Sound On: Queen Elizabeth II Life and Legacy

a bilateral affair between US. Bloomberg found on with Joe Matthew on Bloomberg Radio, The Queen has died, Hall hailed the King. Welcome to the fastest hour in politics as the world mourns Elizabeth the Second, who outlived a dozen US presidents. We'll talk about what this means for the special relationship and what the new king might bring to

the United Kingdom over the next hour. Joined by Bloomberg's Flavia Across Jackson, Tony Gardner, former US Ambassador to the European Union under President Obama, and Virginia Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Also our panel Bloomberg Politics contributor Republican strategist Rick Davis back with us today, joined by Democratic strategist

Johanna Masca from the Global Situation Room. The news of the queen passing came during the White House Press briefing today. White House Press Secretary Kaarine John Pierre was told by a reporter, Okay, so that's been confirmed. Okay family. Um, so, as I said to earlier, Um, you know, our hearts and our thoughts go to the family members of the queen.

Statement from President Biden. A written statement came out a couple of hours later, reads, quote in part, quote, Queen Elizabeth the Second was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States. She helped make our relationship special. Unquote. We have not heard from the President yet, as he canceled a speech because of this earlier in the day.

It was supposed to be about COVID. What he has scheduled to speak at a d n C fundraiser a bit later on. We'll let you know if he uses that as an opportunity. Since then, of course, tributes condolences have been pouring in from around the world, around the political sphere. You've been hearing about it all day on Bloomberg Radio. Prime Minister Liz Trusts, who met with the

Queen just two days ago. With the passing of the second Elizabethan Age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as her Majesty would have wished by saying the words, God Save the King, God Save the King. The question is what will he choose for a name. That conversation later, the Prime Minister went on to speak to the elaborate process

that's about to unfold in the difficult days ahead. We will come together with our friends across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service. Let's start here with Flavia Cross Jackson, the managing editor for Washington's US government coverage here at Bloomberg. She used to head Bloomberg's UK government coverage, and we're lucky to have you with us today, Flavia. This is by law now right. The next ten days are going

to be very carefully choreographed. Oh absolutely, to the absolute to the absolute team now if them know, But but you know to be sure it is Charles the third. Um, let's trust herself. Let the cat out of the bag earlier. Maybe not intentionally or not, but we all we are royal watches are our ears immediately picked up. It's like

hold on a sec. I thought there was going to be a bit of confusion over or you know, he was going to sort of it wasn't automatic that, yes, right, so he's going with it, went with the obvious pick. Well yeah, well yes, but you know, of course, um, there is a part to got to be followed there, and you know, in theory it's his decision to make, and I'm sure it was, and it was his too to announce. Um on The speculation, of course, was that he might have gone maybe with with the name of

his grandfather and gone with the George. Uh. You know, the childs in English history did not have a good reputation. The first one got his head lopped off. Um. But you know, I'm sure he will be changing the course of that as Charles the third. But yes, she did get put out for the horse, and it was confirmed by his own office. He automatically became king the moment his mother died. Uh. And we have a great TikTok. Yes, there's a great TikTok on the terminal that shows us

what's going to happen over the next ten days. Here Day ten though, state funeral at Westminster Abby. They've been planning this for decades. FI. Yes, I mean at this point the Guardian article that London Bridge must be the most click thing in the metaverse. Um. It really takes you right through to every built up of the way, how the BBC was going to handle it, Um, the bank, holidays, et cetera. All needs to be run just right. Um. But of course you know there there is a nation

in shalk. We are the country of the stiff upper lip, and yet we're also very emotional people. Um as you know the Diana think can attest to. And I think it's going to take a while to digest this. It's really going to reverberate, I think in the public psyche, especially given the changes in the tumult that the country has gone through, be at Brexit, be it now, uh you know, new Prime Minister. It's it's just a lot to absorb and I would expect this to reverberate for

quite some time. Glavia, thank you for being with us. I know you've had an incredibly busy day working in the newsroom and glad to have your insights. Glavia Across Jackson, managing editor here at Bloomberg in Washington, sharing insights as we get things started here on Bloomberg sound on into Flavia's point. I saw the statistics today. You probably heard of this. One out of ten people was alive in

this country when Elizabeth became queen. That means most only know a world in which there is a Queen Elizabeth. The second, we extend the conversation now with the voice of a US lawmaker. Congresswoman Abigail Spanburger, Democrat from Virginia, is with us right now on Bloomberg sound on. We're typically talking about policy like infrastructure or foreign policy. In this case there is an overlap there, as the congresswoman a former CIA officer UH now member of the House

