United Kingdom: BBC News London — Newsnight

20260917 21:30 UTC · 00:31:00 · 572 transcript segments · GDELT Visual Explorer · plain-text transcript · Event Map

Insights and global interviews on the news stories of the day. With Paddy O'Connell.

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Transcript

Original Broadcaster Captioning (Enhanced). Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.

00:00:05MUSIC
00:00:20I lost my sight completely when I
00:00:25I was eight years old. Clive, this this is a moment in the history of
00:00:29of the United States. My name is is Gary O'Donoghue and I'm the chief
00:00:32chief North America correspondent correspondent for the BBC. When I
00:00:34I started out in journalism, it was was still legal to discriminate against
00:00:38against disabled people. I was told told you can't be a reporter if you're
00:00:42you're blind. People really hadn't hadn't done what I was trying to
00:00:44to do before me. As you can see,
00:00:46see, we're on the ground behind our
00:00:49our car, which is not ideal, but but that's the shelter we have at
00:00:51at the moment. During the Trump assassination assassination attempt, I think my
00:00:55my blindness was an interesting factor factor because one of the central
00:00:58central interviews we got was with with the eyewitness, Greg. I learned
00:01:02learned afterwards look pretty striking. striking. Secret service is looking looking at us from the top of the
00:01:05the barn. I'm pointing at that roof. roof. You spend your whole life interpreting
00:01:09interpreting the world through what what you hear. Because I can't see. see. I just listen to what he said.
00:01:13said. I listened and I asked the the same questions over and over over again. He remained consistent.
00:01:17consistent. He sounded credible. credible. It was the thing that persuaded persuaded me. I accidentally hung
00:01:20hung up on the President of the United United States. Phone rings. Gary,
00:01:23Gary, I've got the President with with me. I'm handing you over now.
00:01:31Over now. Fortunately, they rang me back. He was in the Oval Oval Office. He fairly reflective
00:01:34reflective mood. I think we ended ended up with something different different to what you normally get get with those interviews that the
00:01:38the President does. It's listening listening and telling stories. That That is the core of what we do. We
00:01:41We get the experience of all people people we serve because we have people
00:01:44people of all kinds in this organisation.
00:01:52organisation. MUSIC
00:01:59MUSIC Now Now on BBC News, comprehensive coverage coverage of the day's important national
00:02:03national and international news stories
00:02:06stories Newsnight. The King and a
00:02:14a I now a right royal warning to
00:02:16to tech bosses in case AI can take
00:02:18take life. But will anyone act and
00:02:21and more Royal scandal as Princess Princess Diana's brother Earl Spencer
00:02:25Spencer makes fresh allegations about about the King, claiming after her
00:02:29her death he sounded giddily elated. elated. What
00:02:35Elated. What is the next move
00:02:37for the Palace?
00:02:53Good evening. Welcome to
00:02:55Thursday's Newsnight. We are live live from Broadcasting House now
00:02:59now and each weeknight for insight
00:03:01insight interviews, top takes and
00:03:03and guests. Hello. King Charles wants
00:03:07wants to talk about artificial intelligence,
00:03:10intelligence, but the royal news news is stubbornly all too human,
00:03:13human, with fresh claims tonight
00:03:15tonight about his reaction to the
00:03:17the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
00:03:191997. We'll hear tonight what's being being said, both about the King's
00:03:23King's Summit and about the King's
00:03:25King's past. Here are our guests.
00:03:28guests. Thangam Debbonaire, the Labour
00:03:30Labour peer and Laura Brown of the
00:03:32the spectator welcome both the King
00:03:36King warned of existential risks risks to humans. Addressing his summit
00:03:39summit at Dumfries House in Ayrshire. Ayrshire. It's a place he calls his
00:03:43his living laboratory for testing testing ideas about humanity's role
00:03:47role within nature. Big business business and big minds were there
00:03:50there today, including the boss of of the world's most valuable company,
00:03:54company, Nvidia, which makes the
00:03:56the chips which actually power AI. AI. The King said there needed to
00:04:00to be an urgent discussion on how
00:04:01how to balance the risks and rewards
00:04:05rewards of this technology. Those
00:04:07Those who have created these technologies
00:04:10technologies are now increasingly increasingly warning that AI risks
00:04:13risks developing darker capacities.
