the car windows Princess Anne and the look of pure grief and heartache on her face was a reminder that this moment isn't just about a nation grieving for their Queen but also about a family grieving for their mother, their grandmother, their great-grandmother.

As her coffin right now is making its way to Scotland through those back country roads, more than 100 miles, stopping in small Scottish towns, we’re seeing such an outpouring of love, thousands and thousands of people coming out to line the streets.

And, Martha, what’s been so striking being up here in Balmoral for the last few days is witnessing this special relationship that the royal family has with the community here. We’ve spoken with so many that called them their neighbors, saying things like the then Prince Charles walked into the local bakery to buy a loaf of bread or they would see the Queen driving herself around town, giving the locals a wave.

As one woman put it, she said, you know, right now we’re not just grieving the death of a Queen, we’re grieving the death of a neighbor. And, I think, Martha, that as we see this outpouring of grief and of love today in Scotland, it's really just a glimpse of the outpouring of grief and love we're going to see throughout the entire week to come.

RADDATZ: That’s true. We will. Thanks, Maggie Rulli.

Let's bring in Amy Robach who’s in Edinburgh. And, Amy, the Queen's arrival there sets in motion nearly 10 days of public tributes leading to her state funeral next Monday.

AMY ROBACH, ABC NEWS REPORTER: That’s right, Martha, and Buckingham Palace has announced that the Queen has -- her funeral will, again, take place next Monday, September 19th, and ahead of that, there is a significant amount on the schedule for the royal family.

We know that the Queen's coffin is on the way, we’ve just been showing you, to Holyroodhouse, that’s right here in Edinburgh, just a short distance from where I’m standing right now. That is the official residence of the monarchs when they’re in Scotland. It’ll remain there until tomorrow afternoon. And I can tell you firsthand, we have seen barricades, we have seen those gates up along the streets, an increased police presence as well in anticipation of the crowds that are expected to be here.

Now, tomorrow there will be a procession along what's called the “Royal Mile,” that is headed to St. Giles’ Cathedral, which is a short distance down here. Members of the royal family are expected to be there, including the King, to receive the coffin and to allow people to pay their respects. She will lie in rest here in Scotland for that period of time. And, again, the people who have come here, who live here, will be able to pay homage to the Queen.

Now, on Tuesday the Royal Air Force is going to fly her coffin to Buckingham Palace, accompanied by Princess Anne. She will then lie in state at Westminster Hall for four days. This will be open to the public so people there in London will also be able to pay their respects and the crowds are expected to stretch for miles and miles, as you might imagine. People coming to London to see the Queen finally.

And then, once again, that official state funeral will take place a week from Monday, and the royal -- the mourning period, of course, will continue until then.

Martha?

RADDATZ: And Amy, I really am thinking of King Charles. The new King, really, is balancing the mourning of his mother with his new official responsibilities this week.

ROBACH: Yes, and he has a significant amount of responsibilities. He is very, very busy. He will be at Buckingham Palace today, he’s going to be addressing parliament at Westminster Hall tomorrow, of course, taking on those Kingly duties. Then he will make his way right here to Edinburgh as I mentioned. A lot of people anticipating that, having the King come to this city and he will, again, be leading that prayer service at St. Giles’ Cathedral, Martha.

RADDATZ: Thanks very much to you, Amy, and to Maggie. Thanks to both of you this morning.

People from around the world have gathered here outside Buckingham Palace to pay their respects to her Majesty. A familiar face to millions around the planet. The massive crowds and the breadth of tributes from global leaders, another reminder of Queen Elizabeth’s out-sized legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RADDATZ (voiceover): For seven decades, Queen Elizabeth guided Britain through a remarkable arc of history. From the post-war European recovery through a new millennium preserved throughout the (inaudible), the grandeur that helped keep the monarchy relevant. But Queen Elizabeth was not all about ceremony. As head of state making more than 270 foreign trips, and back home, working with 15 different British prime ministers.

Just days ago, greeting the newest prime minister, Liz Truss.

TRUSS: The United Kingdom is the great country it is today because of her.

RADDATZ: Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years of leadership, the stability of Britain. Helping to shape the strong ties between the U.K. and the U.S. Meeting 13 sitting U.S. presidents. She was the first monarch to ever address the U.S. Congress.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II, UNITED KINGDOM: I want to take this opportunity to express the gratitude of the British people to the people of the United States of America.

