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PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT

William & Kate

Aired April 27, 2011 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PIERS MORGAN, HOST: Welcome to London, a special royal edition of PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT.

Just 48 hours to go now until the wedding of the century. And as you can see -- excitement is building all over the city, specifically on that building Buckingham Palace where less than two days 2 billion pairs of eyes around the world will be trained on the balcony to watch what many are saying will be the kiss of the millennium.

Tonight's show, we got a packed edition of rock 'n' roll royalty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN OSBOURNE, THE INSIDER: What are you two talking about?

MARCO PIERRE WHITE, CHEF: They do say the --

MORGAN: These are important.

OSBOURNE: Won't you behave?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Dame Edna Everage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAME EDNA EVERAGE: Originally, I was going to give the bride away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: The reporter who knew Princess Diana the best.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD KAY, DAILY MAIL: The one thing she wouldn't want to do, of course, is upstage the bride, or would she?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: And a sea of other guests. We're going to bring you a bit of royal sparkle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WHITE: I was just trying to impress you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: This is a special edition of PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT.

I'm outside Buckingham Palace. Less than 48 hours to go to the big wedding. The crowds, as you can see, beginning to flock all over London for the big day. I've been talking about two royal experts, two ladies who have written very successful books.

Katie Nicholl, who wrote "William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls."

And I'm also joined by Philippa Gregory, an historian and best selling author of "The Red Queen," which is today, number one on the charts.

Very exciting for you. Congratulations.

PHILIPPA GREGORY, HISTORIAN: Thank you.

MORGAN: Hardly surprising given everyone's going royal crazy here.

Katie, let me bring you in first. What's going on today? We're less than two days away. What's happening?

KATIE NICHOLL, PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: The countdown really is beginning now. Kate Middleton left the Bucklebury family home, of course, where her parents live in Chapel Row. The last time that she's going to be leaving the family home --

MORGAN: The bride is on the move to the palace?

NICHOLL: I suspect that was quite an emotional journey. She left this morning with her Audi, with her sister Pippa. On the back seat, if you look very closely, you'll see on the top of herself -- bag, so we do know where she goes shopping, what looks like the excerpts from the reading, really might be some sort of hint as to the vows.

So, she's clearly got all the wedding things with her. She will be heading to the Goring. That's the five-star hotel that's literally on the back garden of Buckingham Palace. You can jump over --

MORGAN: Old English hotel.

NICHOLL: Absolutely beautiful. The whole family will be there tomorrow night. They'll be having a dinner.

MORGAN: I want to bring in disco balls here. The phrase I never thought you'd hear in relation to Buckingham Palace.

NICHOLL: I know.

MORGAN: This is Pippa Middleton, her little sister. What she's doing with disco balls?

NICHOLL: You know, this is expected earlier in the week, that three of the rooms in the palace are going to be transformed into a nightclub. Party is coming to Buckingham Place. And in charge of the party at Buckingham Palace are Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton. Pippa is a party planner as well and she knows what she's doing.

Now, you think there's enough in that palace, but apparently not. Apparently, she wants glitter balls in there. It's rather gaudy, as you might imagine. She's got her own way. This is going to be a party that rocks. There's talk of ice cream vans being parked out in the apron. So the guests when they get up they can have an ice cream or a burger. And it's going to rock --

MORGAN: And if Prince Harry's in charge of the party, it's going to be a big party, right?

NICHOLL: It's going to be a big party. And the thing is, these are friends that like to party. And what I don't think they'll want to happen is for them to leave the palace and go to one of these other clubs. They want to keep everything contained.

And William and Kate have always wanted this to be a celebration. They've been to 10, 12 weddings in the last year. They want this to be remembered for being the party of all parties.

MORGAN: Philippa, let me bring you in. You're a top historian. You know the rather checkered history of royal marriage over the last few centuries. How important is it, do you think, constitutionally that William and Kate stay together?

GREGORY: Well, as it turns out, you can divorce anybody in the royal family and it will be OK, which we've kind of established ever since Henry VIII up through the present day. So, we have 500 years of getting rid of spouses, mostly wives, and the monarchy survived. But I think in terms of the way people feel about the royal family it's really essential this is a wedding. It's a wedding of love. It's not an arrangement. And that it really lasts.

MORGAN: And what do you think about the monarchy generally at the moment? What sense are you getting about British public opinion towards the monarchy and, indeed, global public opinion in.

GREGORY: If you'd asked me a fortnight ago I would have said people are pretty cool about it. I don't think it's been a good 10 years for the monarchy really at all. But the excitement about this wedding and the charm and the affection which William and Kate seem to have been able to bring to it, as people, really seems I think a lot of interest in it and a genuine sense of affection. Which I think was on the wane. And it may be that it will last.