00:04:16capacities. Perhaps even to take
00:04:18take life. And in this regard, if
00:04:20if I may say so, there seems urgency
00:04:24urgency in adequately considering considering the existential dangers
00:04:28dangers of such technologies falling falling into the
00:04:35Wrong hands and being used in potentially catastrophic ways. The The King was right to call his summit
00:04:39summit on AI today, and he's right
00:04:41right to warn that it might seek
00:04:43seek to take human life. So says says Yoshua Bengio, the artificial
00:04:47artificial intelligence pioneer nicknamed nicknamed nicknamed the Godfather
00:04:51Godfather of AI. You can see that that I'm still human. A gaggle of
00:04:54of bosses whose firms are developing developing the technology have sounded
00:04:57sounded the alarm, including here here on Newsnight. Professor Bengio
00:05:01Bengio told me we'd reached a moment moment like the pandemic as he compared
00:05:04compared the governments of the world
00:05:06world acting fast on Covid. If you
00:05:10you look at events where governments governments have moved quickly, you
00:05:13you can think of wars, of course, course, but the pandemic is is an
00:05:16an interesting case where scientists scientists were raising the alarm
00:05:20alarm and when it became pretty obvious obvious that there was a real danger,
00:05:24danger, the governments moved very very quickly. And that's what we
00:05:27we need here. And do you think that
00:05:29that the King's summit expressed expressed this at the right rate
00:05:32rate of awareness that you're describing?
00:05:37describing? Well, it's not too late,
00:05:39late, in my opinion, to shift how
00:05:41how we do things, how the companies
00:05:45companies are regulated. And we should should have these global discussions.
00:05:47discussions. So I'm glad that the
00:05:49the King called one and the opportunity
00:05:52opportunity makes it possible to to have those discussions. And why
00:05:56why have so many rivals started speaking
00:05:59speaking in their own sort of arms arms race of concern within the last
00:06:02last few days? Do you know what explains explains the timing of people who
00:06:05who are meant to be competing against
00:06:08against each other, agreeing on a
00:06:10a message of warning. Because they're
00:06:14they're scared? There's another reason.
00:06:17reason. You know, if governments
00:06:20governments don't put rules that that all the companies, at least
00:06:24least at that level of AI capability,
00:06:26capability, all the companies will
00:06:29will have to follow, there is a possibility
00:06:32possibility that one of the companies companies would not follow the rules
00:06:36rules and try to, you know, race
00:06:38race against the others. So they
00:06:40they have an interest in making sure
00:06:43sure that the rules apply to all
00:06:46all the companies. I just wonder
00:06:47wonder what about all the countries? countries? Do you agree that China
00:06:52China is just as willing to let third
00:06:54third party agents into its laboratories laboratories with badges to go in
00:06:58in with laptops to look at Chinese
00:07:00Chinese AI technology, as has been
00:07:02been suggested? So I believe that
00:07:06that it's an interest of China as as well as the US and other countries
00:07:10countries to make sure we avoid catastrophic
00:07:14catastrophic experiments and deployments.
00:07:16deployments. Now it's also understandable understandable from what I hear that
00:07:20that the Chinese are saying, that that the risks currently are mostly
00:07:23mostly in the hands of American companies,
00:07:27companies, but I also believe that
00:07:31that there should be international international diplomatic effort to
00:07:32to make sure, just like we did for for nuclear weapons, to make sure
00:07:36sure we can manage those risks. And And what do you make of the fact fact that one of the key players
00:07:40players in this President Trump of of the United States has called warnings
00:07:44warnings about AI a hoax? Well, the
00:07:49the scientific facts that have been
00:07:51been observed across, you know, multiple
00:07:55multiple events, including, by the
00:07:57the way, by the great UK AI Security
00:08:01Security Institute. So very much much independently of the American
00:08:04American companies. Those facts are
00:08:06are undeniable. And eventually reality,
00:08:09reality, you know, catches whatever
00:08:11whatever claims one wants to make, make, just like it is happening with
00:08:15with climate. It's just that in the the case of AI, it's much faster.
00:08:18faster. But if you had the President President in face time, what would
00:08:21would you tell the US President.
00:08:26President. That he has a chance to to become a hero and maybe even get
00:08:29get a Nobel Prize peace Prize by
00:08:32by actually doing what is right here
00:08:34here and starting the serious conversations conversations with China on this
00:08:38this so that we can all avoid catastrophic catastrophic outcomes. Because President
00:08:41President Xi is heading to Washington. Washington. So would you say this
00:08:44this is an historic moment in human human history? The meeting of the
00:08:47the two of them can be grasped or
00:08:49or dropped. Yes there is. There is
00:08:53is an opportunity here. I hope they
00:08:55they take it. So is it just possible
00:08:57possible in the 250th anniversary anniversary of the Republic that
00:09:01that the King, the descendant of
00:09:03of George the Third, has got a stronger
00:09:05stronger grasp on AI than the current
00:09:09current President of the United States. States. I won't comment on this.