Foreign Affairs Committee. Congresswoman, it's great to have you with us here. There's obviously a lot of protocol that's gonna follow here, and a lot of history is going to unfold. From a political standpoint, though, does this mean anything about the US relationship with the UK? Well, I think the UK has always been just such an incredible partner to the United States. We have in the intelligence world what is considered to be a very special relationship in terms

of our information sharing and our partnership. UM. But when we're reflecting on the passing of the Queen, I think that you know incredibly and notably the fact that after September eleven she broke with tradition and had our Star spangled banner played outside of Buckingham Palace as a tribute to her partners, her friends, her American counterparts, as we were in such a time of deep, deep hearting. I

think to semplifies the connection between our two countries. UM. Moving forward, I think that our relationships obviously are quite strong, and our intelligence sharing, our our work together across the whole myriad of challenges that our two nations face. UM. But certainly the humanity UM and the person that the Queen brought to her role as as the British monarch, and certainly her many visits to the United States, including to Virginia, m are ones that I think will be

treasured memories for many who had had the opportunity to participate. Yeah, you worked with British counterparts both as a member of the CIA and as a as a current member of Congress give us a sense of how closely tied the intelligence relationship is specifically between our two countries. Well, so,

certainly the intelligence relationship is incredibly, incredibly UH connected. And in fact I actually did not ever directly work with British intelligence because anyone who was working undercover and could not be whose name could not be given to the our British counterparts. UH, if you were not declarable to the British, you did not meet with the British I

understand we did not. But that to answer your question, that that speaks to the level of UM partnership, that our intelligence officers were themselves were straightforward about who they

are UM, and we partnered on UH. You know, certainly for the past number of decades are our global war on terror we work UM close close partners certainly uh in the onset with the bombing of the coal and then the nine eleven attacks, but certainly the London bombing UM and subsequent terrorist attacks there I think heightened the resolve and the partnership that exists between British Intelligence and c I A. The leadership of the two organizations are

in close contact and are CIA our nation. CIA officers who work in London station or who work throughout the world frequently and consistently partner with British until because the quality of the information they have is is so strong, and the trust and the partnerships between our two nations is so paramount to our mutual security. My producers say,

you're being honest about that. But as we take a look at the current political landscape in the UK, and this is going to come before you as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, there's a two day old or something. I believe it's two day old Prime Minister who amazingly was photographed with the Queen you know on Tuesday. I guess the three day old Prime Minister. Uh. There's enormous change, as Flavia mentioned, as we consider Brexit, as we consider uh the new prime Minister, and now of

course the passing of the Queen. Uh. Does this create a concern for instability on any level? How does how does the Committee deal with this? I think that it speaks to the need for us to be as stable and as GOODI partners to our friends in Parliament, to our counterparts in the British government, certainly because they are going through a time of great change with a new

Prime minister. But but even just frankly speaking emotionally, the fact that this permanent fixture in the life of so many of our counterparts has passed to and there UM looking at the next generation of leadership within the monarchy UM, and certainly there will be changes that come with that.

But you know, when we look at even just the test this past year and our direct work and partnership with our British counterparts as it relates to UH support UH ensuring support for the Ukrainian people standing up strong against Russian incursion, UH support for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Are are our English counterparts. Our British counterparts

have been absolutely by our side. We've been by their side, and so I think as as they go through what continues to be a challenging, you know, a pass forward as it relates particularly to bregit um with new leadership at the home of Parliament and now at the monarchy UM, I think the Foreign Affairs Committee needs to continue to UH demonstrate our respect for an appreciation for the very close and very unique relationship that we have Uh, with

our our British counterparts. Have you heard from Speaker Pelosi's office about any sort of attributes in the House or or codel that might be traveling in ten days to

the funeral. So there's been a kind of an initial statement put out by the Speaker of the House, uh, certainly celebrating the life of the late queen, but there's not any formal planning just yet, though I do expect that um, that there will be a delegation of Americans UH that will be a fulesome and robust as we as as partners and as friends, um, and certainly those who have the opportunity to meet with and work with the Queen over the years or be welcome to the country,

we'll want to make sure that they're paying their full respect to her. So we don't have details yet that I do expect that we will have the very appropriate showing of respect, um, and and gratitude for for her leadership, and and certainly be there to pay our respects to our counterparts who are mourning the loss of their monarch. Yeah. Absolutely, I appreciate your joining us to talk about it a little bit of a diversion from our normal conversation with