MORGAN: You see, the moaners and the whiners, they always say, well, we shouldn't have to pay taxpayers money for the royal family. They live in these palaces. And have the life of these wonderful, you know, holidays and cars, and all the rest of it. I always say, yes, but they pay for themselves. I mean, we look at these thousands of people coming in from all over the world for the royal wedding. This is the best PR that this country's had in years.

GREGORY: Well, it shows we can do weddings. And it shows we can do big processions. There is an argument that says it would be really nice if we were kind of modeling our grasp of new technology or building things like we used to.

So, I think -- I mean, I'd have to say that the monarchy has always been expensive. It's always been a luxury. It's always been so far a luxury we've been happy to pay for.

MORGAN: But I like having a luxurious monarchy.

GREGORY: I know.

MORGAN: I mean, the reason Americans are so obsessed with it is they don't have this. They have elected officials. It's not as sexy, is it, as a monarch monarchy, where no one can get rid of them?

GREGORY: It's because you're in the star system and you're in the star system. So, you're a little prince in New York and they're like a little --

MORGAN: Oh, thank you.

GREGORY: And they're a little prince here. It's about being special. It's about wearing lovely clothes. It's about having privileges.

And I think some people think in this day and age in particular that there's a limit to how much we would like to see them spending. And William and Kate have been incredibly sensible about that and tried to produce a wedding which is going to be really good fun, really high glamour and relatively little cost.

MORGAN: Now, the Institute for Public Policy Research is asking for William to publicly support a change to the royal family's succession law. It is completely sexist. That it has to be the oldest boy, isn't it?

GREGORY: It's absurd.

MORGAN: I mean, look at Queen Elizabeth. She's turned out to be one of the greatest monarchs in the history of Britain and she's a woman.

GREGORY: Queen Victoria.

MORGAN: Yes.

GREGORY: Queen Elizabeth I.

MORGAN: It's the men who have coughed it up over the years.

GREGORY: Yes. Absolutely.

MORGAN: Katie, let me bring you in here. I want to talk specifically about media and privacy and intrusion, all that kind of thing. To me, big though this is, I don't think they're going to get the same attention that Diana got. I think she was a one off.

And I'm just curious what you think as a leading media light in this country. What do you think?

NICHOLL: I think it's too early to say is the first point I'd make. I don't think we've seen Kate have the chance to explore nearly her full potential. I think you might just be surprised by how much she could eclipse Diana. But you're right. Diana was an icon in every shape and form.

In terms of how they're going to carve their futures out and balance that with the media, I think those measures already in place. The fact that Prince William wants to go back to Anglesey and serve with the RAF, it's a way of him safeguarding his privacy and their normality.

The real issue will be when they enter life of public duty and they both carry out working royal lifestyles.

MORGAN: You see, it's a hard balancing act, isn't it, because on the one hand, you want them to be able to have a normal life to a certain degree. On the other hand, without all this publicity, what p where does the monarchy really go?

I mean, this has re-energized the monarchy, I think. It's given the royal family a real Philip, pardon the pun. And I can't wait to see what he does on Friday, by the way. But it has.

And I think that they've got to play this line very carefully. They turn off the oxygen too much, that could be very self-defeating.

GREGORY: I don't think they can turn it off. I don't think they can go off to Anglesey and try to be, you know, a serving pilot and his wife. I don't think it's ever going to happen. I think really what she does when she goes down the aisle, she steps on to the public stage and she will be there for a lifetime. And it really depends very much I think on her own personal stability and on the support of her family and on his support to her, how well she copes with it, because I think it's a very destructive life for a young woman to undertake.

I hope she does all right. I think it's really hard.

MORGAN: She seems to have a remarkable cool pair of shoulders on her. Since we've been talking, literally five, maybe six sirens have gone off from police cars. The -- you can feel the security really building. There are ongoing suggestions that the IRA in Northern Ireland may be planning some sort of attack.

What are you hearing about that? What do you feel about the security?

NICHOLL: Well, I think it's inevitable with any world event -- and this is a world event now -- security has to be paramount. Of course, there are fears. But I spent a lot of time here at Buckingham Palace, down at Westminster Abbey. I mean, I've seen people checking every (INAUDIBLE) that we didn't know existed. They will have combed through these beds behind us, combed through everything.

Personally, I feel very safe. I think it will be fine.

MORGAN: We're told that apparently there are going to be dozens, if not hundred, of SIS soldiers in plainclothes among the crowd.

NICHOLL: There will. There will also be plainclothes officers within the abbey as well. I mean, we've got -- I think it's over 40 crowned heads over here all in one place. So, there will be no cuts cost on security. And I think we can just expect that it will be out. So, I think it will go very, very smoothly.

But, of course, there is always going to be -- someone's trying to ruin what should be a very happy occasion.

MORGAN: Philippa, finally, what do you think the queen will be feeling about all this? She's one of the longest serving monarchs ever. Hardly ever put a foot wrong. What do you think she'll be hoping from this wedding?

