Transcript for Royal insider reflects on Queen Elizabeth’s legacy in new book
WELL, OVER THE LAST 70 YEARS,
THE WORLD WATCHED AS QUEEN
ELIZABETH LED THE U.K. AND MADE
HISTORY AS THE LONGEST SERVING
ROYAL MONARCH OF ENGLAND,
THOUGH SOME SAY SHE WAS
ACTUALLY PRETTY SHY.
>> THE LATE RULER USED HER
UNDYING SELF-DISCIPLINE TO LEAD
THE MONARCHY WHILE LETTING VERY
FEW PEOPLE INSIDE TO ACTUALLY
SEE HOW SHE DID IT.
>> INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLING
AUTHOR ANDREW MORTON WAS ONE OF
THE FEW WRITERS THAT THE ROYALS
TRUSTED.
AND FOR ALL YOU VIEWERS
WHO BINGE THE NETFLIX SERIES
THE CROWN, YOU'LL KNOW WHO I'M
TALKING ABOUT.
>> I CAN SAY CATEGORICALLY THAT
I DID NOT INTERVIEW
THE PRINCESS, BUT I SPOKE
TO HER FRIENDS, ASSOCIATES,
ANYONE WHO WAS WILLING TO TALK
KENNETH MOTON JUST REALLY
THEY WERE DESPERATE TO TELL
THE WORLD HOW IT REALLY IS .
>> WELL, I HAD THE HONOR TO GET
TO KNOW ANDREW IN LONDON AS WE
BOTH COVERED QUEEN ELIZABETH'S
FUNERAL TOGETHER.
AND NOW HE JOINS ME HERE
BACK IN THE U.S. TO TALK ABOUT
HIS NEW BOOK, THE QUEEN, HER
LIFE.
>> SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.
NICE TO SEE YOU ON THE THE
HAPPIER CIRCUMSTANCES.
YES, EXACTLY.
YEAH, THAT WAS TOUGH.
BUT YOU TAUGHT ME A LOT.
I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT
THE ROYALS.
I LEARNED HOW DIFFICULT IT
IS TO GET INFORMATION WHEN IT
COMES TO THE ROYALS.
>> BUT YOU WERE YOU HAD YOU HAD
A GIFT.
>> YOU WERE LUCKY YOU WERE ABLE
TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.
YET AT THE SAME TIME.
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
ABOUT THE TOUGH, THE TOUGH
SUBJECTS AS WELL.
SO WHAT DO YOU THINK MADE THIS
BOOK SO DIFFERENT FROM OTHER
BOOKS THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN
ABOUT THE ROYALS?
>> WELL, I'VE WRITTEN 25 BOOKS
OVER THE YEARS.
SOME AGING MYSELF, BUT
THE QUEEN, HER LIFE IS IS
ALWAYS MY ATTEMPT TO LOOK AT
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE MASK
AND WHO WHO WAS THIS POST
SEARCH FOR PERSONALITY CLUES?
>> BECAUSE AFTER ALL,
A BIOGRAPHER IS ESSENTIALLY
A PERSONALITY DETECTIVE.
AND I FOUND ALL KINDS OF CLUES
ON TOUR WITH MY FIRST THE FIRST
WHAT I DID WITH WAS IN 1983 IN
CALIFORNIA AND IT WAS
A BROADWAY SHOW.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED
THE TOUR THAT WENT WRONG
BECAUSE EVERYTHING IT COULD
HAVE GONE WRONG WENT WRONG.
BUT YOU GOT CLUES INTO HER
PERSONALITY, THE FACT THAT WHEN
IT WENT WRONG, SHE LOVED IT.
AND WILLIAM PRINCE WILLIAM SAID
THE SAME THING THAT THE MOTHER
LOVED IT WHEN THINGS WENT
WRONG.
>> AND YOU COULD SEE THAT SHE
HAD A SENSE OF HUMOR, A GREAT
WIT.
I REMEMBER WHEN BALMORAL,
A PLACE THAT SHE LOVED AND SHE
PASSED, SHE HAD A LITTLE BODY
THAT THERE WAS YOU HAD PICNICS
AND THEY SAID WE SHOULD REALLY
PUT A PLAQUE HERE SAYING
THE QUEEN SWEPT HERE BECAUSE
SHE LOVED TO SHE LOVED TO CLEAN
UP AFTER A BARBECUE.
AND EVERY YEAR CHRISTMAS,
THEY GIVE HER A PAIR OF
YELLOW RUBBER GLOVES.
>> THAT'S PRETTY CUTE
AND CREATIVE, BUT IT ALL
SERIOUSNESS, YOU FOUND
A BEAUTIFUL BALANCE OF LEGACY
AND TRIBUTE, BUT ALSO COVERING
THE SCANDAL AND THE SCANDALS
AND THE SECRETS.
>> HOW DID YOU DO THAT?
HOW DID YOU FIND THAT DIGNIFIED
BALANCE?
>> WELL, I TRY TO INVESTIGATE
THE QUEEN AND LOOK AT THE WAY
THE NARRATIVE ARC OF HER LIFE
CHANGED SO THAT IN THE TWILIGHT
YEARS, IT SEEMS TO ME SHE WAS
A LOT MORE RELAXED.
SHE LOVED SHE WAS LOVING
THE JOB.
I MEAN, SHE WAS HAVING
MARMALADE SANDWICHES
WITH PADDINGTON, JUMPING OUT OF
A HELICOPTER AND SHE DID WHAT
THE JAPANESE EMPEROR WOULD
NEVER DO.
>> SHE JUMPED OUT OF
A HELICOPTER FOR THE LONDON
OLYMPICS.
