a new generation breathes life into an ancient institution. for nearly 70 years the queen has weathered scandal and tragedy. we have some very sad news to bring you. princess diana has died. and battled to remain relevant and respected. no institution should be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support. but in the 21st century the pressures of being royal are more intense than ever. prince harry and meghan markle, they re stepping back from their senior roles in the royal family. i won t be bullied into playing a game that killed my mom. as the queen nears the end of her reign, can she ensure the survival of the monarchy? prince charles arrived in a cortege at the pitie-salpetriere hospital flanked by the presidential guard, a rare french tribute. only hours after learning of diana s death charles flies to paris to retrieve her body. prince charles was really obliterated by her death. he was absolutely stricken. absolutely s
kingdom. she became monarch at 25 years old. is your majesty willing to take the oath? for more than seven decades, queen elizabeth ii dedicated her life to her country. the queen took a vow that her duty was a life-long commitment. she put duty above all else. she loved her younger sister, but she couldn t give her permission to marry somebody who was divorced. she sacked her son from the family firm. she survived extraordinary crisis. princess diana has died. the issues surrounding charles and diana probably marked the monarchy to its core like no other crisis. the future of the monarchy really hung in the balance. and she revolutionized the british monarchy. no monarchy should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support. she stayed the world through 70 years of tumultuous change. her legacy will be the fact that we still have a monarchy. tonight, a cnn special report. a queen for the ages: elizabeth ii
it was horrible for the queen. her mother and her sister, the two closest women to her, two people she could really talk to, were gone. for the queen it wasn t just the loss of her mother, which was deeply important to her. the loss of an adviser and a counselor. but it was the loss of a contact with the past. the queen mother embodied much of the history of early 20th century britain, who d married into the famil y in the 1920s, who d been there through the abdication, through the
longest-reigning monarch in british history, is a model for her successors. reigning monarc british history, is a model for her suc reigning monarch in british history, is a model for her successors. i declare, before you all, that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service. there is a motto, which has been born by many of my ancestors. a noble motto. i serve. the following is a cnn special report. she wasn t supposed to be queen. suddenly, her father became monarch, and princess elizabeth became heir to the throne. princess elizabeth s life changed overnight. it s a very dramatic scene when you see the queen coming down the steps to claim her