GREGORY: I think she'll be hoping that they're happy fundamentally. I mean, she's a grand mother before she's a queen. I think she'll have quite high hopes for them. You know, they seem a very stable steady loving couple.

So, I think she'll be pleased about that. I'm sure she'll see if them what she hopes to be the future, the continuation of the monarchy that she herself has put so much effort and courage and duty into maintaining. She really believes there should be a constitution monarchy in England forever.

And I think she'll see him as the personal who's going to inherit the crown ultimately and continue it.

MORGAN: Philippa Gregory, Katie Nicholl, thank you very much indeed.

GREGORY: Thank you.

MORGAN: Coming up, the reporter who knew Princess Diana better than any other. And later, an extraordinary encounter with the one and only Dame Edna Everage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVERAGE: CNN approached me for this job you're doing. And I said, no, I have too much on my plate. But I know someone who needs the money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good evening, everyone.

It has been a devastating night in parts of Alabama. Some of that weather is now moving into Tennessee and into Georgia. Every storm that's been out by itself today has been spinning and putting down tornadoes.

Here are some of the pictures. Some of the first pictures we have in now of what Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at least the south side of the city, looks like right now. It's hard to find anything over about three feet tall. There used to be a city right there.

We do know there's lots of injuries out there. Now, this weather is going to be moving into the eastern sections of Alabama and also into northern Georgia. Possibly as far east as Atlanta, Georgia, in the next few hours. Maybe not like that but certainly we still have tornadoes on the ground -- one to the south of Rome, Georgia. And then to east of Birmingham, a few big cells out by themselves.

When the cells are out, not fighting each other, they begin to rotate. And when they do that, they can put down big tornadoes. That's what we've had all day long today. It has been one devastating day. It might even run all the way through the nighttime. We have had a couple tornado warnings up into New York state.

PIERS MORGAN continues right after this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCESS DIANA OF WALES: Our first priority will continue to be our children, William and Harry, who deserve as much love and care and attention as I am able to give.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: There are lots of journalists who claim to have known the royal family and Princess Diana in particular. But my guest now is in my opinion the one who knew Diana best.

It is Richard Kay from "The Daily Mail" newspaper.

Richard, I don't think I'm overstating it. I used to compete against you as a rival newspaper editor and you were the bane of my life because you were the guy who really did know Diana and you spoke to her on almost daily basis for several years. What do you think she would have made of all this?

RICHARD KAY, DAILY MAIL COLUMNIST: I think she'd have been tremendously proud. I mean, proud in the way William had grown up. I think she really would have taken a shine to Kate. She would have had a problem, of course. There would be some real serious competition for her.

MORGAN: I can only imagine what Diana would have been planning to wear on the big day. Can you? I mean, she was ferociously competitive when it came to fashion.

KAY: We've been thinking about that a lot. But the one thing she wouldn't want to do, of course, is upstage the bride or would she.

MORGAN: Interesting that, because Diana was, as you know and I know, quite mischievous and could play with the media and she certainly knew how to manipulate big events and she was always the star. How would she have coped psychologically do you think with William finding a rival love in many ways?

KAY: I think it would have been really tough for her, this year in particular. She was about to turn 52, if she were still with us -- two big milestones in any mother's life. Your first son gets married and that age. I think she would have coped.

But she would have found it difficult. She would have aged well. I think we all agree on that. She looked stunning at the time of her death. But I think she would have had to find a new niche, and not gone on being the cover girl she was.

MORGAN: Lots of people talk about Diana who didn't really know her. You knew her really well. What was she really like?

KAY: She was amusing. She had a great line in self deprecating humor. She could take a rise out of herself. She did great impressions of other members of the royal family and politicians. She was really quite an (INAUDIBLE) too. And she was quite an innocent. She didn't know much about the ways of the world, partly, because, of course, she'd been locked up in this place since virtually the age of 19, being living in this palace.

MORGAN: That's an interesting point. I mean, are you worried, having seen what happened with Diana and heard it firsthand from her all the difficulties of being a princess, when you see a young woman like Kate Middleton at the moment totally fresh and innocent and excited by the whole thing, but you saw the way Diana got ground down over the years by the relentless media attention in particular. Did you worry about Kate Middleton?

KAY: I worry a little but I think Kate has sorted it out. For a start, she's 10 years older than Diana. She's had experience of life. She comes from an entirely different background from Diana. A stable home life, which I think is crucial. Diana didn't have that.

And she's much more of her own woman. She isn't just there to make a domestic marriage. That's a big difference. William and Kate love each other. Charles and Diana -- well, if they did, it was only briefly.

MORGAN: Charles love was always Camilla. I mean, this is what's become clear. They're still together to this day, still very much in love. It's hard to harangue a man who was forced through duty to marry the woman who wasn't really the love of his life, isn't it?