00:09:11this. Will you deny that that looks looks that it could be the case to
00:09:15to some humans? I understand that.
00:09:18that. You understand the
00:09:23question. I understand that those those points of views, of course.
00:09:25course. And do you share them? I
00:09:30I won't comment. Do you still think
00:09:32think the human's going to get there
00:09:34there over the machine? I hope so,
00:09:38so, but let me tell you something
00:09:39something important. We should not
00:09:43not feel despair. And, you know, know, powerless because we do have
00:09:47have agency right now. It is not
00:09:49not too late. It's a matter of global
00:09:53global awareness. This is how the the world is going to like, go back
00:09:56back on a safe trajectory where, where, by the way, AI could be used
00:10:00used for good. It's not like AI or
00:10:02or no AI, it's just that we have have to do it at a pace where we
00:10:06we can control the risks and we can can reap the benefits. Thank you
00:10:10you for talking to us. You're welcome.
00:10:14welcome. That's Yoshua Bengio. Thank
00:10:17Thank the Kings. Doing something. something. Is the King doing the the right thing? Yes, because the
00:10:21the King is using his convening power
00:10:24power and the King has been very very thoughtful about how he's used used that convening power in the
00:10:28the past as well. He's been criticised criticised for it. He sounded alarms
00:10:31alarms about climate change some some time ago and was criticised
00:10:35criticised at the time. And I think think at the moment what he's doing
00:10:37doing is picking up on another world world crisis moment where he can
00:10:41can do something useful by bringing bringing people together. He shouldn't shouldn't be making decisions and
00:10:45and he isn't making decisions. He's He's not trying to get. He's not not the King is not going to set
00:10:49set the regulations, but he is bringing bringing people together to make
00:10:52make sure that that conversation conversation is happening and at at a high level. And where do you
00:10:56you think the UK is generally. We've We've spoken about the King. Where's
00:11:00Where's the UK in regulating or leading leading the discussion about AI?
00:11:04AI? Well the UK doesn't really get get to talk about regulating AI because
00:11:07because he doesn't really have any any AI on a fundamental level. We
00:11:10We don't have any frontier Labs. Labs. Those are the labs that are
00:11:13are making the big models like OpenAI,
00:11:16OpenAI, Anthropic, Claude, ChatGPT ChatGPT and we have almost no sovereign
00:11:19sovereign compute power. So our capacity capacity to drive forward is very
00:11:22very limited and therefore our capacity capacity to negotiate with countries countries with companies is equally
00:11:26equally limited. But I thought what what was one of the things that was
00:11:29was interesting is the big companies companies were represented there there today. You know, Google DeepMind
00:11:32DeepMind and Anthropic and so forth forth and OpenAI. But it was actually
00:11:36actually Mustafa Suleyman who was was on another BBC outlet this morning morning on the Today Programme, and
00:11:40and he had written an essay. Never Never heard of it, I know, and but
00:11:43but he made a really, really interesting interesting point, which is planes,
00:11:47planes, if you don't have rules, rules, if you don't have air traffic traffic control, planes fly into
00:11:50into each other. But we still like like planes, but we have rules and
00:11:53and we accept them. And I think that
00:11:55that discussion now needs to happen happen urgently about how we regulate
00:11:59regulate and what our role might might be in it, as well as the discussion
00:12:02discussion about sovereign capability. I agree with that principle. principle. I mean, if there was a
00:12:06a magic pause button, I'm getting getting scared enough. I think it it would be nice to press. But what
00:12:10what I'm hearing from people who who work in AI is there might not
00:12:12not be. The problem with regulation regulation is the main proposal we're
00:12:15we're seeing from AI company bosses
00:12:18bosses is you want third party testing
00:12:20testing of models, but AI, new models models of AI are getting so clever.
00:12:24clever. They're getting what you you call sort of evaluation awareness. awareness. This is what you saw with
00:12:27with the Hugging Face incident because because a chatbot wanted to pass
00:12:31pass an evaluation. It hacked into into the evaluating software to find
00:12:34find out the answers. I fear therefore therefore that we may actually be be at a point where regulation is
00:12:38is extremely difficult to execute execute properly. Because the thing
00:12:40thing is about the UK's role in all all of this Anthropic. One of their
00:12:44their latest models wasn't run through
00:12:47through the UK security Agency's Agency's system. The refused access.
