[music]
>> What's up, sunshine? Welcome to the
show. I'm Coy 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 [music]
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 4
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 is
the head of government and runs the
country day-to-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.
>> Give this my all, and I ask you all to
pull with me.
Let's build a new national sense of
unity.
>> Britain also has a monarch, currently
King Charles III, who is the head of
state. While it is largely an apolitical
role, they perform important duties such
as officially appointing the prime
minister, opening Parliament, and
providing royal assent 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.
>> [applause]
>> Even after William married, there was
plenty of fun to be had in front of the
cameras. 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.
>> 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.
The spotlight now firmly on the new
Prince and Princess of Wales, the most
high-profile 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 Labour, but there
are also several others too like the
Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and
the Scottish National Party.
>> And as [music] Big Ben strikes 10, the
exit poll is predicting a Labour
landslide.
>> In the United Kingdom, elections for
Parliament usually happen every five
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 bicameral, 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
advisers. 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.
>> [music]
>> 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]
[music]
>> Hi Koy, 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?
[music]
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, [music] 1886,
and it opened in 1894.
Around 31 million bricks were used to
construct the bridge, which ended up
costing [music] 1 million pounds. That
would have been about 166
million pounds today. Geez.
Tower Bridge is a bascule bridge from
the French word from seesaw or balance.
Instead of using ropes or chains like a
typical drawbridge, the bascules that
made up sections of the road move like
two giant seesaws. The sections pivot
the bridge open and close, allowing
boats to pass through. Until 1976, the
bascules were operated by hydraulics
using steam to power the enormous
pumping engines. [music] 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 [music] walk
between the two towers on a glass floor.
This addition came in 2014
so that visitors can test their courage
and snap some pictures [music]
of the River below. Back to you, Coy.
>> 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 CNN 10 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@cnn.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 twofer. 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 in
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 Kaye
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 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 Louis 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 Lilibet, would be next. Lilibet
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 Mozzi in 2021,
who is now 10th in line to the throne.
That makes Princess Eugenie, Beatrice's
sister, 11th. Her son, August Philip
Hawke, 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 Wessex.
His two children, James Viscount Severn
and his older sister Lady Louise
Mountbatten-Windsor, are in line behind
their father. Princess Anne, who was
actually the second child born to the
Queen and Prince Philip, 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 Coy Wire and we are
CNN 10.