[Music]
What's up, sunshine? Welcome to the
show. I'm Koi Wire with a special
edition of CNN 10. Today, one royally
intriguing topic all 10 minutes,
including a first ever CNN 10 report
from one of you, our viewers. Rise up.
Today, we are diving into the difference
between the British government and the
British crown. the way our friends
across the pond run their country quite
different from the way we do things here
in the US. Also, what roles do the king,
the queen, and the prince even play?
Since it can get confusing, we're going
to break it all down.
In the US, the president is both the
head of state, the country's symbolic
leader, and the head of government, the
person who actually runs the executive
branch. The president is elected every
four years by the people. That means the
citizens vote for who they want to be in
charge. In the UK, that's not quite the
case. Under a constitutional monarchy,
power is divided between the elected
government and the ceremonial role of
the royal family. The prime minister,
currently Kier Starmer, is the head of
government and runs the country
dayto-day. But here's the twist. Voters
don't pick the prime minister directly.
Instead, they vote for a political
party. And the party with the most seats
in parliament chooses the prime
minister. So, it's more like voting for
the whole team instead of just the
captain. My government will serve you.
Politics can be a force for good. We
will show that. Britain also has a
monarch, currently King Charles III, who
is the head of state. While it is
largely a a political role, they perform
important duties such as officially
appointing the prime minister, opening
parliament, and providing royal ascent
to bills signifying that they have
become law. Now that King Charles has
taken the throne, his eldest son,
William, is the first in line for the
crown, and his responsibilities have
gotten more and more important for many
reasons. Our Max Foster is here to
explain.
>> It used to be all high jinks and banter
between William and Harry.
>> It's pretty rich coming from a ginger,
so I'm quite happy to take that moment.
Even after William married, there was
plenty of fun to be had in front of the
cameras.
Over the years, William gradually
rebranded from a timeless young royal
mixing with celebrities at trendy
parties to a more formal, suited and
booted figure, more fit for the throne.
According to sources, it was a
deliberate transformation as he moved
steadily towards the top job as it's
known.
Once dubbed the workshy prince, sources
say William wasn't in a rush to take on
full-time public duties whilst he was
settling down. But from the moment his
grandmother died, he became first in
line to the throne. And with that came a
more weighty title. I am proud to create
him prince of Wales to Wasog Camry, the
country whose title I've been so greatly
privileged to bear during so much of my
life and duty.
>> With that, the new Prince and Princess
of Wales have been elevated in position
and will now be expected to step up and
support the king more.
William's father reinvented the role of
Prince of Wales by professionalizing it.
It's no longer a ticket to a playboy
lifestyle. William and Kate will have
plans for making it their own. But
family will remain the major priority
for both of them. Both will be aware
that the burden of royal duties are
greater than they ever were. Not just
because the queen has passed, but
because these duties were always meant
to be shared with Harry, who's now given
up his royal role.
It leaves the monarchy, whether by
design or by default, more streamlined
than ever. The spotlight now firmly on
the new Prince and Princess of Wales,
the most highprofile in history.
While William and his father may attend
and officiate many government events,
the actual power still lies with the
British people. In America, our politics
are mostly divided into a two-party
game, Democrats and Republicans. In the
United Kingdom, politics plays out a
little differently and with more
parties. The two biggest are the
Conservatives and the Labor, but there
are also several others, too, like the
Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, and
the Scottish National Party.
>> And as Big Ben strikes 10, the exit poll
is predicting a Labor landslide.
>> In the United Kingdom, elections for
Parliament usually happen every 5 years.
Emphasis on usually. Sometimes if
parliament can't agree or the government
loses a key vote, an early election is
called. It's what they call a snap
election. Once a majority government has
been chosen, Parliament is in charge of
making the laws. The British Parliament
is biccamearal, meaning it has two
chambers, much like the US has the House
of Representatives and the Senate.
Britain has the House of Commons and the
House of Lords. The Commons members are
elected by voters, while the Lords are
mostly appointed or have inherited their
spots. The lords act like experienced
adviserss. They don't make laws by
themselves, but they do review and
suggest changes. This system mixes
tradition with elected decision-making.
Unlike the US, the UK doesn't have one
single written constitution. Instead,
its rules come from a mix of important
documents, court decisions, and
traditions that have developed over
centuries, kind of like a recipe passed
down through generations. Because it's
more flexible, the UK system can adapt
over time. And much like the US, the UK
also has a Supreme Court that settles
big legal questions and assesses whether
new or existing laws follow the
country's best interests.
Time for a did you know the London
Bridge is not falling down because it's
not even called the London Bridge. And
one of you took a vacation to the UK
over the summer and filed this special
student report.