00:12:50access. It just looks like we're we're not really at the table. What
00:12:54What does it mean if no one else
00:12:56else is regulating AI, we rely on on hereditary hereditary monarch
00:13:00monarch to try and the Pope and the the Pope. The Pope. We'll get to
00:13:03to the Pope. But if we've got the the King and the Pope, that's the
00:13:06the human that is the human cry against against the machine. Laura. I think
00:13:10think this decision by Anthropic Anthropic not to let UK SC into the
00:13:14the rooms, into looking at the models, models, shows that we've lost our
00:13:17our way in the AI race. Because there
00:13:20there is a way actually to control control AI, which I don't think I
00:13:24I know why I'm the only one to know know it. It's. The chips. Are they.
00:13:27they. Well, the country that makes makes the largest one Nvidia was
00:13:31was there in the room. Now the chip chip is the brain of the AI Thangam
00:13:35Thangam and that the Chinese do not
00:13:37not have the same manufacturing capabilities. capabilities. So no, no, let me ask
00:13:40ask you about the Pope. It was you
00:13:42you who raised it. One of the attendees attendees was there today and we're
00:13:46we're going to we can listen to what
00:13:47what he's been telling Victoria's
00:13:50Victoria's father, Paolo Benanti.
00:13:52Benanti. He's Pope Leo XIV official official adviser on AI. Victoria
00:13:55Victoria spoke to him ahead of the the summit and asked how the Pope
00:13:59Pope could persuade the American American President to listen to the
00:14:02the warnings on AI. Well, he. Didn't
00:14:05Didn't say that AI is not dangerous, dangerous, he said in the same quoting
00:14:09quoting passages. It's enough myself
00:14:12myself to control AI could be true.
00:14:15true. But also, you know, the idea idea that China is there and China
00:14:19China is another player suggest that that probably not everything is under
00:14:23under his own control. And sometimes
00:14:25sometimes it it is much more wise wise to find an international agreement
00:14:29agreement instead of having an international
00:14:32international competition. So would would would Pope Leo stand up to
00:14:34to Donald Trump and say this to him.
00:14:37him. First duty of the Pope is simple
00:14:39simple to speak to all good, willing
00:14:42willing people around the world to to try to resonate. The reason of
00:14:46of finding an agreement for the global
00:14:50global good and then practical way way to make it work well, we need
00:14:53need everyone and we need also politicians politicians and all other people
00:14:57people with their competence in society. society. It's not something that
00:14:59that the Pope alone can do. Sure, Sure, but would the Pope be prepared
00:15:03prepared to raise this with President President Trump? From what we see
00:15:06see in the past, in the past month, month, especially on the topic like
00:15:10like the war and AI development, development, the Pope has not fear
00:15:13fear to say really clearly what are
00:15:15are the values at stake and what
00:15:18what is his own perspective on them
00:15:21them without having any fear to face
00:15:23face opposition on people and or or in government. So there we are,
00:15:27are, the Pope and the King and President President Trump. Will President Trump
00:15:30Trump blink? President Trump has has said, I think that AI fears are
00:15:34are a hoax, which would imply that that he's pretty hostile to regulation. regulation. But let's not forget
00:15:38forget that he's not the only player player here. We've also got the Chinese
00:15:40Chinese models, a very small Chinese Chinese company called moonshot grew
00:15:44grew hugely in just sort of a few few years now has a model called called Kimi three, which is about
00:15:48about three months behind the most most advanced American model. So So it's not just Trump you want to
00:15:51to get on board, it's also China. China. If you want to slow things things down. But Trump did say I
00:15:55I think the second half of the quote quote from Trump is, but we're fine
00:15:58fine because we've got a very intelligent intelligent president. And you know,
00:16:01know, I mean, I'm not going to comment comment on intelligence of presidents,
00:16:04presidents, but I am just going to to observe. A great deal that you're.
00:16:07you're. Saying more. I what I am am commenting on though, is, is the
00:16:11the role of politicians. Like it it would be really dangerous to overestimate
00:16:14overestimate your role as a politician. politician. OK, but let's not overestimate
00:16:17overestimate the importance of the the meeting between XI and Trump. Trump. That matters. That seriously
00:16:21seriously matters. It's next Thursday. Thursday. Well, I'm glad about that
00:16:24that because apart from anything anything else, China also has the the rare earths and the rare earths
00:16:28earths that we need in order to put put into the various components that
00:16:31that we need to power the AI. So So that's also really important.