RADDATZ: The Queen was also head of the Commonwealth - 56 independent countries, accounting for nearly a third of the world's population.

UNKNOWN MALE: The Queen was the first reigning sovereign to set foot on Australian soil.

RADDATZ: But through these years, the Queen confronted the reality of progress and change outside and within the monarchy.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II: Institutions which in turn must continue to evolve if they are to provide effective beacons of trust and unity to succeeding generations.

RADDATZ (voice-over): That mantle now on the shoulders of her son, now King Charles III, who is pledging to carry his mother's legacy forward.

KING CHARLES III, UNITED KINGDOM: My mother's reign was unequalled in its duration, its dedication, and its devotion. I’m deeply aware of this great inheritance, and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty, which have now passed to me.

RADDATZ: The new king spent much of his lifetime preparing for the job, from charity work to surprise visits to British troops abroad and efforts to combat climate change. But today at a time of instability in Britain, growing polarization, and questions about the relevancy of this constitutional monarchy, King Charles faces enormous challenges without the domestic popularity and global embrace that his mother held dear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RADDATZ: We are joined now in London by the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, Jane Hartley.

It is good to see you this morning, Madam Ambassador.

JANE HARTLEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED KINGDOM: Good to see you, Martha.

RADDATZ: Britain, of course, our closely ally. We’ve had prime ministers come and go, but the queen was really the stability. President Biden calling it up matched dignity and constancy.

How significant do you see this loss?

HARTLEY: Oh, I see it as very, very significant. When it was announced on the television, I happened to be at Winfield House, which is home of the U.S. ambassador. And my staff and my team were there, both Americans and U.K., everybody immediately burst into tears.

She truly was a part of everybody's life. Everybody talked about where they had met her, where they had seen her. You know, she was very much out in the community. And children, grandchildren, parents, she was loved, and it was -- 70 years, 70 years.

Her first prime minister was when -- the first prime minister was Winston Churchill and the last, Liz Truss.

RADDATZ: And you've been here just since May, but you did have a chance to meet the queen?

HARTLEY: I did, and she was absolutely wonderful. It was actually -- I presented credentials at Buckingham Palace to her. It was the hottest day in London history. A horse-drawn carriage was supposed to pick me up, but they called right before saying it was too hot for the horses. So she sent a car, her own car to get me, which was so gracious.

And in our audience -- you know, she was very substantive. So, there was a lot of, obviously, policy discussed. But she really cared about, was I happy? Did I fit into London? Was I being welcomed?

I told her I brought my dog and that made her very happy.

RADDATZ: What policy did you discuss? What kinds of things did you discuss in terms of policy?

HARTLEY: Well, you never talk about an audience with the queen, but I will say is, you know, she was interested in foreign policy, of the issues. Obviously, the U.K. and U.S. are working so closely together, particularly on Ukraine.

She actually asked a lot of questions about our domestic politics and she was unbelievably informed and always gracious and warm.

RADDATZ: She was enormously popular, but the polls have shown Charles doesn't quite have that capital. So how does he navigate this going forward?

HARTLEY: You know, I think that he is -- he's both a link to the past and a bridge to the future.

I think if you watched his speech, his inaugural speech is what we would call it, he touched everything perfectly. He touched his love for his mother, but also his love for his country, and his sense of duty to the country. And I think she instilled in that -- him in that, and I think he, too, has been preparing for this role for many, many years, and he's been out in the community.

So I think it will be interesting what he does, because I think he will be a bridge to the future.

RADDATZ: The queen's death comes at a time of great uncertainty here in the United Kingdom, a brand new prime minister, after some upheaval. You've got inflation here. Do you have concerns about the U.K.?

HARTLEY: No. I have no concerns about the UK. Our special relationship is truly special. They're our most important ally in the world, as we see, in particular what we're doing on Ukraine together, and there's a seamless sharing of information, our military, our security. There's a huge amount of trust. We work really, really well together.

RADDATZ: The queen did not talk about politics certainly in public. Charles has been -- King Charles has been more outspoken -- actually, Prince Charles was more outspoken.

HARTLEY: Uh-huh.

RADDATZ: King Charles, not so – not so much yet. But what do you expect? Can he be more outspoken? Is that the future?

