London Bridge Is Down

Fittingly, the plan in place (which has been in development since the 1960s [3]) is called Operation London Bridge. According to the plan, the Queen's private secretary, Edward Young, is the first to know of her passing [4] from the Queen's personal physician, gastroenterologist Huw Thomas. Young then alerts the prime minister with code words, "London Bridge is down." When the Queen's father, George VI, died 70 years ago, the code was "Hyde Park Corner".

The Foreign Office's Global Response Centre then alerts nations in the Commonwealth before the media and general public are told.

Internally, the day of the Queen's death is referred to as "D-Day" [5], and each following day leading up to the funeral is "D+1", "D+2", and so on.

Operation Unicorn

As the Queen died in Scotland in her Balmoral home, rather than in London, another protocol was triggered, called Operation Unicorn. This entails the Queen's coffin initially being taken on a special train to Edinburgh where she will be laid to rest in state at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Her coffin will then be taken to St Giles' Cathedral on the Royal Mile for the public to pay their respects.

The Queen's coffin will then be transported, via the Royal Train, to Buckingham Palace in London. Should the coffin not be able to travel by train, the trip will be made by air in a mission code-named Operation Overstudy.

The Media's Reaction

The media have been releasing pre-prepared stories, films, and obituaries. To announce her death to the public, newsreaders were to wear black outfits and ties they keep at the ready at all times (especially following the death of the Queen's mother in 2002, when veteran BBC newsreader Peter Sissons went on air in a grey suit and a burgundy tie [6] and came under fire for his lack of formality in the announcement).

All BBC channels interrupted their programming to broadcast the story, and other channels decided to do so as well.

Social Media Updates

As the media delivered the news, the royal family's website changed. As we saw with the death of Prince Philip, the homepage turned black [7] and featured a short statement confirming the Queen's death. The UK government website also displayed a black banner, as did governmental social media pages. Nonurgent updates to these sites must not be published, and retweets from these accounts are also banned.

The Nation Mourns

Bells have tolled and flags have been lowered to half-mast all over the country — except the Royal Standard, which is never flown at half-mast [8]. A note was pinned to the gates of Buckingham Palace [9] detailing the news. There will be a national minute's silence, gun salutes organised by the Ministry of Defence, and an impromptu remembrance service held at St Paul's Cathedral in London for senior politicians.

For at least 12 days [10], life in the UK will come screeching to a halt, with stock markets and banks likely to close [11]. The BBC is even planning to cancel all comedy shows [12] until after the funeral, which is expected to take place 10 days following her passing. Royal biographer Penny Junor previously said the Queen's death would be a "traumatic" [13] event for Britain, calling the Queen the only "constant" in a world that changed so much throughout her reign.

The Prime Minister Makes a Statement

Prime Minister Liz Truss made a statement shortly after learning of the Queen's passing, saying: "She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons. Her devotion to duty is an example to us all."

No other member of government is allowed to comment on the Queen's death until after the prime minister has spoken.

King Charles III

Both houses of Parliament will be recalled [14] following the Queen's death to swear allegiance to the new sovereign. The Prince of Wales automatically became King, and is now addressed as King Charles III. An impromptu remembrance service is likely to be held at St Paul's Cathedral in London, with the prime minister and a few senior ministers in attendance.

The Days Leading Up to the Funeral

It is expected that the Queen's body will be moved to Westminster Hall, following Edinburgh and Buckingham Palace, where she will remain for a few days so the public can pay their respects.

King Charles III will receive the motion of condolence at Westminster Hall before embarking on a tour of the UK. The new King will start with a visit to Scottish Parliament and a service at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh then move on to Northern Ireland before returning back to Buckingham Palace.

There will be a rehearsal of the funeral procession six days after the Queen's death, and on the following day King Charles will travel to Wales and attend a service at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff.

The Funeral

The day of the Queen's funeral will be treated as a national day of mourning, though employers will not be legally required to give staff a day off [15]. Big Ben will chime at 9am, the crown jewels will be cleaned, and a two-minute silence will be held across the UK at noon.

A military parade will proceed from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where the coffin will lie in wait for four days. Doors will be open to the public for 23 hours a day, during which mourners will wait in line to honour the Queen. Finally, 138 junior sailors from the Royal Navy will pull the coffin on a green gun carriage (a tradition which dates back to Queen Victoria's death in 1901 [16]) to the Windsor Castle chapel to prepare for burial in the castle's King George VI Memorial Chapel.