Congresswoman Abigail Spanburger, the Democrat from Virginia. As I mentioned, House Foreign Affairs and a former member of the CIA, we thought her perspective would be unique. Will assemble the panel next as we go over the course of this hour and go through some of these conversations. We also want to bring you some important moments that the Queen

spent here in Washington. Remember outlived a dozen presidents. Guess she met thirteen presidents, with the exception of every president of the last seventy years, with the exception of President Johnson Lyndon Johnson. But we remember when she came to meet with President Ford. It was the bi centennial seventy six outside the White House, and boy was there a crowd on the south lawn. President Ford, welcoming the Queen, your Majesty, your Royal Highness, Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf

of the American people. I am delighted to welcome you and your party to the United States and to the White House, your first state visit to America. In nineteen fifty seven, mark the three hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown, the first permanent British colony in this new land. You honor us again by coming to share our bicentennial observance. It's a very formal situation. There

was a military presence. The Queen spoke as well. For nearly one hundred and seventy years there was a formal constitutional link between your declaration of independence. Broke that link, but it did not for long break our friendship spent the day in Washington, and by the State dinner that night,

it wasn't so formal. In fact, we started to see, well, it was plenty formal, but we started to see some humor, something that she showed a lot more over the years in Washington, d c. And as she made her toast to President Ford, she owned the room. We are deeply grateful for having been invited to visit the United States in the main week of your bi centenary. It was a generous gesture and apposite. After all, nobody can say that what happened on the fourth of July seventy six

wasn't very much a bilateral affair between us. We indeed happy to accept your invitation. Seemed to loosen up the room, and she would use that over the years in visits here as will play for you this hour. I'm Joe, Matthew and Washington. Welcome to a special edition of Bloomberg Sound On, exclusively on Bloomberg Radio. As we assemble our panel, Rick Davis is back with US Republican UH strategist and Bloomberg Politics contributor, joined today by Democratic strategist Johanna Masca

of the Global Situation Room. Thanks to both of you for being here. Rick. This is a pretty big development to happen in the same week that this country gets a new prime minister. It's not often that we see history written in real time like this. Yeah, that's right, Joe.

I mean one of the things that was most striking is when the prime minister incoming, you know, they get appointed basically by the Queen and uh, she traveled outlets to the castle and Laura and and the picture that was released look a very vibrant queen standing on her own, just looking great. And I remember looking at them. Oh, I'm so glad this was able to happen the way it did. I mean, she's been ill, she hasn't been very mobile and uh, and the fact that she was

able to install this new ambassador. This new Prime Minister was just fantastic. It never even occurred to me that this might be the last picture we see of her. Yeah, and you know, look, it was something that we saw coming today, Johanna. There were reports this morning when once the statement came out from Buckingham Palace that she was ill, that was considered, you know, that her health was of grave concern. That was considered very unusual and obviously something

was was happening for real. The family members were on their way. But to finally hear that news break, my goodness. To think of how many people don't understand or know a world without Queen Elizabeth the second is kind of remarkable, not only on a political level, but just on a popular level. Here this is somebody who was on the front page of not just the Washington Post but People magazine. She was toted in movies. It's it's something that goes to the core, absolutely, and it is it's an end

of an era. I mean, I think all of all of us are among the people who haven't lived through a world in um in which we don't have Queen Elizabeth. I I traveled to um Buckingham Palace was President Obama now eleven years ago and had the um incredible fortune to meet the Queen and see her. She is um. She was very small in stature, but my god, what a life, what she has lived. I think though this is um. You know, this was expected and we can't live forever. And I think all of us and people

in Washington need to remember that and um. And when she was the receiver of the baton, a lot of people said she wasn't ready and that she wouldn't be able to um uh lead the country with the grace that she has. But this passing of the baton is coming and it's um. It is significant in Britain. I think it's also going to be significant in the US.

And I know we don't have royalty, but we have a lot of people who have been in these positions of power for almost the duration of Queen Elizabeth's reign, almost being the key word there she was. She was a big fan of the Obama's You were you were there for this president. I'm delighted to welcome you and this is Obama to London. Prince Philip, and I are so glad that you were visiting the United Kingdom. Again.

We remember the image of the two daughters getting a carriage ride, and some of the sort of very family oriented stuff going on there. But there was also the protocol, Johanna, and you were there for that too, right the toast, My god, it was like an international incident, the touch um.

If people don't remember this, Barack Obama, the President of the United States, decides to break protocol and toast the queen before and as it turned out, during the anthem playing ladies and gentlemen, please stand with me and raise your glasses as I propose a toast, I'd be so lost if I had to do this for a living. This is the way you had, It's the right way

to the queen. Okay. So he goes into the totality of the special relationship God, the music between our people's boy and in the words of Shakespeare, to this blessed plot earth. What can the president do this realm but just stop and the music comes up? Johannah, How how

tough was that to deal with that day? Honestly though, I think, um, Americans aren't always as protocol oriented, and so I think I think our friends um in across the pond are well aware of that was the staff outrage though, and the Queen was was endeared like, well how did what was the real reaction? That is that is the true is there's a lot of protocol staff, that's all. It's this is protocol. That's the protocol. And

that's with a lot of countries. And often the leaders themselves are the ones who are saying it's okay, let's you know, actually get to know each other and um and so you know, I think it was a very special relationship. I think she um my gosh again, the history, the ability that she has to tell to give lessons of her own history. I mean, it's incredible. But I think um, as you know that steady hand comes to close.

