Buckingham Palace is very unhappy with the leak of information and assures that it is too early to raise the hype: the 95-year-old queen is in excellent health and is not going to die.
A secret plan called “Operation London Bridge” that details what to do in the event of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, updated during the coronavirus pandemic, has leaked online. informs Politiko.
It was first written in the 1960s but never published in such detail. According to insiders, Buckingham Palace is very unhappy with the leak of information about “Day D” (Day D), as well as the fact that the public has become aware of the details of another operation called “Spring Tide”. It’s a closely guarded plan for Prince Charles’s accession to the throne that has also somehow been leaked online.
Death Day (D-Day)
According to leaked reports, the first person outside Buckingham Palace to be told the sad news of the Queen’s death will be the Prime Minister. He will be called by the Queen’s private secretary before notifying other members of the government, members of the Privy Council, the country’s top leadership, including those in the Armed Forces. The latter are planning fireworks across the country a few hours later.
They will all receive the same message: “We have just been informed of the death of Her Majesty the Queen. Diligence is required.” It’s not clear if Buckingham Palace will use the code “London Bridge has collapsed”, but this has been rumored since the plan was first drawn up.
Ministers and civil servants will receive an email from the Cabinet Secretary saying: “Dear Colleagues, It is with sadness that I write to inform you of the death of Her Majesty The Queen.”
The royal family will then officially release the sad news through the media. The funeral ceremony will take place 10 days after the monarch’s death at Westminster Abbey, before being buried in the family vault next to her husband Philip at Windsor Castle.
Until then, her body will lie for three days in Westminster Abbey, open 23 hours a day for members of the public to come and pay their respects.
Cabinet documents obtained by the journalists of the publication show that the government is concerned that all flags be flown at half mast within ten minutes in order to avoid fueling a “wave of public anger.”
The Department for Transport has also warned that London will be “crowded” for the first time in history, with trains and buses packed with people who will flood into the capital to mourn the Queen and then line the streets for the funeral. Hotels and boarding houses will also be filled.
The updated “Operation London Bridge” contains plans for social networks. So, the royal family’s website will be replaced with an all black page with a short statement confirming Her Majesty’s death. A black banner will be added to all GOV.UK websites, and profile photos will change to the coat of arms of the department. The document prohibits the posting of non-urgent content, and retweets are strictly prohibited unless authorized by the head of the communications department of the central government. Any tweets from government social media accounts and ministers must be signed by political strategists, and no public statements are allowed until the prime minister speaks first.
After the Queen’s death, Parliament will be recalled and the legislatures of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will close.
The Ministry of Defense organizes fireworks at all salute points. There will be a minute of silence throughout the country. The prime minister will then hold an audience with the new king, and at 6:00 pm, King Charles will address the nation on television.
At the same time, a memorial service will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral in central London, attended by the Prime Minister and a small number of senior ministers.
Day one after the death of the queen (D-Day+1)
According to the plan of operation, the day after the death of the monarch at 10 am, the Accession Council, which includes high-ranking statesmen, will meet at St. James’s Palace to proclaim King Charles as the new sovereign. The proclamation would then be read at St. James’s Palace and at the Royal Exchange in the City of London, thus confirming that Charles had become king.
Parliament will then meet to agree on a message of condolence. All other parliamentary business will be suspended for 10 days. At 15:30, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers will hold an audience with the new king, while members of the government cannot take their wives or husbands with them to the meeting.
Prince Charles will become the new king after the death of Queen Elizabeth II
Photo: Getty Images
Day two (D-Day+2)
If the Queen dies at Sandringham, her Norfolk residence, her body will be taken by royal train to St Pancras station in London, where the prime minister and members of the Cabinet will meet the coffin.
St Pancras station in London
If she dies at Balmoral in Scotland, Operation Unicorn will be activated, meaning her body will be taken to London by royal train if possible. Otherwise, Operation Overstudy will be launched, that is, the coffin will be transported by plane. The Prime Minister and ministers will attend a reception on the occasion of the meeting of the coffin.
Day Three (D-Day+2)
In the morning, King Charles will receive his condolences at Westminster Hall. In the afternoon, he will embark on a tour of the United Kingdom, starting with a visit to the Scottish Parliament and a service at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Day Four (D-Day+3)
King Charles will arrive in Northern Ireland, where he will receive condolences at Hillsborough Castle and attend a service at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast. On the same day, a rehearsal of Operation Lion will take place – the procession of the coffin from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster.
Day Five (D-Day+4)
The procession from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster will follow a ceremonial route through London. After the delivery of the coffin, a service will be held at Westminster Hall.
Day six (D-Day+5)
The Queen will be at the Palace of Westminster for three days in Operation Feather. Her coffin will be placed on a raised platform in the center of Westminster Hall, which will be open to the public 23 hours a day. VIPs will be given tickets for a more private farewell.
On the sixth day after the death of the monarch, a rehearsal of the state funeral procession will take place.
The Queen’s coffin will be in Westminster Abbey for three days.
Photo: Getty Images
Day seven – ninth (D-Day + 6 – D-Day + 9)
On the seventh day, the new king of Great Britain will travel to Wales, where he will accept condolences in the local parliament, and then attend a service at Liandaff Cathedral in Cardiff.
According to Politiko, citing the data received, all government departments will be entrusted with a huge job of preparing for the funeral. Despite the fact that, judging by the documents, the Cabinet of Ministers considers itself capable of carrying out everything successfully, the amount of what needs to be done remains colossal.
The biggest difficulties await the ministries of foreign affairs, internal affairs and transport.
Thus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was instructed to organize the arrival of heads of state and high-ranking officials from abroad. An additional problem may be the influx of tourists who want to come to the funeral, despite the pandemic.
The Interior Ministry is responsible for security measures, while the State Secretariat for National Security and intelligence services will be on high alert in the event of a heightened terrorist threat.
The Department for Transport has expressed concern that the number of people who want to travel to London could cause serious problems for the transport network and lead to overcrowding in the capital.
Funeral of King George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth, 1952
Photo: Getty Images
The Prime Minister and the Queen agreed that the day of the state funeral would be a “Day of National Mourning”, which also caused scheduling problems. In fact, this day will be a day off, although it will not be called one. If the funeral falls on a weekend or an already existing public holiday, no additional day off will be provided, and if on a weekday, the Cabinet of Ministers will not force employers to give employees a day off.
Day ten (D-Day+9)
The Queen’s state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey. At noon, there will be a two-minute silence throughout the country.
At the very end, a solemn service will take place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and Elizabeth II will be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at the castle.
When the coronation of Prince Charles will take place is unknown. But his mother was crowned four months after the death of George VI. There has been speculation that Charles could become King George VII, using his middle name as a tribute to his grandfather, but recently Clarence House said “no decision has yet been made”.