KAY: Well, yes, it tells you a lot about his weakness. I mean, he was over 30. Couldn't he have stood up to his father or to court members who were pushing him into this match? He knew Diana was the wrong woman for him. And yet, he allowed this young girl to be sucked in and destroyed ultimately by the system. MORGAN: As we prepare for the big day, how does it feel for you compared to 1981?

KAY: I don't find it as exciting as 1981. I was on the streets as very young reporter. I think you might have still been in short pants.

MORGAN: Because you're a bit older now.

KAY: Well, of course, I'm a bit older. I think the difference was Charles was the heir to the throne. It was a domestic union on a grand scale. We had President Reagan's wife was among the well wishers.

It's different. William is the heir in line. It's not a state occasion. And we know that William would have much preferred a smaller family-type affair. And he's sort of been gently nudged in this direction. It's exciting but I don't find it quite as palpitating as it was 30 years ago.

MORGAN: Do you still have any contact with William?

KAY: I didn't have contact with William, unlike you. I know dined with her -- him and her on one occasion.

MORGAN: I did -- it was a fascinating lunch, just the three of us. And Paul Burrell, of course, the notorious butler was serving the drinks. But I was really struck, and I said this a few times this week, by the remarkable closeness of the relationship between William and his mother. Even at 13. She told him everything about her life. Presumably because it was all being laid bare on the front pages of newspapers, so he had to grow up very quickly, that boy.

KAY: He did. And I think he was the one man that she could trust. I mean, William was a man before he was a fully formed teenager. Harry was too small. And she sounded him out on most the major decisions she took in the later part of her life, she asked William first -- selling all those frocks in New York, giving up her title, which she did. He said, I don't care, mummy.

MORGAN: The remarkable thing about Diana, we're in Buckingham Palace here and around here is Kensington and her old lair, Kensington Palace. She used to go out in disguise at night, two, three times a week. She told me this. And she would just go and hang out with the tramp, the vagrants on the street, and she would take them clothes and food and drinks. This went on for years. Two or three times a week.

The princess of Wales would be out there with the homeless.

KAY: Yes. It makes her sound rather sad, doesn't it? That there wasn't enough going on her life at that time, she had to fill her hours doing things like this.

MORGAN: I mean, it's partly sad, and I get that argument. But it's also an illustration of her remarkable empathy for the downtrodden, which is made her I think so universally popular. KAY: Well, I think so -- I mean, she was -- from a noble birth, blue blood, if you like. And yet, she had this remarkable empathy. Not just in Britain, right around the world. I saw it covering her trips all over the globe. Ordinary people could sympathize with her and she could sympathize with them.

MORGAN: After she died, I detected as a newspaper editor a real lull coming about the royal family and the monarchy. It was like their most glittering light had gone out. There were genuine concerns about the future of the monarchy.

What I think is great about this event, speaking as a monarchist myself, it seems to have really revived the institution.

KAY: I think that's true. I mean, I think before Diana came along, the Windsors were a fairly dull bunch. She bought so much glitter to the institution and gave us all great fun in the process. And then after she went, they sort of retreated in among themselves. William and Harry almost went into (INAUDIBLE). Prince Charles slowly came out with Camilla who then became his wife.

But, now, I think with Kate and William, we've got two new real stars. The question is: do they want to be the new stars for the 21st century? I don't think the jury's got a verdict on that yet.

MORGAN: I think you're right. Richard Kay, thank you very much indeed.

KAY: My pleasure.

MORGAN: When we come back, rock 'n' roll royalty on the wedding of the century, Sharon Osbourne is my guest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATE MIDDLETON, PRINCE WILLIAM'S FIANCEE: It did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other. But we did become very close friends from quite early on.

PRINCE WILLIAM OF WALES: We just saw more of each other and, you know, hung out a bit more and did stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Joining me now is a woman who's the queen of her own royal family, Sharon Osbourne. She's a special royal weddings correspondent for "The Insider," one of my fellow judges on "America's Got Talent."

Also with us, one of the world's greatest chefs and restaurateurs, Marco Pierre White.

Welcome to both of you. Two great Brits, if I may so. In the Buckingham Palace, right now, they are preparing for the mother of all parties on Friday night -- 1,500 people will be gorging themselves on all sorts of luxuries.

SHARON OSBOURNE, THE INSIDER: I don't know that it is 1,500. I know the breakfast is going to be bigger. I thought the evening was about 300.

MORGAN: Oh, is that all?

OSBOURNE: That's all it is, 300.

MORGAN: For the dinner?

OSBOURNE: For the dinner, yes.

MORGAN: So, 300 having an exclusive dinner.

OSBOURNE: For the whole trip. They've got the VIP tour, the ones who go for the evening dinner. But there's some who go to the weddings. Don't come back for breakfast. And there's some who just go to the weddings and the breakfast and there's ones who get the whole nine yards.

MORGAN: We have our break fast mid-afternoon on weddings days.

