Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96. Her family had gathered at the Royal estate in Balmoral, British TV has canceled scheduled programming to give live updates, and the mood is somber amongst the majority of the British public.
The Queen reigned for 70 long years, having assumed the throne when her father King George VI died in 1952. This means that the death of a British monarch is something the vast majority of people have never experienced, so you may be wondering what’s going to happen.
Well, right now, the Queen’s senior doctor Professor Huw Thomas will now be in charge and is responsible for deciding what information should be made public. If possible, the Queen will have died surrounded by her children and grandchildren, and we have been told she died peacefully.
The carefully choreographed plan for what happens now is known as “Operation London Bridge” (if she dies in England) or “Operation Unicorn” (if she dies in Scotland). Either way, Royal staff will begin communicating with senior politicians and media, with the agreed code phrase being “London Bridge is down”. The British Prime Minister will be informed, then governments for whom the Queen is the head of state, and then finally they’ll break the news to us.
A newsflash will be sent to the PA and the world’s media, and a footman dressed in black will emerge from Buckingham Palace and pin a black notice to the front gates. News media, many of whom will have had obituaries ready to go for decades, will post them and the world’s journalists will swarm onto the Mall in London for 24/7 live broadcasts.
At least in the United Kingdom, all media will be somber and restrained for the next few weeks, with the closest modern equivalent being the reaction to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997. The public mood in the U.K. will be especially gloomy, though that’s by no means assured across the rest of the world.
After the first day, plans for her state funeral will begin. If she dies in Scotland, her body will lay in rest at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where she will be guarded by the Royal Company of Archers. Her coffin will then be carried up The Royal Mile to St. Giles’ Cathedral for service before being placed on the Royal train and transported by rail to London, with its progress likely met by countless mourners along the way.
From there, her body will be kept in the throne room at Buckingham Palace, where she will be guarded by guards in iconic bearskin hats. Nine days later a well-rehearsed, tightly choreographed, and impossibly lavish funeral will take place in Westminster Abbey, which will be one of those “where were you when?” questions asked for decades to come.
Alongside all that, Britain will be processing having a new monarch in Charles, now King Charles III. The day after the Queen’s death, Charles will be officially proclaimed King by the Accession Council (“Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to His Mercy our late Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth the Second of Blessed and Glorious memory…”) and he will immediately assume her ceremonial duties in full.
Where we go from there is anyone’s guess, though Queen Elizabeth II will continue to generate headlines for decades to come.
Published: Sep 8, 2022 09:44 am