That is also the political uh dynamics are the thing that frightened me the most for the new king number one. I mean, I don't think a number of US Americans are going to have the same reverence for a king that we have seen played out on television as the person who divorced the mom of his son's the philanderer who probably should have always married Camilla um and and now you know, his son has been in the US and has kind of gotten involved in the US political system.

And I can see this being so many red flags because we are not in a place of political stability. I know, Rick, you and I have been talking about this, but we have seen massive, you know, polarity in our country. Well what do you think about this before you had another layer here? I mean that that is pretty that's a tough My god. I don't know if he'll be called the philanderer when he walks into the room here, But the king, how do you deal with the king's

sort of image rebuilding? Is it that does he introduce reintroduce himself like a politician? Rick? You know it's it is a moment for a reset, right, And you don't get these opportunities very often. This has been seventy years and uh and and look at the tradition she has upheld, right, I mean, nobody has a clue what her political views are. Nobody.

She's got the best folker face on the face of the earth, and and so and and that has allowed political life in Great Britain to happen around her without affecting her one way or the other. And I think that kind of stability is something that, frankly, that we lack right here in the United States. There's no central authority that we can look to for sort of you know, really, do we really think this is as off the rails as we were saying? So the question is how will

Charles act? Right? And and and and she was able to be the stoic reminder of the stiff upper lip all the while her children had all these kinds of issues, right. I mean, this wasn't just Charles's act. They all got divorced at one point in time, and and and, which was very unusual. So it's it's kind of neat to see this moment where we're all gonna be on the edge of like, how's Charles gonna do this? He's gonna be like her? Is he gonna is he gonna get

activists on issues? He's certainly been that way up until now. How will the how will becoming king affect him? Do you? Does he reinvent this? In and sort of from a media optics standpoint, Johanna, are we gonna see uh An unveilingly like we have not before? I mean, we're at the point now where number ten Downing Street has like the best crane shot I've ever seen in my life. When things are happening, you know, and in this case. This week we saw the Prime Minister stride up to

the podium and it's like a Hollywood movie. How does he use the media to his benefit? They're they're very good at protocol, but you can't change who a person is. And I um, and I think, you know, when it comes to this king, he was present at some of these events and I found him to be a little awkward,

and I don't know that that's going to change. And so you know, I think trying to reinvent himself at this age is also kind of it's all to ask, um, But I think he's going to have to navigate the dynamics of an America that's kind of um shifting politically, with a son who's already left to move to the US and who is involved in the political syste them and you know, winning, winning, winning the hearts and minds of his own people, and you know abroad is going

to be a tall challenge. So I am not terrifically optimistic at the space that the Royals, and maybe it's I'm not a Royalist. I mean, my my my grandmother was a war bribe from England and and shows America for many reasons. But but at the same time, I do think that they have had an important role in Europe really as a steady hand in Europe, and Europe is already very unsure of what the US is doing with our pivot to Asia and kind of are changing demographics.

And so I think it's probably even for the whole of Europe um going to be a significant shift if they can't rely on, you know, that monarch to be kind of that steady hand. So it'll be interesting to see who fills that. Boy, it absolutely will, does it? Uh? Does it require a US visit, a White House visit as soon as possible? Rick, or you know King Charles at the White House? Does he go to a Nats game? And like Ben's chili bowl? How does that trip work? Yeah,

that's a tough tall order for a new king. I think, you know, look look at the history, right, it all starts at home. Um, So I think the first time we're going to see him and and and sort of his impact on a global stage is going to be his relationship in building the new relationship as king with his own people, right, and and so how does Britain react to him? As Joanne was saying, you know, there's a whole relationship building exercise. It's not without its history

there uh. And then the Commonwealth is a big deal to the to the to the royals in Britain. Right that one of the great successes of the Queen was building the Commonwealth from seven countries to we're fifty, I think, And so I wouldn't be surprised that if he's gonna go anywhere, he's gonna go visit some of those Commonwealth countries that they've invested so heavily in as a family right has been great for public diplomacy for the UK, but it's also been a family project and I can't

imagine him sort of ignoring that. And I would say to um, uh, I wouldn't. I wouldn't suggest that that between now and certainly November of this year, when there's an election in the United States, that any royal shows up in New York or Washington or l A. Because you can't help but be dragged into the politics. And so they're smart, They're gonna look at this and say, Yeah, there's other times that that the King is gonna want to visit America, and this is not one of them.