OSBOURNE: Yes, it's champagne breakfast that they will be having.

MORGAN: Marco, you've done some amazing dinners over the years for all sorts of groups. What will the pressure be like on the chefs for this one?

MARCO PIERRE WHITE, CHEF: Well, it will be enormous. I mean, you can't get it wrong, because if you do, where do you hide? It's with you for life. It's your legacy.

OSBOURNE: They'll cut your leg off when you're in the tower.

WHITE: So, therefore, is you have to keep it very simple, very beautiful ingredients. Keep it very simple, and apply a strategy to what you do in life. You can't be overemotional. You can't make over-fussy. Keep it very simple.

MORGAN: If you were cooking the greatest possible -- let's make it British, British-themed meal for William and Kate. What would you -- what would you come up with?

WHITE: Well, think you've got to keep your British. I think you've got to keep it very classical. And also, it's got to be incredibly grand because a very, very special occasion. It's a time of season now for the gulls egg, which a very short season, which we eat in England. I mean, in the old day, they'd take them to ascot. I mean, they're really special.

MORGAN: Gulls eggs? WHITE: Gulls eggs. They're picking up the coast --

OSBOURNE: Are they very rich?

WHITE: Really rich.

MORGAN: You'd like it.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITE: Like a few of the people in this room.

MORGAN: She likes very rich things. You can probably tell by all the jewelry.

WHITE: Keep it very simple and some young watercress. And then, for the main course, I think you go with fish in this weather. Something like new season's wild salmon.

MORGAN: It's really hot and the boys love their fishing.

WHITE: Beautiful with a Holland day sauce. I mean, just keep it very simple. Some new seasons asparagus, some new potatoes.

MORGAN: And a pudding?

WHITE: You got to go for Eton Mess. Even though strawberries are out of season, I think you got to for Eton Mess.

MORGAN: What is an Eton Mess for those who don't know. Obviously, William went to Eton College, one of the top public schools in the country. What is an Eton Mess?

WHITE: It's very simple. It's the newest flavored whipped cream really, broken meringue, crushed strawberries. It's as simple as that. Fold it together. It's very simple.

OSBOURNE: It's heaven.

MORGAN: After the dinner, they'll have a very rock 'n' roll party. I think that's where load more are coming in for the nighttime festivities.

But, Sharon, tell us what it means to be British when a royal weddings comes.

OSBOURNE: Well, being the royalist that I am, it's just fantastic. It's like when -- it's been so down here so long, the economy, the wars that we're involved in. It's been so miserable. And something like this brings the nation together.

Everybody -- I love going out in the streets because every -- you know, all the little kids have got their flags and they're happy and the weather's great. And there's this hope of this fantastic young couple together. And there's great hope put in them. And I think it's great because Kate is so relatable. So many young girls in this country will relate to her. And I think it's amazing that he married a commoner.

MORGAN: And, Marco, what do you make of that? You're a working class boy. What do you think of William choosing a girl who wasn't from blue blood stock? You know, as they say, a commoner.

WHITE: I think it's quite special that someone in that position has followed their heart. And not been influenced by everything around him. And I think it gives you great insight into the courage and the bravery of that individual.

OSBOURNE: His character. He's -- you can see, he's a good boy and the way he was brought up, he -- it's outside the way royals were usually brought up, you know? He wasn't so confined. He wasn't so held back from normal life as we know it.

MORGAN: What do you feel about being British? Obviously, this is -- the world's attention comes on Britain for this wedding. This week's been a very British week in many ways. What does it mean to you to be British?

WHITE: It's -- well, one, I have an Italian mother. When people ask me, because of my name, Marco Pierre -- they say, what are you? So one day I started to think, what am I? Really, I'm an Englishman with an Italian mother.

I'm very proud to have been brought up in England. I love what Britain represents. I have to say, when I go overseas, I'm always very aware that I'm British, and that I stand and fly the flag for Britain.

MORGAN: What are the values you think -- when we have a royal wedding, when the world looks at us, what are the values that still remain quintessentially British?

WHITE: I think it brings out the best in people and reminds them of the great country that they've been brought up in and all those values. And I think it makes people rather nostalgic. When I think of the royal wedding, I think of the one with Diana and Charles. I think of the two (INAUDIBLE).

It takes me back to my childhood. I think it makes people rather nostalgic. I think that's what's important.

OSBOURNE: And the tradition. I mean, the magnificent display of the military, the Queen Guards. Even -- even the police have horses that are spectacular here. Now, you wouldn't see -- like, you know, you go to New York and they have, you know, the mounted police. They've got some great horses, but these are exquisite.

MORGAN: No one does pageantry and pomp and ceremony I think better than the British.

WHITE: I remember in -- when Charles and Diana married in '81, the next day at work, Albert Rue (ph) said to me, no one does it better than the British.

MORGAN: Yeah --

WHITE: And that was from a Frenchman.