HARTLEY: On that question I don’t know. I mean I thought it was interesting in his speech that he said all of the charities that had been so committed to, he was obviously no longer going to do. So I think, at least initially, he will follow his mother's example. But he does care deeply a lot -- about a lot of these issues, especially young people, which I have the deepest respect for him for doing.

RADDATZ: And just quickly, you and I were talking briefly beforehand. What is the fascination with Americans about the royals? Is it just the soap opera of it all or is there something deeper?

HARTLEY: I think, obviously, there is a soap opera, but I think there’s more than that. I think it's the dedication that the queen had to an institution and to a country. And she had that dedication for over – for 70 years. You just don't see that, that much in politics these days. And I think Americans really respected it.

RADDATZ: They seem to. Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

HARTLEY: Martha, great to see you.

RADDATZ: As we noted, Queen Elizabeth famously never publicly revealed what she really believed. Who she liked. Who she didn’t like. She was a constitutional monarch who stayed above the fray and out of politics.

But as Charles takes the throne, could the new monarch bring a different approach to his reign?

Joining us now is James Longman, our foreign correspondent, and ABC News royal contributor Andrew Morton, who has published several biographies of the queen.

Thanks very much for joining us this morning, gentlemen.

I want to start with you, James. You have – you have taken note of this all week. She was the queen as much of an institution as the monarchy itself. What was her biggest mark on the country, from your view?

JAMES LONGMAN, ABC NEWS FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: I feel her biggest mark was that she tried very hard not to make too much of a mark at all. She was a constant force for stabilization during, you know, decades of political and social upheaval. And she was kind of a sponge for the nation's emotions. So I feel like very – very, you know, I feel very keenly that that was her greatest contribution. But, also, she managed to take monarchy from the age of empire into the 21st century. She did bring us into her home with television cameras. She was the first to do that. She was the first to do walkabouts, meeting the public. Seeing Charles in the image of his mother in that respect.

But I think, overall and above everything, was her ability to show she felt something, but not tell us what she thought about anything.

RADDATZ: What else did she affect, Andrew? I know she didn't want to make that mark and be about her, but what else did she affect day to day?

ANDREW MORTON, ROYAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I mean, she was part of our lives. She was impregnable. She was amusable. She was a lot like the white cliffs of Dover, she – she – her very existence gave comfort in a chaotic world.

And I think that one of the aspects of her that we’ve -- we neglect is that she was an archetypal mother. And we saw that when Diana died. People wanted their mother, as it were, to come back and comfort them. And I think that’s – that was an understated but a very important part of her duties.

RADDATZ: But she did have this weekly meeting with prime ministers. Do we have any idea what went on in that? Any idea what was discussed?

MORTON: Well, I’ll – I mean it's very interesting. Both Liz Truss and King Charles III are seasoned old pros. They’ve been around the block a few times. So they’ll know what's expected of them.

A big contrast when a young Queen Elizabeth II first -- met her first prime minister, Winston Churchill, who she was dumbstruck in his presence and he was sobbing because of his presence with (INAUDIBLE). He eventually became great friends and great confidants, but it took a long time. And it will be exactly the same with Truss and the king. The prime minister will be -- and the new monarch will be feeling each other out and seeing what interests them and what intrigues them.

RADDATZ: And, James, did her gender impact her influence? This 25-year-old young woman in a man's world.

LONGMAN: Yes.

RADDATZ: Very much a man's world.

LONGMAN: I think it did. I don't think she would have felt – she would absolutely not have said that she was a feminist. She was above the political fray. The wasn't her style. She absolutely wasn't a campaigner the way her son has been throughout his tenure at the prince of Wales, and, obviously, that's got to change.

But if you think about some of Britain best and greatest monarchs, many of them have been women. I'm thinking of Elizabeth I and Victoria. And I think womanhood does play a role in this. I think there is a power in that. But the very fact of her gender not really meaning anything for the role was somehow powerful in and of itself. We looked past the fact that she was a woman and she was just this great, great monarch.

RADDATZ: And speaking of monarch, the world's changed quite a bit. What does Charles have to do to keep the monarchy relevant or survive even?

MORTON: Well, that's -- that's a very good word. He's got to use the capital that's been left by the queen to make the monarchy more inclusive, more -- and relevant to modern Britain.