SO AND OTHER LITTLE THINGS SHE
WAS ONCE ASKED, WAS
YOUR GREATEST AMBITION?
AND BY HER DRESSER, ANGELA
KELLEY.
AND SHE SAID, I'D LIKE TO HELP
YOU PUT MY HANDS IN MY POCKETS.
BECAUSE AS A CHILD, SHE HAD
THE STERN QUEEN MARY LOOKING
AFTER HER.
AND SHE SAID, YOU CAN NEVER PUT
YOUR HANDS IN YOUR POCKETS.
AND SO ANGELA GOT HER CARD
AGAIN, GOT A PHOTO SHOOT
AND SHE PUT HER HANDS IN
THEIR POCKETS.
SO YOU SO THOSE LITTLE THINGS,
LITTLE DETAILS HUMANIZE,
I THINK, HER MAJESTY.
>> WERE THERE ANY SURPRISES
AS YOU WERE DOING A DEEPER DOVE
AND WORKING ON THIS BOOK?
>> I THINK FOR ME, THE QUEEN'S
HAD A BAD UP AS A MUM AND DAD
AND THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T REALLY
APPRECIATE THAT WHEN SHE CAME
INTO BEING THE MONARCH IN IN
NINETEEN FIFTY TWO, IT WAS
A MAN'S WORLD AND SHE HAD AN
ENORMOUS RESPONSIBILITY, A KIND
OF A TSUNAMI OF RESPONSIBILITY.
>> THREATEN TO OVERWHELM HER
AND WHAT THE VICTIMS REALLY
WERE.
>> CHARLES NAN, WHO DIDN'T HAVE
AS MUCH TIME WITH THEIR MOTHER
AS THEY WOULD HAVE HAD
TWENTY FIVE BOOKS.
>> IS THERE A FAVORITE MEMBER
OF THE ROYAL FAMILY THAT YOU
HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT SOMEONE YOU
ENJOYED MAYBE THE MOST?
>> OH, THAT'S A TOUGH QUESTION.
THAT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION.
OH, DIANA WAS WAS IS IS
THE MOST FULFILLING INTERACTION
REALLY THE THE WAY OR HAPPENED,
THE DRAMA BEHIND IT?
>> WATCHING THE CROWN HAS
BROUGHT IT ALL BACK FOR ME.
AND IT'S LIKE ALL THE SILT OF
THE MEMORIES ARE BEING STIRRED
UP.
>> I WAS QUITE SHOCKED.
>> WELL, LET'S TAKE A MOMENT,
BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN A MEMBER OF
THE ABC FAMILY FOR QUITE
SOME TIME SINCE YOU WERE
A YOUNG TEENAGER WHEN YOU WERE
WITH PETER JENNINGS, COVERING
ACTUALLY THE DEATH OF DIANA.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE THAT FOOTAGE.
AND AS WE LOOK BACK AT THAT,
AS YOU LOOK BACK AT THAT, WHAT
DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOST?
>> DIANA TOUCHED YOU.
YOU WROTE A BEST SELLING BOOK.
YOU REALLY DID GET INSIGHT.
>> NOBODY ELSE DID.
AND I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, PEOPLE
HERE IN AMERICA LOVED HER VERY
MUCH.
>> LET ME TELL YOU A VERY QUICK
STORY.
ABOUT THAT FUNERAL.
WE ALL HAD CROSSES ON OUR BACKS
.
WE WERE VERY HIGH UP
OVERLOOKING WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
AND PETER'S KEPT FALLING OFF.
AND AT ONE STAGE, WE TOLD THAT
THE POLICE HAVE YOU IN
THE SIGHTS AND THEN A SECURITY
GUARD HAD TO PULL HIM OFF
THE SET BECAUSE HISAND I HAD ONY
I HAD THIS GUY ON THE OTHER ARM
AND AS WE'RE PULLING IN
BACK AND FORTH, PETER'S STILL
GIVING THE COMMENTARY.
>> AND NOW THE COFFIN ENTERS
WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
AND THEY PULLED UP AND SAID,
I WISH TO EXPLAIN TO OUR
VIEWERS YOU HAD TO HAVE
ORANGE XS ON YOUR BACK BECAUSE
SECURITY WAS SO TIGHT THAT
THEN.
>> RIGHT, ALL THE POLICE NEEDED
TO KNOW THAT YOU WERE
CLEAR THAT YOU WERE OKAY.
AND SO SAYS X FELL OFF OF HIS
BACK .
HE IS A TARGET TO BE TAKEN
AWAY.
YOU ALMOST ANCHORED
THE NEWSCAST FOR ABC NEWS.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
ABSOLUTELY.
IT WAS A IT WAS ONLY A
TESTAMENT TO HIS COOL
ON THE UNDERFIRE.
>> WELL, IS THERE ANOTHER BOOK
IN PROGRESS?
>> I MEAN, THIS IS THE
SAME SORT OF LIKE AN END OF AN
ERA, BUT NOT REALLY.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE FUTURE KING
CHARLES , COULD THAT BE THE
NEXT BOOK?
>> WAIT AND SEE.
I DO HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND.
THE CORONATION IS GOING TO BE
PROBABLY THE NEXT TIME WE MEET
WILL BE IN LONDON IN MAY AND IT
WILL DEFINE THE STYLE OF
THE FUTURE OF KING CHARLES .
THE THIRD AND I'M LOOKING
FORWARD TO QUEEN CAMILLA THAT
WOULD BE A GOOD BOOK.
ANDREW MORTON, THANK YOU SO
MUCH.
MY ALWAYS A PLEASURE.
>> THE BOOK, THE QUEEN, HER
LIFE.
BE SURE TO PICK UP A COPY
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.