MORGAN: Very great chef.

WHITE: I thought interesting.

MORGAN: We don't do many things better than the rest of the world these days. But I think when it comes to a bit of pageantry like this, a great royal weddings, I always feel a surge of pride watching it. I really do. I see that scene, the flags, as you say, the horse guards come down, and you see the royal carriages and the queen -- one of the great people in the world, I think, her majesty, the queen. I think it's going to be a great day, Friday, isn't it?

OSBOURNE: Do you know what, not just a great day. This has made the year for this country. People will be talking about this for years and years. And they remember where they were. You know, the whole day means so much to this country.

MORGAN: You know where I'm going to be?

OSBOURNE: In your pub?

MORGAN: Sitting next to Sharon Osbourne in the rival box.

OSBOURNE: Oh, that's right. We will be in your pub.

MORGAN: -- on the royal wedding. Sharon, thank you so much.

WHITE: Oh, Piers, thank you, darling.

MORGAN: As always, a pleasure.

When we come back, actor Matthew Fox on how life after "Lost" has landed him in London in the big week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything is ugly through your eyes.

MATTHEW FOX, ACTOR: I've got a moral core, a center that doesn't waver. And I'm not so sure that you do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you know that?

FOX: I know some things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: You know, Matthew Fox as Dr. Jack Shepherd from the hit series "Lost." He's here in London making his West End debut in Neil LaBute's new play, "In A Forest Dark and Deep."

Matthew Fox joins me now. Matthew, what a time to be in London.

FOX: It's beautiful. Beautiful time to be in London. The weather's been fantastic. Obviously, there's a lot of excitement about what's happening on Friday. Yeah, it's been great.

MORGAN: Are you a romantic man?

FOX: I think so, yeah.

MORGAN: So when the big moment comes, when they come out on the balcony and they prepare for what we imagine will be the most viewed kiss in history, will you be feeling a little warm and cuddly inside?

FOX: I don't -- I guess if that's the definition of romantic, than maybe I'm not romantic. I'm hoping that once that whole thing is finished and they've gone through the whole celebration of it, and the pomp and circumstance, that they'll be able to have a really, really good -- a good time for the rest of their lives together, and that they'll find a way to have a really intimate and good relationship.

That's a huge amount of pressure. I can't imagine what that day's going to be like. A weddings is a big day of pressure to start with, on any level. That particular day is going to be really huge for them. So --

MORGAN: Where will you be on the big day on Friday? You're going to be watching?

FOX: I'll be on stage that night. We're doing a performance on the day of the royal wedding. So, you know, we might only have a couple of people out there. I'm thinking it might be --

MORGAN: It's not a bad time.

FOX: We'll see. We'll see.

MORGAN: -- and they have a few drinks, they celebrate the weddings. What time are you on?

FOX: Seven thirty.

MORGAN: Tell me about this West End production you're in, because it's getting great reviews. You're obviously having the time of your life there.

FOX: I am. It's been far more rewarding than I ever imagined it could be. And I came over here with pretty high expectations. I mean, it's something that I've always wanted to do, the West End of London in particular.

Always had a fascination with London. I've been here four or five times in the past. Never really had an opportunity to spend much time in London because I've always been sort of doing publicity tours for things I've been involved with. But -- so I've always wanted to do a play in the West End. It was the right material. I love Neil LaBute's writing. And the experience itself has been incredibly rewarding. I love going out there every night, twice on Wednesdays, twice on Saturdays.

MORGAN: It's very different to doing a show like "Lost," where endless waiting around and no instant feedback from an audience. People say to me that for an actor to actually be in a big West End or Broadway production, that's what they love most. It's the kind of visceral relationship you have with a live audience.

FOX: I would say that has proven true for me as well. Really honestly, as an actor, I think until you do it, there's always a question mark of whether or not you're going to love that, because some people do and some people don't. Some actors really just like staying in a film medium.

I've always loved the theater. I've always loved going to theater as an audience member. I'm really inspired by theater. I'm inspired by going and sitting down with a bunch of -- being amongst the audience, having that community experience, have it be live, watching actors pouring their hearts out on stage.

It inspires me. So the big question mark for me was am I going to like to be up there? I've done some plays in the past, but on much smaller scale. And this has been an incredible experience and has answered that question completely for me. I really, really do love it.

MORGAN: How are you finding British beer, because we believe it's the best in the world?

FOX: It's very good.

MORGAN: You into real ale, into a hand pumped real foaming bitter?

FOX: Yes, yes. I mean, I'm a little bit more a fan of lagers, but I've tried the more bitter beers and I think they're very, very good.

MORGAN: Matthew, thank you very much, indeed.

FOX: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

MORGAN: When we come back, one of the most outspoken member of the British aristocracy, Dame Edna Everage with her outrageous thoughts on the royal weddings.

(BEGIN VIDEO LCIP)

MORGAN: Have you spoken to her majesty, the queen, in the build up to the wedding?