So, for example, he -- he's going to have to really embrace all faiths in Britain. He's talked about being the defender of faith, not just the faith, not just the Protestant faith. So there's that. And I can -- I can quite see, over the next few months, he'll be visiting Hindu temples and so on, to really make that message known around the country.

RADDATZ: James, do you see him becoming more outspoken?

LONGMAN: Absolutely not. I think we got that from the -- his address. He's quite clear that everyone expects that of him and he doesn't want to be that person.

But I think we know a lot more about this king than we ever did, obviously, about the queen. The queen was able to close the door before the cameras started rolling. And Charles is on the other side of that door. We've known everything about him for the last 73 years.

But what I would say is that he's very plugged in, in a way people don't realize. The Prince's Trust has helped something like 900,000 young people get real jobs. It's not just charity for charity's sake. He understands social issues in this country. So making the monarchy relevant, to that point, I think he's actually better placed to do that than his mother was.

RADDATZ: And just a final question to you both, but to start with you, Andrew. Queen Elizabeth stood for, as people say, decency, tolerance, humility.

So how would you answer that in regards to King Charles?

MORTON: King Charles III, service with a capital S. And he's pledged his life to service. And that's what we're going to see over the next few years. We're not going to see a man dabbling in politics. He'll leave that to his second in command, the Prince of Wales, Prince William. He'll be the one who does the heavy political lifting now.

RADDATZ: And James?

LONGMAN: He understands the power of the team. He's always understood it. He knows William is -- is very popular. He knows Kate -- I mean, that's why it's so important who marries who in this family. Kate really is now, arguably, one of the most popular members of the royal family, if not the most popular member. So the team -- he'll know the team is important.

RADDATZ: Thanks very much to both of you.

MORTON: Thank you.

RADDATZ: There's much more ahead this morning from London, but first, major developments in the war in Ukraine, Russian forces suddenly in disarray and retreat. Ian Pannell joins us with that. Plus, the roundtable weighs in on all the week's politics and of course the story here in Britain that has drawn the world's attention.

(UNKNOWN): This is BBC News from London. Buckingham Palace has announced the death of Her Majesty...

(UNKNOWN): We are coming on the air with somber news from Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth II has died.

(UNKNOWN): And the U.K.'s longest serving monarch has died at Balmoral, aged 96.

(UNKNOWN): (SPEAKING IN FRENCH)

(UNKNOWN): (SPEAKING IN ARABIC)

(UNKNOWN): The queen served her nation throughout the Commonwealth. But she touched people around the world.

(UNKNOWN): The impact of her death will reverberate across the Commonwealth and the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RADDATZ: Tributes from around the world, and a a look at the White House flag at half staff in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, who was following global events right to her last days, including the war in Ukraine, which took a significant turn this weekend after a lightning advance from the Ukrainians liberated a strategically important city in the northeast and could stop Russia's goal of taking eastern Ukraine.

Here's ABC's Tom Soufi Burridge now with the latest.

TOM SOUFI BURRIDGE, ABC NEWS FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: This week, a major breakthrough for Ukraine in the northeast, its forces advancing quickly through the Russian lines.

Wrecked Russian vehicles lining the roads. Russian forces caught off guard, apparently in disarray.

UNKNOWN MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)

BURRIDGE: Ukrainian troops liberating cities and the Ukrainian flag flying once again.

A senior Ukrainian official telling ABC News, “the operation was thoroughly planned and everything was running to schedule.”

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

BURRIDGE: But overnight, President Zelenskyy saying his forces have liberated over 700 square miles of territory in just the past 10 days, claiming Russian troops were running away, calling it a good choice.

And this, the biggest prize so far. Ukrainian forces entering the strategically important city of Izium. Without Izium, Putin’s goal of capturing all of Ukraine’s neighboring eastern Donbas region will be even harder.

In newly liberated villages, Ukrainian police digging up bodies. Fresh war crimes investigations now under way.

This week Ukrainian military command saying drones are playing a crucial role in counter offenses in the east and the south.

BURRIDGE (on camera): We’re with the Ukrainian Reconnaissance Unit just outside Zaporizhzhia and these guys' main job is to work out where the Russian positions are so they can call in the strikes.

BURRIDGE (voiceover): And this morning, a real sense of crisis at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The last remaining reactor shot down overnight, shelling in the area cutting off the last remaining external power supply. So the plant is now only stable because of diesel generators and the rick of a nuclear catastrophe real.

