and good evening. i m erin burnett in london tonight. out front tonight, king charles iii is at westminster castle after leading his nation and the world in an emotional farewell to his mother queen elizabeth. nearly half the world watched this crucial funeral as the transition of power was symbolized with the imperial state crown, the orb and the sceptre. they were atop of the queen s coffin and they are now on the high altar. they will be given to king charles at his coronation. we witnessed history as the royal family united for its final farewell to the queen. never before had anyone in the world seen a state funeral like this broadcast live. this was the first time, and the stillness and the quiet of the city were palpable from where we sat overlooking westminster abbey, you could feel everything stop and the moments of silence. that was a solemn hour-long service that we all witnessed. the queen s casket passed just behind where i m sitting tonight. it was draped in the
after a russian missile strikes a second nuclear power plant. cnn is on the ground right now tracking the latest on the war including efforts to exhume hundreds of bodies in newly liberated territory. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world, i m wolf blitzer. you re in the situation room. we begin our coverage this evening in the united kingdom where mourners got one final chance to say good-bye to queen elizabeth ii at her state funeral. the emotional tribute to the late monarch filled with music and memories, followed by a private burial service at the family tomb. cnn royal correspondent max foster has our report. prime ministers, presidents, leaders and dignitaries from around the world. more than 2,000 inside london s westminster abbey join together in chorus. the lord is my shepherd, reputably the queen s favorite hymn, sung during her wedding to prince philip in this very hall when she was a 21-year-old princess. the younger royal generation,
dominica, whose needs are great, hope they don t get forgotten. and the prime minister told us he s heading off today to new york to the u.n. g-8 to make an appeal for international help here them. do need everything. aid is going to start coming the next few days. we have seen aid workers here as well trying to assess the damage. the problem is getting around, distribution and getting to some of those images we flew over that look in terrible shape. michael holmes, thank you very much. stay safe there as well. hurricane maria say powerful category 3 storm barring down on turks and caicos. cnn meteorologist chad myers has the latest. i see it in the atlantic. let s just hope for that.
in st. martin, trees stripped bare of their leaves. french and dutch military part of an international aid operation. turks and caicos, st. bart s, st. john, the pictures are apocalyptic. in barbuda, a shocking 95% of homes no longer stand. this mother, evacuating. tomorrow, i m gone. reporter: thousands of americans now stranded. i am doing everything i can do to get home. reporter: on turks and caicos, colorado native kelsey priests speaking with her family just before irma struck. you call and say good-bye. it s all you can do. james joins us from the bahamas. we spoke with the prime minister of barbuda, extremely worried about hurricane jose, which may strike again after the island was nearly completely destroyed. reporter: jose is now a