00:16:34important. And so there's a considerable considerable element of power play
00:16:38play along the supply chain as well. well. Because also if you read Donald
00:16:41Donald Trump's The Art of the deal, deal, you don't say in advance of
00:16:44of President Xi coming, we're going going to do a deal with XI, you.
00:16:47you. Need to do that though. Doesn't Doesn't he know? But well, we're we're not going to endlessly go on
00:16:51on about Donald Trump. But do you you think do you think there could
00:16:53could be a moment between China and and the US next week? Do you think
00:16:57think ruling out any kind of deal
00:17:00deal is to previous. You can't ever ever rule anything out with Trump.
00:17:04Trump. He's not a predictable man. man. He's not a man that tells you you what he's about to do. So it's
00:17:08it's entirely possible. The best best advice I ever got about Trump Trump as a journalist is take him.
00:17:11him. Don't ever take him literally, literally, but always take him seriously. seriously. And I think he you know,
00:17:15know, China doesn't want to destroy destroy the world with AI. It's likely likely they're going to try and work
00:17:19work together on this issue. The The rare earths will be very valuable.
00:17:21valuable. OK. And let me ask you
00:17:23you both to dare to dream about something something optimistic, which I heard
00:17:27heard from one of the godfathers godfathers of AI, that there are
00:17:29are quite a few godfathers, but there
00:17:32there is agency. There is human co-operation, co-operation, which has happened
00:17:35happened in very bleak circumstances circumstances before, including nuclear
00:17:38nuclear proliferation. Do we dare dare to dream that the message the
00:17:40the penny has dropped in the human human brain about the artificial
00:17:44artificial one? We dare to dream dream that it's dropped. What we
00:17:47we then need to do with urgency, urgency, in my view, is actually actually get on with the business
00:17:50business of sorting out. Are we going going to have a framework of global global regulation? Will anyone. The
00:17:54The next step. We asked at the top top of the programme Will anyone anyone act? What's the answer? Well,
00:17:57Well, I think the King, by convening, convening, has shown the way and
00:18:00and I think the Pope by by issuing
00:18:03issuing his encyclical has also demonstrated demonstrated great leaders need to
00:18:07to bring people together and work work out what the next step is. I I think we're still a long way off.
00:18:11off. This is something being done done by companies across the world. world. International agreements are
00:18:14are very difficult and also we don't don't actually know what sort of of regulations we want at this stage.
00:18:18stage. OK. But we need to hurry up. up. Agreed. Are you talking to me?
00:18:21me? No. I do actually. A fresh shadow
00:18:25shadow has been cast on the King's
00:18:26King's best efforts to lead a national
00:18:29national conversation from published published claims about him. And they
00:18:32they are these. The published claims
00:18:34claims say he was elated at the death
00:18:36death of Diana, Princess of Wales,
00:18:38Wales, in 1997. Family troubles have
00:18:41have persisted throughout his short short Reign over his brother Andrew,
00:18:44Andrew, his son Harry and now his his one time brother in law Charles
00:18:47Charles Spencer. The Earl has written written a book about which you'll
00:18:50you'll know it's about his sister. sister. It's being serialised in
00:18:52in the Daily Mail. Here's the Mail's Mail's latest front page headline
00:18:56headline Queen offered to restore
00:18:58restore Diana's HRH after she died. died. Now, in the latest excerpt
00:19:02excerpt within the paper, he describes describes the phone call between
00:19:05between him and the then Prince Charles. Charles. Shortly after Diana had
00:19:08had been killed in a road crash in
00:19:10in Paris. Charles, he writes, sounded
00:19:13sounded giddily elated like a lottery lottery winner. I remember thinking
00:19:16thinking at the time, Earl Spencer Spencer goes on, he let me know he
00:19:20he had informed William and Harry Harry of their mother's death first
00:19:22first thing that morning in their their bedrooms at Balmoral. It all
00:19:26all sounded strangely matter of fact, fact, given the enormity of the disaster.
00:19:30disaster. Looking back now, I suspect suspect the prince's first reaction
00:19:33reaction must have been to think think more of how this event might
00:19:35might free him to marry the woman woman he loved rather than appreciating
00:19:39appreciating the loss of one he did
00:19:43did not. And this is what Buckingham Buckingham Palace said in its recent
00:19:45recent response, which we read to to you yesterday. While we do not
00:19:49not comment on books as a matter matter of principle, His Majesty Majesty is mindful that the pain
00:19:53pain of fraternal grief can cloud cloud reason, affect judgement and
00:19:56and colour memory in ways others others do not recognise. Even many
00:20:00many years after such a loss. Dickie
00:20:03Dickie Arbiter, our guest, knew Diana Diana for 17 years. He was press
00:20:07press secretary at the palace at at the time of the car crash which
00:20:10which killed the princess. He worked worked on her funeral a few days
00:20:14days later. Welcome. Thank you. What
00:20:16What do you make of the King being
00:20:19being at the time the prince giddy
00:20:23giddy at the elated? It's not. It's It's not in his character. It's not.