[Music]
Hi, Coy. I'm in front of Tower Bridge in
London, and let me tell you some fun
facts about this iconic landmark. Did
you know Britain's most famous bridge is
actually not called the London Bridge?
It's called the Tower Bridge. The
original London Bridge isn't even in
London. It was moved brick by brick to
Arizona in the 1960s.
Two local architects began construction
on the bridge April 22nd, 1886, and it
opened in 1894.
Around 31 million bricks were used to
construct the bridge, which ended up
costing 1 million. That would be about
166 million today. Jeez.
Tower Bridge is a bascule bridge from
the French word from seessaw or balance.
Instead of using ropes or chains like a
typical drawbridge, the bascules that
made up sections of the road moved like
two giant seessaws, the sections pivot
the bridge open and closed, allowing
boats to pass through. Until 1976, the
Bascules were operated by hydraulics
using steam to power the enormous
pumping engines. Today, the bascules are
operated by oil and electricity driven
by hydraulic power instead of steam.
It takes 206 steps to reach the top of
the bridge. Once there, you could walk
between two towers on a glass floor.
This addition came in 2014 so that
visitors can test their courage and snap
some pictures of the river Bulock. Back
to you, Coy.
[Music]
>> June, that was incredible. Thank you so
much for sharing such fascinating facts
from your summer vacation. Now, are you
traveling somewhere soon or just want to
show us around a cool part of your
hometown? Send us your own CNN10 field
trip video with your parents permission,
of course. Include your name, age,
school, mascot, teacher. If you'd like,
send it all to CNN10@cn.com.
Can't wait to check them out.
Pop quiz hot shot. The king of England
is not required to have what type of
documentation? Birth certificate,
driver's license, checkbook, or
passport?
This is actually a twofur. Passports and
driving licenses are issued in the name
of the monarch, so they don't need to
issue one to themselves. Despite his
royal highness's lack of license, the
king is said to have a fleet of luxury
vehicles, including vintage Rolls-Royces
and Jaguars. King Charles III took the
throne in 2022 after the passing of his
mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled
for more than 70 years. And while none
of you are probably old enough to
remember her coronation day, you will
likely witness another in your lifetime.
Our Randy Kay explains the significance
of the line of succession.
Get in line if you want to be head of
the British monarchy. The list of future
heirs to the throne includes nearly two
dozen members of the royal family.
William, the Prince of Wales, is the new
heir apparent. He's the eldest son of
King Charles and the late Princess
Diana.
In 2011, William married Kate Middleton,
now the Princess of Wales. They live in
a cottage on the grounds of Windsor
Castle with their three children, who
are next in line behind William.
Their eldest, Prince George of Wales, is
second in line to the throne. Princess
Charlotte, William and Kate's only
daughter, would come after her big
brother. Then, Prince Louie of Wales,
their youngest.
>> Fifth in line to the throne, Prince
Harry, the Duke of Sussex. He's the
younger son of King Charles and Diana
and William's only sibling.
Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018
after they met on a blind date. They
have two children and live in
California. Their son, Prince Archie, is
in line after his father. His sister,
Princess Liet, would be next. Liet is
seventh in line to the throne. As the
Queen's 11th great grandchild, she is
the most senior royal in the line of
succession to have been born overseas in
California. King Charles brother, Prince
Andrew, is eighth in line despite being
stripped of his royal title. Andrew
stepped away from royal duties in 2019.
Prince Andrew had married Sarah Ferguson
in 1986 and had two daughters before
divorcing a decade later. Princess
Beatrice, now 34 and ninth in line after
her father, gave birth to daughter
Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mosy in 2021,
who is now 10th in line to the throne.
That makes Princess Eugenie, Beatatric's
sister, 11th. Her son, August Philip
Hawk, is 12th. Prince Edward, the
youngest child of Queen Elizabeth and
Prince Philip, is 13th in the line of
succession. Edward's official title is
the Earl of Wessix. His two children,
James Viccount Severn and his older
sister, Lady Luis Mountbotton Windsor,
are in line behind their father.
Princess Anne, who was actually the
second child born to the Queen and
Prince Phillip, falls last behind her
three brothers and their children.
That's because the 1701 act of
settlement, which lays down the rules of
succession, allowed for younger sons to
move ahead of older daughters in line.
The 2013 Succession to the Crown Act
changed that, but only applies to those
born after October 28th, 2011. That
leaves Princess Anne 16th in line to the
throne.
All right, superstars. That's all for
today's special edition. Wherever you
are in this world, just know that you
are royally awesome and we are so
thankful for you spending part of your
day with us. You're our cup of tea. See
you next time. I'm Ky Wire and we are
CNN 10.