The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, with officials now based at the plant with this desperate appeal --

RAFAEL MARIANO GROSSI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY: A nuclear power plant can never be a pawn of war. Its fate must not be decided by military means.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURRIDGE (on camera): Yes, Martha, what's striking about this advance is the speed at which the Ukrainian military has been taking territory. It also seems that the Ukrainians have captured a ton of abandoned Russian military equipment and ammo, another sign that the Russians left in a hurry. This is a protracted war. It probably has a long way to run, but this is a really big moment. Martha?

RADDATZ: Tom Soufi Burridge in Ukraine. Thanks to him.

Let’s bring in our Chief Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell, who joins us now.

And Ian, you have spent more time in Ukraine than anyone. This is a pretty extraordinary turn of events. How significant do you see it?

IAN PANNELL, ABC NEWS CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, I agree. I think it is the most significant event since the Russians were forced to withdraw from around the Capital Kyiv back in April earlier this year. At the time, they talked about it being a reallocation of troops, a regrouping. They’re using the same phrases now. This is huge.

The amount of territory they’ve taken is more than 3,000 square kilometers, that’s something like over 1,100 square miles in a matter of days.

RADDATZ: How did they do it?

PANNELL: A number of factors. I think the key one was the Ukrainians announced that they were going to target their offensive in the south in Kherson and that led to the Russians pulling a lot of their best forces away from Izium, away from these areas around Kharkiv, relocated them there. So they were vulnerable. They didn't backfill, they didn’t have the support there. And the Ukrainians planned, they saw the weakness, and they struck.

RADDATZ: And --

They lost massive amounts of equipment. Supply lines have broken down because of this. So what do they do now and what does Vladimir Putin do?

The options don't look great. There are very, very few. They're in real trouble right now. In defensive positions everywhere, because what this offensive means, it doesn't just mean north of the country. It frees up Ukrainian troops to now push down into Donbas. The eastern part of the country, all of that territory Ukrainians had to creed to the Russians, now Ukrainians are on the front foot looking to retake key places. Talking a Russians taking Luhansk. One-half of the Donbas. Don't have it now. Have majority but still on the back foot. Putin hasn't many options.

Talked about this over and over as being a war of attrition. It still is. This does not end anything, do you think?

On one level it doesn't. It shows and teaches, it's not a static conflict. It is a war of attrition, but every time one side or another makes a gain, we leap from one direction to the other saying, well, Russians are on the front foot. Took the Donbas. Ukrainians having real problems. Now looks the other way around. I genuinely believe Russia has a bigger problem here. Can't resupply its troops, doesn't have troop rotations, lacking in equipment and on defensive everywhere Ukraine getting huge help from United States and other countries around the world and momentum is on their side.

RADDATZ: And, Ian, I -- I do want to turn to the death of the queen. I know you first met her, you told us a wonderful story about first meeting her in 1993 as a very young reporter, I’m sure. And also King Charles when he was prince, you were in Afghanistan with him.

This is really a time of reckoning for him. What do you see?

IAN PANNELL, ABC NEWS CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, he’s got huge shoes to fill. You know, what struck me about meeting the queen was her ability to put people at ease, to touch everybody, and to kind of fill a room with her presence, and kind of sprinkle royal fairy dust, if you like.

Charles has got a much bigger problem, because he doesn't have the credit in the bank that his mother did, that the queen did. And he will be under a lot of pressure, a lot of scrutiny in the coming days.

But what I learned in Afghanistan is, his public figure, he can seem rather aloof, rather stuffy. But actually, when you talk to him, he's very engaged and very engaging. He knows his topic. He’s good very at meeting people. But he led --

RADDATZ: Both of his sons served as well.

PANNELL: Both of his sons served, but he’s led a privileged life and Britain has changed substantially since when his mother was coronated. He will have to meet that challenge.

RADDATZ: Hey, it’s always great to see you, Ian Pannell, wherever we are in the world.

Much more ahead on Queen Elizabeth's life and legacy as our special edition of "This Week" live from London continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RADDATZ: As the United Kingdom marks ten days of solemn ceremony here, the U.S. is also marking the 21st anniversary of the September 11th attacks today.

For more on that and all the news back home, Terry Moran is in Washington -- Terry.

TERRY MORAN, ABC NEWS SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Martha.