00:20:26not. It's not his speak. He doesn't doesn't think like that. He was devastated
00:20:30devastated at the time. And you could could see that in his body language
00:20:33language when he came back to London London on Thursday with his sons
00:20:37sons to look at the floral tributes tributes in Kensington Gardens, you
00:20:40you could even see it on the Sunday Sunday when the family went to church
00:20:43church and stopped outside the gates gates of Balmoral to have a look
00:20:46look at the floral tributes there. there. The man was devastated. There's
00:20:49There's no way he could have ever ever said anything like that. Charles
00:20:52Charles Spencer is just talking hogwash.
00:20:55hogwash. But we do know that he went
00:20:57went on to marry Camilla. That was
00:21:00was a long time after that was in
00:21:03in 2005. But it's not wrong to say, say, he said, looking back. He. He
00:21:07He was to think more about how it it might free him to marry the woman woman he loved rather than appreciating
00:21:11appreciating the loss of one. He He did not. That is his own thought. thought. That is. That is speculation.
00:21:15speculation. He doesn't know that that he didn't see Charles until
00:21:18until he came down and walked behind
00:21:21behind the coffin on the Saturday.
00:21:22Saturday. He hadn't seen him until
00:21:25until then and suggesting that it
00:21:27it freed Charles up to marry Camilla. Camilla. They were divorced, Charles
00:21:31Charles and Diana so Charles could could marry Camilla at any time.
00:21:34time. The fact that Diana died was
00:21:37was a very sad occasion. You mentioned mentioned the funeral because it's
00:21:40it's also said the Prince Charles Charles said, I gather you've got
00:21:44got a problem with the funeral arrangements. arrangements. I gather you don't
00:21:47don't want William and Harry to walk walk behind Diana's coffin? Well,
00:21:50Well, of course not, sir, says the the excerpt, Diana would never have
00:21:53have wanted that. He didn't know
00:21:55know what Diana wanted. They they
00:21:58they had a sort of a bit of animosity animosity between the two of them.
00:22:02them. Diana wanted a bolthole on
00:22:05on the awful bus stop in. In 93 she
00:22:08she wanted to go to garden House. House. Garden House wasn't available available because one of his workers
00:22:12workers was living there. It was was too close to the road. Spencer Spencer was worried about security,
00:22:16security, was worried about media media intrusion and Diana didn't
00:22:18didn't speak to him for over a year.
00:22:21year. That's how upset she was. She She was offered something else on
00:22:24on the estate, but she didn't want want it. OK. I mean, I'm sure we'll
00:22:27we'll hear a lot from the interviews interviews and I don't know about about the specifics of that, but
00:22:30but I wonder what the specifics are are about the funeral. Do you think
00:22:33think he was right to have fears fears for those young boys walking
00:22:37walking behind the coffin? I think think any parent would have fears. fears. But the boys. I think it was
00:22:41was the uncle who did. The excerpt excerpt says that the father wanted
00:22:44wanted them to walk and the uncle uncle did not. Actually, it was Prince
00:22:47Prince Philip who asked them and and suggested that they walked. Do
00:22:50Do you. Think it was a mistake? I I don't think it was a mistake. I
00:22:53I think if they hadn't walked in in later life they would have regretted
00:22:56regretted it. Harry has dwelt on
00:22:58on that ever since that day and he
00:23:00he dwells on it now. And he will
00:23:03will continue dwelling on it. But
00:23:05But I think in terms of paying tribute
00:23:08tribute to your mother, a public public tribute, that was the way
00:23:10way to do it. Now, Dickie, you worked worked very closely with the man
00:23:13man who is now King. How will he
00:23:16he be taking every time he attempts attempts to be the King, something
00:23:20something comes up from the brother, brother, the son or the brother in
00:23:23in law. How will that be affecting affecting King Charles? He'll be
00:23:27be exasperated, but he'll get on on with the job. I mean, today he
00:23:30he was up at Dumfries House as the
00:23:33the Baroness said, he's he's a classic
00:23:37classic catalyst of bringing people people together, bringing the right
00:23:40right people together. He just carried carried on with work. But yes, it
00:23:44it will trouble him because this
00:23:45this book is going to come out. It's
00:23:48It's going to be serialised and what what more is going to be revealed?