This is a great panel Rick Davis with us along with Johanna Masca from the Global Situation Room, as will continue our conversation throughout the hour here and also bringing you back to some of the more uh interesting moments or significant moments or funny moments in some cases that the Queen spent here in the nation's capital with gosh a dozen presidents and as it turned out, a joint session of Congress, how Speaker's Tom Folly, Members of the Congress.

It is my great privilege and I deem it a high honor and personal pleasure to present to you her Majesty Elizabeth the second big deal obviously, the Queen and the Speaker's rostrum. By the way, that standing ovation went on for a long time. And this was the day after, I believe, the day after huh the hat incident at

the White House. In a classic moment, as I mentioned, her use of humor worked for her repeatedly in Washington, d C. And this brings us back to an event at the White House that led to a Washington Post headline Britain's hat of state, a major breach of protocol at the White House, the Bush White House, As the

Queen went up to the podium. It had not been lowered for her height, and her purple and white hat could be seen only above the microphones when the five foot four queen stood to speak, So this became a big story. The President of the United States had to apologize.

Chief of Protocol got in trouble, and she used it to her advantage as she spoke the first words here to the Joint Session of Congress the next day, I do hope you can see me today from where you are, and got a whole other standing ovation out and had the room in the palm of her hand. I'm Joe Matthew and Washington. Thanks for joining us on Bloomberg Sound On, the fastest hour in politics. We have a conversation ahead with the former US Ambassador to the European Union, Tony Gardner,

will be with us. I appreciate your being with us on Bloomberg Sound On. I'm Joe Matthew in Washington. Still waiting for formal details of the queen's funeral yet to be announced. That's expected tomorrow as now the UK enters a ten day morning period. You might have heard this is uh. This is all laid out in law. No government announcements are made flags at half masted. Of course,

King Charles already proclaimed King Charles. The third normal business on the following weekday of Parliament is suspended and peas paid tribute to the new monarchs and condolences. They will then swear an oath of allegiance to the new king. Later, the Queen's coffin, returned to London, will arrive at Westminster Hall for a formal lying in state on day five. Proceedings continue as I mentioned for ten days, upon which

the state funeral at Westminster Abbey will take place. It will be a national holiday, the markets will be posed. It's a pleasure to bring in Tony Gardner, senior advisor at the Brunswick Group but former US Ambassador to the European Union during the Obama administration. It's great to have you with us, ambassador, your insights today on on what

this means for Europe. This is something we were talking about a bit earlier here in the relationship the United Kingdom has with Europe at this critical time with the war in Ukraine. Well, thanks for having me. Look, she will be remembered and she will be mourned by many, many people, even those who are not monarchists. And one of the reasons is that she was very wise and understanding that it's not always what one says that matters,

it's what one doesn't say. She was respectful the limits of her office, but she understood also that you could she could exercise significant influence by being a symbol, by being a UM as steady hand at moments that were pretty turbulent, a model of public service and I think you know that that resonates especially today quite frankly, with a lot of people who wish that more of our

public servants were to follow her the role. I would also say that she played a significant role in expanding influence of the UK, including through the role of the Commonwealth, and very importantly, you know, playing a role in keeping the UK together. And I say it because Brexit has arguably weakened the glue to some extent that keeps the United king together of Scotland and Great Britain in Wales and then other Ireland, that this is going to be

important going forward. UM and a model of stoicism because as I mentioned, she went through some pretty difficult times on a personal level, and I think people connect to her because of that. So what change will the new king bring very hard to tell. I'm not well place to say that. I think he will try to um is it about Well. I think he will try to respect the something of the recipe of what made her a success, and I think it will be it may be difficult because uh, he is a person with the

views and by the way, I think he's underestimated. He said things and believe things well before they were um widely believed or said. I'm thinking of certainly the environment well before his time, well before his time. But you know what, what made her his mother's queen success is often buy as I said, being a role model. So it's it's going to be obviously difficult role and the one that he will have to define in a different way.

How does the fact that we have a new prime minister just this week, just a couple of days old, now complicate the situation, this massive transition that's coming for the UK. Well, indeed, so there's a lot of change happening all the same time. I mean the fact that the longest serving monarch is now dead, is now a new prime minister, and the UK is facing a whole range of really serious issues, economic issues that are serious, compounded by the war in Ukraine, but also sitting in

from me by brexit. Um. And of course the world economy is isn't difficulty too, but the UK faces some pretty big challenges. So all of this is happening in a moment of enormous change. So I can tell you I've lived in the UK for twenty two years now, the last twenty two years, and this moment feels like not only changing the garden new and a new chapter, but we're sailing into some pretty turbulent water. Is a difficult winter, you know, high energy prices strikes um, it's difficult.