We’ll be talking about that anniversary and much more. The midterm elections just 60 days away now. We'll be right back with the roundtable after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORAN: That was the scene at Ground Zero just a short time ago. It's been 21 years since the 9/11 attacks.

Queen Elizabeth once said right afterwards, grief is the price we pay for love. That was her message of support after that attack.

Let's bring in our roundtable now.

Former DNC chair Donna Brazile is with us, "New York Times" White House and national security correspondent David Sanger, "Washington Post" political correspondent Mary Jordan and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Welcome all.

Chris, let me begin with you. We’re going to get to politics in just a moment, but Queen Elizabeth, a world leader for so long but of a very different kind than Americans are used to. No hard power really in being a queen. And yet how do you think she served her country and the world? And what lessons for other leaders are there in the way she did it?

CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I heard someone say recently, and I agreed with it, she was her nation's mother. And she evolved into that, obviously, over years because she went – came into the job extraordinarily young because of the premature death of her father. But she provided a sense of stability, a sense of guidance, a sense of calm during some very turbulent times in Great Britain and the world. And so I think that's what she provided. And it’s going to be very interesting to see her son – now, remember, we knew nothing about her when her father died. She was not prepared to be queen. Charles, as you and I were discussing off-air, has been preparing for it nearly 70 years. And we know everything about him. His broken marriage. His difficulties with his parents and all the rest. Will he be able to be the same time of symbol for Great Britain or will he have to change? I think that’s going to be interesting to watch.

MORAN: Hmm. All eyes on him.

And, Donna, you know, I was struck that this week, she was queen at the time Britain ended its role as a serious colonial power. And like all colonial histories, it’s got a tough one. Genuine accomplishments scarred by crimes as well. And yet all around the world, ordinary people, who used to be her subjects, seemed really sad about her departure.

DONNA BRAZILE, FORMER DNC CHAIR & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: You know, no matter what your beef might be with the monarchy and the fact that when I hear even now watching some of the pictures, her subjects, she was a queen that wanted to be with her people, to be aligned with their values. She understood her duty, her responsibility, and yet, at the same time, I think most people would understand that this was a role that she was not in line for, but she -- she took on this responsibility. You know, I think about her as I think about Queen Victoria, because she was strong. She had a sense of history. Imagine meeting 13 U.S. presidents, 15 prime ministers, including now three women -- I mean, we haven't had that in America -- and five Popes -- five.

So God bless the Queen. May she rest in -- in peace. May her memory be a blessing. But also, I would hope that King Charles II can rule in a different way.

CHRISTIE: Third.

BRAZILE: Govern.

The third? He's the third?

KARL: He's the third.

CHRISTIE: Charles the second...

(CROSSTALK)

BRAZILE: See, I don't know all my -- my history, but that's OK.

CHRISTIE: They axed him.

BRAZILE: Let's not do that.

(LAUGHTER)

MORAN: So, Mary, you lived in London and you got to meet the queen. I'm going to ask what anyone would ask, what was she like?

MARY JORDAN, WASHINGTON POST NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think the part of her that is harder to see is her thriftiness and her mischievousness. So I met her in Buckingham Palace, because she invited some Americans over, because she was going to America. And she has a special interest in the States.

I mean, people will tell you, the diplomats, British diplomats and Americans, that she wanted to know what was going on in Congress. She wanted to know what was going on with Trump and Biden. I mean, she was on the phone asking. She -- so before she came to the United States, she had this little gathering in Buckingham Palace.

I mean, it's over-the-top opulent, priceless paintings, and there she is. She's not fancy. She was -- you know, this is a woman that uses Tupperware in the kitchen. Right? And so that came across, and also, like, you are told, you know, "OK, you're going to go up now, and you can speak with her."

And so we were in this little horseshoe. And who did she go to first? She went to the younger rowers, American rowers, who were over there, and said, "Can I see your hands?" Because she's just so down to earth. She wanted to see the callouses because she knew, if they were rowers. And there it began. And she, you know, she started laughing. And there was an American guy, and she said, "What do you do?" And he said, "I import waffle mix." And she started laughing. You know?

(LAUGHTER)

And she just had this little twinkle. I think she's -- she's funnier than you think. I think the big challenge for her son is, you know, he's not known to be thrifty, and she is.

MORAN: And he'll have to be.

