What will happen when the Queen dies? She’s been on the throne so long, it’s difficult to picture a royal family without her at the helm.
No one wants to speculate on possible tragic events and aside from a night spent in hospital in October, there’s nothing to suggest that the Queen isn’t in good health. But Operation LONDON BRIDGE was created by officials and the monarch herself to prepare everyone, including the Prime Minister and the world’s media, for what to do in the event of her death.
It outlines the plans for what will happen when the Queen dies in the 10 days afterwards, including how the royal line of succession will change as Prince Charles becomes king and the strict rules on how the public will find out the news.
What will happen when the Queen dies?
When the Queen dies, Prince Charles will become King almost immediately by default and Duchess Camilla will become Queen.
This is the rule under common law, experts at University College London’s Constitution Unit explain, and it’s unlikely that Prince Charles would give the throne to his son, Prince William. “It would be natural for Prince Charles to want to assume the throne and perform the royal duties for which he has spent so long preparing,” they say.
After meeting with the Prime Minister, the new King will address the nation.
If Prince Charles opts to keep his own name (a choice every royal makes when they ascend the throne), he will be known as King Charles III. While Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and second in the line to the throne, will become the Prince of Wales – like his father was.
The plan is named after London Bridge, which sits between the City of London and Southwark. Credit: Getty.
The first official to deal with the news of the Queen’s death will be her private secretary, Edward Young, who gained the position when Sir Christopher Geidt retired in 2017. He will inform the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the most senior ministers and the Privy Council Office, which coordinates government work, of Her Majesty’s death.
The Foreign Office’s Global Response Centre, which sits at a secret location in London, will send out the news to 15 governments where the Queen is also the head of state. They will also inform other nations of the Commonwealth, where she is the symbolic figurehead.
This will all happen before us, the general public, find out that she has died. Another announcement will go out to the Press Association and the rest of the world’s media at the same time. This is when we’ll likely find out the news. When Princess Diana died, however, it was the hospital’s anesthesiologist, Dr. Bruno Riou, that told the media – one hour after she was pronounced dead.
Although very morbid, obituaries for the Queen’s death have already been prepared by major news outlets. So these will probably come out quickly after the news breaks. It was the same case when Prince Philip died and the procedure is in place for other royals and famous figures.
BBC Two and other networks will cancel regular programmes like Coronation Street, Emmerdale and EastEnders and switch to a broadcast of the announcement. BBC News will air a pre-recorded sequence of portraits. Presenters who are on duty at the time will prepare for the announcement by changing into black clothes.
On the radio, DJs are told to switch to the news and play inoffensive music. Every station across the UK has playlists called Mood 2 (sad songs) and Mood 1 (very sad songs) to play immediately in times of sudden morning. Speaking to Huff Post in 2011, BBC radio producer Chris Price said, “If you ever hear Haunted Dancehall (Nursery Remix) by Sabres of Paradise on daytime Radio 1, turn the TV on. Something terrible has happened.”
As soon as the news is announced to the world via the media, a footman dressed in mourning clothes will come out from the front door at Buckingham Palace and put a note on the gates. Much like after the death of Prince Philip, the palace website will display the news on a sombre page.
Across Whitehall, all the flags will be at half-mast.
Will there be 12 days of mourning?
Yes, there is a 12-day mourning period after the Queen dies.
Known as the “D-Days”, according to documents seen by Politico, they involve all the preparations for the Queen’s funeral. They also outline plans for Prince Charles’ accession to the throne.
Credit: Getty
Specific political events also will occur during this time. Parliament will meet to agree on a message of condolence, for example, and MPs give tributes in the House of Commons as they did following the death of Prince Philip. They then suspend all other business for 10 days.
Prince Charles will take on a tour to visit Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
During this time, the Queen’s body will stay at Buckingham Palace. It then will move to the Palace of Westminster on day 5 so the public can pay their respects. Her body will lie in state, meaning there will be public access to the coffin, for three days. As part of an operation called FEATHER, her coffin will be on a raised box in the middle of Westminster Hall. The public will be able to visit 23 hours per day.
When will the Queen’s funeral be?
The Queen will have a state funeral on day 10 of the mourning period, held at Westminster Abbey.
At midday, there will be a two minutes’ silence across the UK. Processions will take place in London and Windsor.
A committal service will take place in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, before the Queen is buried in the castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel.
How long has the Queen been on the throne?
The Queen has been on the throne for 69 years and is the UK’s longest-serving monarch.
Next year will be her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne. To celebrate the momentous occasion, there will be an extra bank holiday in 2022 and a new Jubilee statue has been unveiled already.
Queen Elizabeth II became Queen on February 6 1952 after the death of her father, King George VI.
What will happen if the Queen dies at Sandringham or Balmoral?
If the Queen dies outside of Buckingham Place, there are other procedures in place.
Sandringham, Norfolk
A royal train would carry the Queen’s body into St. Pancras station, where the prime minister and other cabinet ministers would meet her coffin.
Officials would then take her body to Buckingham Palace. Procedures for the mourning period and her funeral would go on as originally planned.
Balmoral, Scotland
Known as Operation UNICORN, the royal train would carry the Queen’s body down to London if possible. If not, Operation OVERSTUDY takes place.
This is where a plane transports the coffin down to London. Much like the Sandringham plan, the prime minister and others would welcome the coffin at a reception.
