Buckingham Palace’s code phrase signifying Queen Elizabeth II’s death, “London Bridge is down,” sets off a period of mourning during which regular activity in the UK will drastically slow for the next 10 days.
The devastated country is in disbelief at the passing of the only king many of us have ever known. However, since the 1960s, the Palace and the Queen have been putting plans in place for what would happen after this inevitable day.
Operation London Bridge, the full plan, has already been carried out in secret. It begins a formal time of mourning that will impact millions of people’s everyday lives.
Once King Charles III has given his approval, the plan for the ultimate goodbye to Elizabeth II—a significant project on an unparalleled scale—will be officially put into action.
The finer points of Operation London Bridge have evolved over time, but the overall framework has stayed unchanged.
It starts with what is referred to as D-Day, or the day of death, but the Palace has declared today to be D-Day for administrative convenience so that the intricate preparations may be made.
In addition to bells ringing at Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Windsor Castle, there will be gun salutes at various locations, with one round fired in Hyde Park for every year the 96-year-old Queen has lived.
The people will start to drop flowers as tributes from all around the globe come in when the royal apartments’ floodlights are switched down.
Considering that Her Majesty’s passing took place in Scotland, Operation Unicorn, a backup plan, has been activated. The fabled beast serves as Scotland’s emblem.
The preparations for a Scottish component have been prepared for some time since the queen spends several months each year at her cherished residence in the Highlands.
The Unicorn puts in motion extra ceremonial festivities in Edinburgh prior to the complexities of getting the Queen back to London as part of the long-standing London Bridge preparations.
The King of England and his Queen Consort spent the night in Balmoral and will travel back to London today.
Despite his sorrow, the new king or queen must do his duties, and his first meeting as ruler with Prime Minister Liz Truss is anticipated to take place as soon as feasible.
In order to ratify the meticulously planned programme for the next days, Charles will also meet with the Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, who is in charge of the accession and the Queen’s burial.
It could also involve a month-long period of formal court mourning. This will be observed by members of the Royal Family, Royal Households, Household Troops, Her Majesty’s representatives at home and abroad, as well as their staffs, unlike a period of national mourning.
In addition, civilian attire is supposed to be dark, with black ties for men and black dresses for ladies, and includes the wearing of black fabric or crepe bands on the left arms.
All Royal Households will utilise black-edged paper at this time, and all Union flags will be flown at half-staff.
The duration of the national mourning period, which is anticipated to be between 12 and 13 days from now until the day of the Queen’s burial, will be announced by the government. They will also declare the day of the burial to be a Day of National Mourning, which will be a public holiday.
Royal structures’ Union flags will be flown at half-staff. Never does the Royal Standard fly at half-mast. It symbolises the continuity of the monarchy and the sovereign as well as the United Kingdom.
The Royal Standard will be flown at full-mast wherever the new King chooses to dwell, as is customary.
The Queen’s coffin is anticipated to lie in state at first in the ballroom of her beloved Balmoral Castle, draped in the Royal Standard and topped with a wreath of her favourite flowers. Although bells will ring at noon today, a service will be performed at St. Paul’s this evening.
Meanwhile, tomorrow marks the official start of the process to elect a new head of state. Charles, 73, is already the King, but according to procedure, he will be installed as the next king tomorrow at 10am, the day after D-Day. This will occur at a meeting of the Accession Council, which will be held where they typically convene, in St. James’s Palace in London. Operation Spring Tide is the codename for Charles’ accession. The King will meet with his Prime Minister later in the day.
The Queen’s casket is anticipated to be driven from Balmoral to Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse on Sunday. It will take more than five hours to complete the route, which will travel through several towns and villages as mourners pay their respects.
The casket will be transported to the revered St. Giles’ Cathedral on Monday in an emotional procession along the Royal Mile in the centre of Edinburgh’s Old Town, where it will be kept for at least 24 hours. The casket in the cathedral will be surrounded by members of the Royal Family who will keep vigil.
Her Majesty will return to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, and her body is likely to be flown into the city.
Following a formal procession through London on Wednesday, a four-day period of the Queen’s lying-in-state is anticipated to start at Westminster Hall under the name Operation Marquee.
Thousands of people will pay their respects as they pass the casket on its catafalque during a ceremony led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Operation Feather is responsible for overseeing the lines outdoors. In keeping with the custom known as the Vigil of the Princes, senior royals are expected to offer their own heartfelt homage while at some point standing guard around the coffin.
Heads of state from all around the globe will start to arrive for the funeral, which is anticipated to take place on Monday, September 19, at Westminster Abbey, between Friday, September 16, and Sunday, September 18.
Instead of utilising horses, the Queen’s coffin was originally supposed to be transported to the Abbey on a gun carriage pushed by sailors known as naval ratings.
Like they did for the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Duke of Edinburgh, senior members of the family are anticipated to follow behind in a sorrowful manner. The armed forces will line the streets and participate in the parade.
Heads of state, presidents, prime ministers, European royals, and prominent personalities from public life will be invited to congregate at the Abbey, which has seating for 2,000 people. There will be a nationwide two-minute moment of silence, and the service will be broadcast on television.
The Queen’s casket will be brought to St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle the same day as the funeral for a televised committal ceremony. A special burial ceremony with senior members of the Royal Family will take place later that evening.
The King George VI memorial chapel, a wing of the main chapel where her parents and sister Princess Margaret’s ashes are interred, will serve as the Queen’s last resting place. At order to join the Queen in the memorial chapel, Philip’s casket will be transferred from the Royal Vault.