(LAUGHTER)

Well, from Queen Elizabeth, you mentioned the former president, Donald Trump. Let's talk about the search at Mar-a-Lago and all the legal battle that's come out.

And, Chris, I want to call on your experience on that. The judge in this case, or in the case that the Trump team brought, has appointed a special master to look over all the material that was seized out of Mar-a-Lago. The Justice Department is appealing. And former Attorney General Bill Barr said that that was a deeply flawed ruling.

What do you make of it and the Justice Department's chances?

CHRISTIE: Well, look, I think the Justice Department's chances are pretty good. And I think they are because their main thrust is that some of these may be covered by executive privilege. Well, there's only one executive who can assert the privilege, and that's the one who is the current executive, Joe Biden. A previous executive can't assert executive privilege. They're not the executive any longer.

Biden will not assert executive privilege over these documents. And I think the idea that some of these documents are somehow attorney-client privilege is going to be a bit of a reach. And I think they're going to have to show, in some respect, they have a good-faith basis to make that claim.

So I think, for one, I think the DOJ probably has a pretty good chance on appeal. But I think we also should take a step back, Terry, because I remember all the hysteria when this first search was done. And I was on the show saying we should wait and see why DOJ did this.

It's not only the nature of the documents. We now have a good idea of the timeline. This has been 16 months that the Department of Justice has been saying please, asking nicely, negotiating with his attorneys, taking up partial production, seeing a non-response to a subpoena. They had no choice, in my view, but to go in and take them, because of the nature of the documents.

I'll say one -- one quick note. When you have SCI information, secure compartmentalized information, as the U.S. Attorney, when I had to review that in the post-9/11 era, I had to go into a special room called the SCIF to review it. I couldn't take pictures. I couldn't take anything with me. He had that in the top drawer at Mar-a-Lago in his desk. That's a problem. I don't think he'll be prosecuted for it, but we ought to get those documents back.

MORAN: Let's talk about that. David, few people know more about this area of national security than you. How serious is this? What should ordinary Americans think about the documents that Trump had and the impact that it has an our national security?

SANGER: Well, the first thing is, we've never seen a case before where a president took these documents with them. President Obama, when he was working on his memoirs, had to go ask for documents to be brought over. And they would be, you know, in a special container and, as the governor has said, you know, examined in a SCIF or some secure position.

Second, it’s the things we don’t know right now that actually affect what the national security implications are. There are empty folders that seem to have held classified documents but had no classified documents in them. Were those already given back? Are they elsewhere? Are they on another Trump property? Did they get into the hands of somebody that did not have authority to go see them?

Those are all the issues that, as you know, when there are other leaks not involving a President of the United States, there are bipartisan demands for investigation.

The other oddity here is the president's -- former president's, claim -- episodic claim that he declassified all of these, for which there is, right now, no evidence. In fact, on those classified documents recovered, they still had the cover sheet showing you they’re secret or top secret or SCI, as the governor said. One would think if you went through a declassification process, those would be gone.

MORAN: Let’s talk about the political implications of this. Especially after, Donna, President Biden has made MAGA Republicanism, as he calls it, one of the central focuses of the Democrats’ campaign, calling it extremist and a threat to democracy.

And here’s Donald Trump taking center stage again, in some ways, with this search and fighting it. Well, is that a good idea for Democrats to fight this on -- on this ground in part?

DONNA BRAZILE, ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I think the president is trying to alert the American people that we have a threat, and that threat is the extremism, and the MAGA movement is an extremist movement that embrace conspiracy theories, that do not support or adhere to the rule of law.

MORAN: But is it a winning political argument?

BRAZILE: Oh, the Democrats have so many things to campaign on. I was looking just the other day, and I’m like, my God. Now I finally got a whole page. Okay? So, yes. We're going to talk about the threats to our democracy. We're going to talk about what the Biden/Harris administration has done to improve American lives. Over 9 million jobs created.

Everything is on the table, but the MAGA movement is a threat. I don't say Republicans. Chris, you know why? Because you're a -- you're a -- you're a commonsense --

CHRIS CHRISTIE, ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Easy --

BRAZILE: -- Republican.

CHRISTIE: -- easy there.

MORAN: You're got to get him in trouble.

BRAZILE: No, I'm not -- no, you're common sense.

CHRISTE: Yes.