Having a lot of new faces will not help. In other words, indeed at least makes it more of a challenge. Are you struck, as an American living there by the level of emotion the emotional response that we're hearing from

so many people living in the UK. No, I'm not, and I'm not surprised because she was quite unique, I think, in appealing to people of every type of every social category, of every type of belief, even those I mentioned who are not monarchists, who you know, it's impossible not to have enormous respect for her clear sense of duty, her devotion to the cause and what she did for the country. Woman had to be extremely churlish not to to to say that. Um So, I'm not surprised, but the outpouring

of sympathies at this time. I really appreciate your time with us. Former U s Ambassador to the European Union in the Obama administration, Tony Gardner, now senior adviser at Brunswick Group, sharing some I think important insights as part

of our hour here on Bloomberg sound On. As we prepare to reassemble the panel, I'll remind you as well, this queen was a big fan of American democracy and made that clear in any number of speeches, including the one I referenced before a joint Session of Congress in the concept so simply described by Abraham Lincoln as government by the people, of the people for the people is

fundamental to our two nations. Your Congress and our Parliament are the twin pillars of our civilizations and the chief among the many treasures that we have inherited from our predecessors. One of many moments we're sharing with you this hour on Bloomberg Radio. As we reassembled the panel, Rick Davis is with us from New York. Bloomberg Politics contributed Republican strategists along with Democratic strategist Joanna Mascus, EO of the

Global Situation Room. Uh. The protocol that's about to follow here, Uh is pretty heavy duty, Johanna, How do you deal with inside the White House here, deciding, for instance, who goes to the funeral and and everything that comes with it. Yeah, it's it takes. I mean, obviously they've been planning this for a very long time. And and the truth is they already know, of course, which invitations are extended to

all the different world leaders. Um and uh. And I guess the interesting thing is you have family dynamics that are always kind of the um wrench in it. It's a wrench when you know there's a child who's out of wedlock, who's a child of a president, or it's a you know what, it's a an issue if it's a child that's a little bit of strange. So Um, those protocol things are always dealt with very delicately. But to your point, they're just pulling the trigger on a

plan that's already been drawn up. Right, this this was should be they should Yeah, absolutely, the question is what's the current relationship between a father and son. You don't know that, right, Like what is I mean obviously you know you you have to balance all of those details, and so there may be some wrenches thrown in at the last moment, especially if the family members themselves throw in wrenches. You've taken Rick by her repeated uh endorsements

of the democratic system, the American democratic system. It's kind of it's interesting she could say things that a politician could not say on her visits here. Yeah, I think that she's got historical standing, right and um, and I think she can actually, um give us the best of what we are from a distance. I mean, it almost takes your neighbor to tell you how good your lawn looks. You know, you're just seeing the weeds and uh. And so I think that's a really important role for people

like the queen. Over this period of time, she held some standing because of her longevity that um that you don't get the first two weeks you're in that post. So I think that it's one of those things where sometimes we're tougher on ourselves than others tend to be in and and her fascination with the American experiment, especially in democracy, is something that that I think we could we could really remember right now as a very positive that she saw us as the best of what we are,

not not sometimes making that sausage. It's really well put. Rick she was. She loved telling the story about John adams first visit back to the UK in the summer of seventeen, John Adams, America's first envoid to the courtis and James Paigees first call on King George the Third, my ancestor said to him, in well known words which are worth repeating, I was the last man in the

Kingdom to consent to the separation. But the separation having been made, I have always said, as I say now, that I would be the first to meet the friendship

of the United States as an independent power. So why she's still popular here in America, Joanna in a way that a prime minister probably could not be that and just her grace, I mean truly she I think that that is when she was first coming to power, she didn't have a long history, so there wasn't you know, you couldn't kind of cast her one way or another. And over the course of her leadership she really maintained that um that composure that I think was really important.

So I think, you know, certainly, obviously Americans we love when people love us because we love ourselves so much. We love America. So when she, you know, comes over and flatters us about America, a hundred percent on board.

But I think it was more than that. I think there are so many people who saw her grace through some of the most challenging times as um as something that to the point earlier, you know, we want from some of our politics, if we could have some more grace for each other, maybe it would be a little bit better. Does this make of the new prime minister's job more difficult or easier? Since hey, you know, it's kind of like the first year of school, everybody's new,

we we're all getting to know each other. Well, it certainly adds a lot of different logistics. Right, there are things that this Prime Minister uh is going to have to do in the next two weeks that wasn't on the original stocket, right, I mean, so her schedule will change dramatically, But it is an opportunity to sort of get into the job in a very soft way when everyone's looking in a different direction, right, and they should

be right. They're going to remember the queen and her accomplishments and her impact just the way we're talking about it. That's going to go on for a month or so, and and and that's not a bad way to sort of get a nice walking start. Otherwise she's thrown into the pile of political debates on the economy, on on Brexitch, on on COVID. I mean, just the mass of issues that are going to hit a new prime minister in a situation where the UK finds itself in today is overwhelming.

