With Queen Elizabeth’s rapidly deteriorating health, the whole royal family has raced to be by her side today. This morning, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying that doctors are “concerned” for Her Majesty’s health, prompting a swarm of black-clad journalists to descend upon Balmoral Castle, the monarch’s Scottish retreat.
This is a complete rundown of Operation LONDON BRIDGE the United Kingdom government’s multi-stage plan for handling the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
D-Day
According to documents obtained by Politico, the queen’s private secretary is expected to call the prime minister as soon as the monarch passes away, maybe with the phrase “London Bridge is down.”
An alert on the Press Association wire will be followed by an official statement from the royal household informing the staff, civil servants, and public of the queen’s death.
After confirmation of the news, flags throughout Whitehall will be lowered at half-staff as soon as possible, preferably within 10 minutes, according to Politico. The Department of Defense will coordinate gun salutes and declare a national moment of silence. A memorial ceremony will also be held in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
First among government officials to comment on the death will be the prime minister. The PM will meet with Prince Charles, who will address the nation via television. A black banner will be shown on the United Kingdom government’s website and on all government departmental social media profiles, and the royal family’s website will be updated with a message confirming the queen’s death.
The day the queen died will be known internally as “D-Day,” and each day following that will be known as “D+1,” “D+2,” etc., until the burial on day 10.
D-Day+1
In the morning following Elizabeth’s passing, the Accession Council will officially swear in Charles as the new monarch.
D-Day+2
Carriage of the queen’s coffin to Buckingham Palace is planned. Per Politico, if she passes away while staying at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, her coffin will be carried to London on the royal train as part of Operation UNICORN. If that’s not possible, we’ll activate Operation OVERSTUDY and fly the casket.
When it arrives, the prime minister and his or her cabinet members will be pleased. If she were to die while staying at Sandringham, things would be handled differently.
D-Day+3–D-Day+5
Charles will begin his tour of the United Kingdom as its new monarch when he receives the condolence motion at Westminster Hall. He plans to worship in Belfast’s St. Anne’s Cathedral upon his arrival in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, a dress rehearsal for Operation LION, during which the queen’s coffin will be transported from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, will be held.
When the casket arrives, a memorial service will be held in Westminster Hall.
D-Day+6–D-Day+9
With Operation FEATHER, Queen Elizabeth II will lay in state for three days at Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster. Each day, guests will have a full 23 hours to pay their respects. VIP guests will be handed tickets for specific times.
After receiving yet another motion of sympathy, Charles will fly to Wales to attend a service at Cardiff’s Liandaff Cathedral the day before the queen’s funeral.
With this article, we hope to have answered all of your questions concerning what will happen if Queen Elizabeth passes away. Keep up with Lee Daily for more news like this.