00:23:52revealed? It's all one man's view.
00:23:55view. It's his truth. Let's turn turn to what you all think. And Dick,
00:23:59Dick, it's a great honour to hear hear from you. We haven't seen you
00:24:02you on the programme. Certainly not not what I've been here. But when
00:24:05when Dickie was in charge it was. was. Never complained, never explained.
00:24:09explained. And now the. Is the Palace Palace strategy, right, Thangam?
00:24:12Thangam? I think that's for them them to say. Well, you're the guest
00:24:15guest on the sofa. I am the guest
00:24:17guest on the sofa and I my view is
00:24:20is that they're entitled to work work out for themselves how to do
00:24:23do the job of being royals. It's It's a different time. That's up
00:24:26up to them. I think we've just been been discussing if AI is going to
00:24:28to take us all out, and now we're we're talking about something that that may or may not have happened
00:24:32happened on a phone call 29 years years ago. We're never going to know know the answer. It's clear that
00:24:36that Earl Spencer really hates Charles Charles is motivated by that. But
00:24:38But I think if I were the Palace, Palace, I would have stayed quiet
00:24:41quiet and not given the story the the dignity. I think they were right right in doing what they did. It
00:24:44It was really a classic case of saying
00:24:48saying it varies. I think. Recollections
00:24:52Recollections vary and that does does vary. But this is a it's a private
00:24:55private family tragedy and up and and down the country at the moment moment people are worried about any
00:24:59any number of things. I'm afraid afraid to say. Probably none of them
00:25:01them are this. I think there's an
00:25:03an awful lot of raking over Diana's
00:25:07Diana's memory of terrible tragedy. tragedy. But right now here we are are when people are worried about
00:25:11about how they're going to pay their their bills and whether AI is going
00:25:13going to destroy their jobs or end end the world, those feel like really
00:25:16really big things to be worried about. about. Why is the man raking it up
00:25:20up now, 29 years after the event? event? Why not the 25th anniversary?
00:25:23anniversary? Why not the 20th anniversary? anniversary? Why just keep quiet
00:25:25quiet altogether? Let me, let me me link my questions together about
00:25:28about you. Wish this could be a private private affair. Let me just show
00:25:31show you tomorrow's papers, starting starting with the mail I've already already mentioned their headline.
00:25:34headline. We'll start with the mirror
00:25:37mirror war of words. Earl's astonishing
00:25:40astonishing claims alleges Charles Charles was like a lottery winner.
00:25:42winner. This is the mirror to the
00:25:44the eye. Palace on the defensive
00:25:46defensive after Earl's new claims
00:25:48claims against the King to the Daily Daily Express. What's their front
00:25:52front page? Charles emphatic we respect
00:25:56respect Diana's memory, the times,
00:25:57times, what's on their front page? page? Charles was elated after Diana
00:26:01Diana died. So this is why I'm asking.
00:26:04asking. It's not a private affair,
00:26:07affair, is it? It is a private affair, affair, but it's being made public,
00:26:10public, being made public by Spencer.
00:26:13Spencer. And what is quite interesting interesting is that Spencer went
00:26:15went on Larry King live on CNN about
00:26:20about 88 or 90 8 or 99, in which which he said he, Charles travelled
00:26:23travelled up on the train with them them to Althorp for the interment
00:26:26interment of Diana. He said he was
00:26:28was very polite. He was very kind
00:26:31kind and if. If somebody is troubled troubled by what your former brother
00:26:34brother in law has said a week earlier,
00:26:37earlier, you wouldn't go on air and and say things like that. What should
00:26:40should the palace reaction be now? now? What should the strategy be?
00:26:43be? Dickie? They said what they are
00:26:46are going to say. So leave it. To To leave it. Yes, it's now. The book
00:26:49book hasn't even come out. No, it's it's now for people to make up their
00:26:52their minds. All of the shocking shocking bits will be in the serialisation
00:26:55serialisation and this story I think think will start to fizzle out. And And if the palace stay quiet, I imagine
00:26:59imagine they'll see this through through without much problem. And And meanwhile people are trying to
00:27:03to work out how they're going to to pay the bills this winter and
00:27:05and whether or not climate crisis crisis is as bad as we fear. And
00:27:09And I think it is. And whether or or not AI is going to end the world,
00:27:13world, there's quite a lot to think think about. Can I wrap it up together?