And maybe this is actually a little chance to get and get to know your your cabinet a little bit better. By the time all this clears, you know, she should be pretty well organized. Makes a lot of sense. Rick Davis and Joanna Maasca are with us for the course of the hour our panel on this special edition of

Bloomberg Sound On. I'm Joe, Matthew and Washington. This is Bloomberg Sound On a special edition as we take a look at everything that we've learned in just the last couple of hours since the passing of Queen Elizabeth the Second. A statement issued from the White House that we are

waiting to hear remarks from President Biden. And we're gonna be talking momentarily with David Smith, the Washington d C Bureau Chief at the Guardian, of course as well, bringing you back to some significant moments that the Queen spent here in Washington, d C. Over the course of thirteen administrations, and we suspect that the King will continue that trend in that tradition by coming here to meet with President Biden.

Of course, so many presidents spent time with the Queen and one of the best relationships that she really ever formed was with Ronald Reagan, if you remember them riding horses together when he and Nancy went to spend the night at Windsor Castle. They of course hosted the Queen at the White House as well. Ladies and gentlemen, happily, I'm conscious of the honor that is ours tonight. I ask you to join me in a toast to her

majesty the Queen. She had, of course great words for him as well, and the Reagans hosted the Queen and Philip at their ranch in California. Why don't we bring the panel back in. Rick Davis is with us here, of course, Republican strategist and Bloomberg Politics contributor, joined today by Johanna Mascot, Democratic strategist and CEO of the Global Situation Room, where actually had a chance to meet the

Queen when she was traveling with the Obama administration. Johanna, is that like a big greening line or do you actually get a chance to have a quick word with the queen when you're in an environment like that? No, No, it was she was actually waiting in protocol order hasn't Obama was coming up to the um uh in the car and so it was really just standing there talking very briefly before they you know, did the handshake in front of all of the press and so um know

it is you. You You In my job, I got to be a fly on the wall and see all of this and just imagining her, you know, with all of this protocol around her for the many years of her life, I mean truly from when she was a child in her twenties. Um beyond uh it you see someone and you see that responsibility that she took so seriously up close and it's um it must have been an incredible life but also a very difficult life. No, doubt about it,

that's for sure. When you consider the idea of the new king uh making his first speech here, is this like preparing a political address in the United States, Rick, or is this a very different job? Well, some of us is driven by protocol. Um. You know, there's been thousands of years of practice, you know, and handing off uh, these kinds of titles and and what you go through. And it's not the time to shake something up, right when when you've given a speech in the United States

it's political, you're trying to make press. Um. Uh. In a situation like this, you're trying to avoid making press because that means you've messed up and uh. And so this is ceremonial, right, This is not meant to convey um, you know, a point of view other than the fact

that you have this monarchy. You have these royals. They serve a purpose within the UK and and and and and this is what they're supposed to do, right, They're supposed to do these you know, jubilees in a way that people all around the world want to see them and come to their country and visit. I mean, it's the greatest chamber of commerce ever created by man. You know, and and and so of course we're gonna be riveted

because everyone is interested in the pomp um circumstance. Uh. It's it's things that storybooks are made of, and yet this is in real life. So the hope is that this goes without any kind of problems, and you know, everything is smooth and easy, and it's dramatic and beautiful, and it helps pull the country and maybe the other parts of the world together for a moment um and uh in sort of common grief and expectation of a

new king. So I wouldn't I don't think we want to overthink it as as if it's going to have an immediate impact on policy. I mean, obviously the new king, King Charles the Third, has points of view on all range of issues, including the climate and architecture. And you know, will he make these things a part of his mandate or his uh his his his kingship. Who knows? Um

all that we have to wait and see. When we consider the planning for the funeral of Joanna, this is going to be unheralded security I presume right with this, this will be the largest collection of world leaders. Well, I guess outside of of of A G twenty. Oh absolutely, I mean and obviously the you can do this, UM. I remember when we were planning for funerals and what President Obama was doing. We were all waiting. UM. Obviously Nelson Mandela's health was going downhill and we all knew

that and UM. And if you look at that, you know it should have had some of the best security in the world and yet UM, and there were some so many issues there. I don't think you're going to have the same problem in the UK, UM. But I do think that when they're they're planning for this, they're obviously, you know, planning as much as it is a funeral,