DAME EDNA EVERAGE, FRIEND OF THE ROYAL FAMILY: Oh yes. She calls me quite a lot. She's happy about it. Of course, she says to me, fingers crossed, Edna.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: I'm back now with a very, very special guest, an aristocrat like no other. Somebody almost more royal than the royals themselves, the legendary Dame Edna Everage. Dame Edna, what a joy it is. I've never met you before.

EVERAGE: It's lovely to be with you.

MORGAN: So exciting.

EVERAGE: You're a very, very attractive young man.

MORGAN: Thank you.

EVERAGE: Young man.

MORGAN: Are you actually a fan of the royal family? Are you a monarchist? Australians, you have a weird relationship with our royal family.

EVERAGE: I am Australian, viewers, in case you didn't know that. We do have an ambivalent -- I think that's the word. Can I use that word on this show?

MORGAN: You just did.

EVERAGE: I have an ambivalent relationship with royalty. I am Australian royalty. People curtsy to me in the streets.

MORGAN: Do the British royals curtsy to you when they see you?

EVERAGE: No, they know I'm trustworthy. They trust me. And that's a wonderful, wonderful feeling.

MORGAN: Are you as excited about the wedding, as everybody else seems to be?

EVERAGE: No, I'm not, really. Can I say this on CNN?

MORGAN: I think you can.

EVERAGE: I'm a teeny little bit bored by it.

MORGAN: Are you? Why?

EVERAGE: Well, it's been going on and on and on. I think the royal couple, frankly, will be glad that it's over. They can't wait for the honeymoon, frankly. You know that feeling, don't you, Piers Morgan?

On the other hand, I'm very proud to be here, and taking such a prominent, almost a central role.

MORGAN: What do you think of both William, our future king, and his choice of bride?

EVERAGE: She is beautiful. And I'm telling you this, viewers, she's more beautiful in the flesh than she is on those photographs. Would you agree with that?

MORGAN: I think she is .

EVERAGE: She's so attractive. Compared with him, because he's --

MORGAN: Easy.

EVERAGE: He's lovely. He is -- but I'm not a fan of the woman, I'm afraid.

MORGAN: When Charles married Diana, where were you then?

EVERAGE: I was around. I was around. I had a few little worries about that union. But things happen, you know. The man upstairs had his own ideas about how that was going to pan out. And it was very, very sad.

But I'll tell you this, Piers, he was a wonderful father to those boys. They lost their darling mother, who was a friend of mine. And he was wonderful to them. Look how nice and natural they are.

MORGAN: That's true. Actually, Charles is a very charming, intelligent man when you meet him.

EVERAGE: And a very hard-working man. Don't you run away with the idea, my little American possums, that Prince Charles is idle. He's not.

MORGAN: There's always been a slightly mischievous glint in his eye. Did you ever things could have panned out differently?

EVERAGE: He liked me. I think he was attracted to me. And he likes mature women. Look at Camilla. And I think --

MORGAN: He likes the older lady.

EVERAGE: He likes an old lady with plenty of hair, in the right places, viewers.

MORGAN: Have you spoken to her majesty, the queen, in the build- up to the weddings?

EVERAGE: Oh, yes, she calls me quite a lot. She's happy about it. Of course, she says to me, fingers crossed, Edna.

MORGAN: Because there hasn't been -- I don't want to put a dark glow on this, but there hasn't been --

EVERAGE: I know you don't. You wouldn't do a thing like that, Piers Morgan.

MORGAN: Exactly. You know me well enough to know that wouldn't happen. But there has been a pretty unsuccessful pattern of royal weddings.

EVERAGE: There has.

MORGAN: Almost all of them has ended in divorce.

EVERAGE: But compare that with most other people. This is a thing that's happening in all families, all over the world. And I think this is going to be a match made in heaven.

MORGAN: Have you got a gift for the royal couple?

EVERAGE: Yes, I bought them -- I thought of all the gifts that people from other nations will be giving them. And I've brought something practical. I brought them a George Foreman.

MORGAN: Grill?

EVERAGE: Grill. Whatever it's called.

MORGAN: One of those fat free grills?

EVERAGE: A fat free grill.

MORGAN: Why would they need that? Both of them are incredibly slim. why do they need a fat free grill?

EVERAGE: Once people are married, you know, diet goes out the window, doesn't it? And they're going to have a bit of exertion on the honeymoon. And they might need a snack in the middle of the night. And she smokes sometimes, too.

MORGAN: Really?

EVERAGE: Did you know that?

MORGAN: I didn't know that.

EVERAGE: She does. She's naughty. She's allowed one cigarette on the honeymoon.

MORGAN: I heard that you may have taken --

(CROSS TALK)

MORGAN: Oh, the cigarette.

EVERAGE: It will be what's called a post-coital. Are there Scrabble players watching?