BRAZILE: We don’t agree. You and I have differences, but you're not going out there marching up against the Capitol. When you were defeated, you left office. I mean --

CHRISTIE: I was never defeated, by the way.

BRAZILE: No, but you know what I'm saying. You ran -- when you ran for the presidency.

CHRISTIE: Yes. Yes.

BRAZILE: The point I’m making is that President Biden did the right thing in calling out these extremists.

CHRISTIE: I have three things on this. The first is, if the Democrats think that it's a winning argument for them in the midterms to do what the president did during that speech, and attack -- personally attack, the people who have supported Donald Trump, 74 million of them, who voted for him in 2020, as a politician, I say, great. Go get ‘em.

Go get ‘em, Mr. President. Because what people don't like, Donna, in politics, and you know this, is people who govern against brands. He ran to be a uniter. He ran and said he was going to bring the country back together. Then he stood on that stage with a blatantly red background surrounded by Marines and attacked 74 million people.

(CROSSTALK)

CHRISTIE: If you watch --

(CROSSTALK)

MORAN: You're not a MAGA Republican. Did you feel attacked?

CHRISTIE: I did. Because I voted for Donald Trump in 2020.

MORAN: All right.

CHRISTIE: So, you know, I think it was wrong of the president to do that.

And I think the last piece of this is -- that in the end, we see a Republican Party that is evolving. I do. And what matters and what's going to matter here and what the Democrats who are so concerned about the threat of democracy, the most cynical, horrible thing I’ve seen is the money they’re putting into Republican primaries to try to nominate Republicans who are elections deniers. If that's such a threat to democracy, why would you want to make one of those people the final two --

MORAN: All right. We --

CHRISTIE: -- for United States Senate.

MORAN: We’ve got a -- just a little bit of time -- very little bit of time. The most astonishing story of the weekend, Ukraine, the collapse of the Russian forces in the sector in the east.

Mary, I want --

(CROSSTALK)

MARY JORDAN, WASHINGTON POST NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It’s a huge deal.

MORAN: -- and David as well --

JORDAN: It's a huge deal. We'll see if it lasts, but the idea that we have Russians retreating, we have this new boost of morale among the troops in Ukraine, the -- they’re today, right now, crying in the streets saying, we pushed them back. We got new Ukrainian land. This is -- what it's going to do for the morale, in a bad way to Russia, and what it is going to do in a good way to Ukraine, is very, very significant.

And, you know, we're talking about what's ahead in England. You know? They need grain. They need this war to stop, because the knockdown (ph) effects are huge, if it ends.

MORAN: And the Ukrainians resourceful and brave once again, but what about the Russians? What do they do now? What are the dangers here?

SANGER: So, there’s a great opportunity here and a great risk. The opportunity is that for the first time, Zelenskyy may be in a position, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, to get -- move toward a negotiated settlement to this war. He needed an upper hand to be able to do that and Putin be willing to do it.

The other problem, though, is that Putin himself may overreact to this and he at various moments threatened the use of more extraordinary -- weapons, yeah.

MORAN: Got to go. Thanks to all.

We’ll have more from Martha Raddatz live in London right after the break.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RADDATZ: Even though Queen Elizabeth was 96 years old, the sense of shock of her death is palpable here in London. After these 10 days of mourning pass, a new era begins with new challenges for the U.K., America’s closest ally.

ABC News will have continuing coverage from London all week.

Thank you for joining us this morning. We leave you with a final snapshot of Queen Elizabeth’s legacy, the monarch who met with 13 sitting U.S. presidents. A signal of that special bond between the two nations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: This dinner is a humbling reminder of the fleeting nature of presidencies and prime ministerships. Your majesty's reign has spanned about a dozen of each, and counting. That makes you both a living witness to the power of our alliance and a chief source of its resilience.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The American people are proud to welcome your majesty back to the United States. A nation you've come to know very well. You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 – in 1976. She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child.

GERALD FORD, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Your majesty, for generations our peoples have worked together and fought together side by side. As democracies, we continue our quest for peace and justice.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: She has embodied the spirit of dignity, duty and patriotism that beats proudly in every British heart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We have many distinguishes visitors here in this city, but never before have we had such a wonderful young couple, a couple so completely captured the hearts of all of us.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had the opportunity to meet her before she passed, and she was an incredibly gracious and decent woman.

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I ask you to join me in a toast to her majesty, the queen. To the queen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)