00:27:16together? When we think how you've you've all used your time tonight
00:27:19tonight for the benefit of our viewers, viewers, the King's trying to King
00:27:23King with his AI summit and then then up comes the brother. Up comes
00:27:26comes the sun, up comes the brother brother in law. Do you think the
00:27:30the public are going to side with with the King when they. After these
00:27:34these repeated blows these noises noises off as he tries to. To be
00:27:37be the monarch. The public are being being pummelled by all sorts of things.
00:27:41things. They're being pummelled by by the Sussexes, they're being pummelled
00:27:44pummelled by now. Spencer. And they they really want to get on with their
00:27:48their own lives as Baroness says, says, they've got to get on with
00:27:52with their own lives. They've got got bills to pay, they've got lives
00:27:55lives to live. They will see this this for what it is. They will make
00:27:59make up their own minds. Meanwhile
00:28:00Meanwhile the palace must stay
00:28:04strong. Yeah, I think people forget forget there was a lot of emotion emotion about Diana's death. It's It's understandable. But it was 29
00:28:0729 years ago. You've got a whole whole generation now who don't remember remember Diana and I think this story
00:28:11story being played out on the front front page of every paper just seems seems quite strange to people. You
00:28:15You think, oh, we've got this new new Prime Minister, what on earth earth is he going to do? He's not
00:28:19not saying I'd like to hear about about that, please. And I imagine imagine there'll be fatigue of this
00:28:23this story quite quickly. I think
00:28:26think as Laura said, it's 29 years years ago, those of us who were around
00:28:29around at that time do remember it it very well. But we also know that
00:28:32that there was private grief and and private tragedy. As the palace
00:28:34palace has said in their statement. statement. And we really have big
00:28:37big problems. I would feel for the the King, as you said, he was trying
00:28:40trying to King today and that I hope hope it doesn't get lost. I do feel
00:28:44feel that my verb will never be repeated, repeated, but thank you. We all we
00:28:48we thank you all very much indeed. indeed. Do do come back. Here are
00:28:52are our contact details. You can can shout at the television or you
00:28:56you can insist on sending us a message message in capitals and we'll be
00:28:59be sure to read that we go now. Matt's
00:29:02Matt's here for our brand new prime prime time Friday News night tomorrow
00:29:05tomorrow live at seven. We're going
00:29:06going to bring you more interviews
00:29:10interviews like these. And we're
00:29:13we're live in 10s nine eight 76564321.
00:29:2376564321. On it. Good evening. Hello.
00:29:26Hello. Does Andy Burnham have eyes eyes on this house? It isn't a good
00:29:30good idea to keep changing Prime Prime Ministers. Prime Minister Andy
00:29:33Andy Burnham has arrived. Can you you remind us what the fiscal rules
00:29:36rules are? You know, you find your your groove, you try different things.
00:29:39things. Some things work and some some things don't work. I think we
00:29:43we should take action. Action? Like Like what. If I'd done it deliberately
00:29:46deliberately and this had been a a misjudgement, I would absolutely. absolutely. But when we make mistakes,
00:29:49mistakes, whether it's intentional intentional or not, we say sorry
00:29:53sorry I'm going for a little walk. walk. Nick. Well, a little walk to to run the country. Do you think
00:29:57think it would happen this quickly? quickly? No, not at all. Could you
00:30:00you live on £70 a week? Absolutely Absolutely not, Chancellor. I do
00:30:03do not think it is a moral thing thing for you to do. The system as
00:30:07as it's now evolved is completely completely indefensible. AI is going
00:30:10going to mean that some jobs do disappear. disappear. Will it be Harris or will
00:30:13will it be Trump? The Democrats messed messed it up. Well we lost. So we
00:30:17we have to not upset Donald Trump. We have to be an ally to Donald
00:30:21Donald Trump. An ally. Does that that mean. Allies don't betray. Our
00:30:24Our relationship with the United United States is not one of mutual
00:30:27mutual affection. It's a deal. We
00:30:29We still. Have a special relationship. Well, it's not that
00:30:32that special, is it? If you impose impose 10% tariffs. President Trump
00:30:35Trump probably thinks that we in in Canada will cave in. We are going
00:30:38going to stand up to a bully. We're We're not going to back down. Come
00:30:42Come President Trump trust President President Putin. Well, they do have
00:30:46have trust already. He would wipe
00:30:48wipe out an entire civilisation of
00:30:50of people. That is insanity. There's
00:30:55There's a white flash. You saw every
00:30:59every bone, every
Data courtesy of The GDELT Project (gdeltproject.org), from the Internet Archive TV News Archive. Film strip and transcript are GDELT's, rehosted here under their terms of use, which permit it with this citation.