MORGAN: I heard speculation that you may have taken the seat that was originally reserved for Sarah, Duchess of York, for Fergie.

EVERAGE: Fergie. She's blotted her copy book, frankly.

MORGAN: She's not invited now.

EVERAGE: No, not invited. And the girls are coming, little Beatrice and (INAUDIBLE). And I think Fergie is grateful. She'll be at home on her bean bag, eating her Weight Watchers, a couple of Weight Watchers special meals.

MORGAN: What about Prince Andrew and Prince Edward? Are you fans of theirs?

EVERAGE: Look, I am a royalist, viewers. Prince Andrew and Prince Edward are charming people. But things haven't always been easy, have they, for Andrew in particular.

MORGAN: But you're a royal in many ways. What advice do you give to the other royals about how to sustain the terrible media pressure you have had to withstand?

EVERAGE: Look, they have withstood the media pressure. And you, with your experience in newspapers -- because before he had this wonderful show, he was editor of a major newspaper, which was considered to be a bit of a mockery of a newspaper. And that job is still waiting for you.

MORGAN: Actual muckraking.

EVERAGE: Actual muckraking. Is it a subtle muckraking right now, Piers Morgan.

MORGAN: It may be time to go to a quick commercial break before you get completely out of hand.

EVERAGE: What happened to the nice man wearing braces?

MORGAN: Larry King?

EVERAGE: Yes.

MORGAN: He sends his regards.

EVERAGE: He's still alive?

MORGAN: He said you could be wife number nine, if you play your cards right.

EVERAGE: I thought he looked a bit spooky, that pointed face.

MORGAN: You can't talk about Larry like that.

EVERAGE: Oh, he's adorable, I'm sure.

MORGAN: Listen, We got a quick commercial break. When we come back, I want to talk about your thoughts on Kate Middleton being a commoner.

EVERAGE: Oh. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVERAGE: I'm going to be the maid of honor at that great wedding. So it's all excitement, excitement, excitement. The message to the happy couple is keep your sense of humor, and keep a little, little, little bit of privacy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: And I'm back now with the legendary Dame Edna, who is greeting her public, who has turned out in droves now, having seen you through the window here.

EVERAGE: They're lovely.

MORGAN: Give your people a wave, Dame Edna.

EVERAGE: Here we are. Look at them.

MORGAN: Tell me, before the break, I said we would come back and ask you the really tricky question here. How do you feel about our future king of England marrying a commoner?

EVERAGE: Well, the word commoner doesn't mean much to Australians, and certainly not to Americans. It means a person, of course, who isn't member of royalty and hasn't -- isn't a member of the aristocracy. And it's happened before. I mean, Princess Grace was a commoner.

MORGAN: Why do you think the Americans, in particular, are so fond of the British royal family.

EVERAGE: I think they love a bit of ritual. They love tradition in America. Americans are rather old fashioned and lovable. I think they're a bit sick of democracy, frankly.

MORGAN: They'd like a bit of autocracy, with some royals.

EVERAGE: A bit of autocracy, a few jewels, a bit of ceremony, a bit of pomp.

MORGAN: Would you bring back beheading and stuff like that? Would you allow the monarchs to behead people they didn't like, wives, husbands, that kind of thing?

EVERAGE: There are some people you and I would be very, very heavy to behead. I can tell you now, CNN approached me for this job you're doing. And I said, no, I have too much on my plate, but I know someone who needs the money: Piers Morgan. And you are passing the test. They're thrilled with you.

MORGAN: Thank you.

EVERAGE: You're doing very well. You have a niche audience, and they adore you.

MORGAN: I've got a very large audience, thank you very much.

EVERAGE: I know you do.

MORGAN: It's just bursting.

EVERAGE: A lot of women have told me that.

MORGAN: Dame Edna, finally, what would be your last message to the royal couple as they prepare for this big special day? Don't get emotional on me. You are. You're tearing up. I've never seen you cry before.

EVERAGE: No, you make people cry, Piers. You did it to Silla Black (ph). A number of people you make cry. My message is may your wonderful marriage last and last and last, especially on the honeymoon. You've had a lot of practice already. But may it be a joyous occasion.

MORGAN: Dame Edna, I think we should end with a final regal wave to your fans who are gathering all over.

EVERAGE: The word's got around New York.

MORGAN: They've come out to meet the real queen, Dame Edna Everage. Thank you so much. It's been a real pleasure.

EVERAGE: This is Dame Edna with my guest, Piers Morgan, outside Buckingham Palace, London, England.

MORGAN: That's it for us tonight. Be sure to join us for the rest of the week as our coverage of the royal wedding continues. We'll have every moment of the big day on Friday, beginning at 4:00 a.m. Followed by all the highlights on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT," and a two-hour special on the royal wedding Friday evening.

On Saturday, CNN presents the women who would be queen. That's all for us. Now here's "AC 360."