it's about Britain. It's about their um continued strength as a nation, and so they're going to be trying to UM, you know, make sure that everyone is seeing that in every possible way, with music and with UM you know, ceremony and UM and with UH the guards and everything that you can expect out of out of the Brits and UM. So I'm sure that it will be an

incredible show. I guess the question is, you know, for me looking at this, UM, I think there's a lot of worry in the US about the change world order and whether there could be a change world order. I mean, we're already worried about a China that's um showing itself as a rival to the US and to you know, all of these dynamics, and so I think there's going to be a lot of um also, uh, a little

bit of a fear of what this means for our future. UM. And I think that actually President Trump has tapped into some of that fear. And I think we've got to be very careful. I'm going to be interested to see what Republicans and Democrats say about this. I mean, obviously I don't I wouldn't put too much in the monarch. Obviously, Queen Elizabeth was an incredible monarch, but um, the Prime

Minister is very important. And I actually think, to Rick's point, this is a perfect opportunity for her to come in and um and really get to lead the country, because I don't think anyone would have wanted a Boris Johnson on his way out overseeing this. So much better to have a fresh start in the UK and UM, this can be that sure, this this funeral is going to be like a NATO meeting. Rick, when you consider who's going to be on the invite list, but there could

be some careful omissions depending on your relationship. For instance, and I think to Joanna's point here with Russia and China, sure I wouldn't imagine, even though it might be part of the protocol that that Vladimir Putin is going to get an invite, you know, to the funeral. Well, I hope not. Uh. And he was honored with a dinner at Buckingham Palace, that's right. A couple of years ago have been that that bizarre no, and uh, but time changes everything and this time is very different than than

at that point in time. So um, these will be the thing as they have to struggle with, right. And obviously you know that the relationship with China is even more complex because it's a big trading partner. You know, there's competition for them. And yet you know, we knew know that some of that competition, uh, you know is dangerous. It's it could affect the world order, as John I mentioned, So yeah, and and and and by the way, within

your own commonwealth. Uh, you know, there are challenges with some of these leaders who may not have as much commitment to democracy as um as we do here in the United States that they do in Britain. So it means Joe Biden is going to have a meeting with the Prime Minister sooner than he thought though, doesn't it sure?

And we would hope that that actually would be part of what helps her, right It's another boost up for her to be able to get to embrace from the United States and other countries in Europe at a time when you know, maybe she would have been left out in the cold for a while to see as she does. So this is this is an opportunity for her to really cast in in in a positive way at a time of grief, um to get a good launch and

into her administration. There was talk of the two meeting President Biden and Prime Minister trust Joanna Off on the sidelines kind of at the at the u N. But this would be I'm sure a much more focused and much more a well covered event when they when they meet for the first time on what I presume will be his visit in ten days to London. Well, and that actually goes right into the u N. So I am sure that the White House is right now scrambling all of its plans that it had because all of

those things are planned well in advance. I mean, the National Security Advisor is working on who they're meeting with, especially when we're trying to build coalitions to continue the war against Putin's aggression, the genocide that Putin is overseeing. I mean, this is the White House absolutely is now you know, trying to change all of these plans because the week of the nineteen they're supposed to be in

New York for the UN General Assembly. And so if we look in ten days from now, um it is it's uh it Obviously he's going to have to meet with the British Prime Minister um. But there are a lot of meetings that they're probably trying to figure out

where is it going to take place? How true, boy, there is just the logistics are daunting when you consider, uh, the next ten days here lastly, Rick though you see the President and the Vice President going, how many other officials from Washington are there, the Speaker of the House and who else? You know. It'll it'll be dictated by protocol and um and and so that's it really, and it will be limited by accessibility, you know, I mean, and not everybody's going to be able to travel, so uh, myke.

My guess is, uh, it'll be most of official Washington. You know who makes the first cut and and and this is not going to be seen by anybody I believe in any kind of um partisan fashion. Right, there's no political advantage to stiffing the Brits and not going to the funeral or otherwise. And uh so, you know, maybe we can take a little breath in the middle of a midterm election and say, you know, let's all get on the same plane and go over and and

play nice for at least forty eight hours. Rick Davis and Joannabasca thank you for the great panel and the great conversation on a special edition of Bloomberg Sound On. I'm Joe Matthew in Washington. Imagine. She's pretty nice girl, but she doesn't have a lot to say. Man, she's a pretty nice girl, but you changed from day to day. I want to tell her a lover a lot, but I gotta got a belly full of wine. Man, she's a pretty nice girls. Some damn want to make a mine.

Oh yeah, some damn want to make a mind