This article originally published on April 21, 2017 has been updated on Thursday September 8, 2022.
The whole of the United Kingdom has been suspended on the state of health of Queen Elizabeth II, Thursday September 8, since her doctors said to each other “concerned for Her Majesty’s health”, and recommended that she remain under medical supervision. As his family gathers at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, the country has already prepared for his passing. Everything is already ready to ensure continuity. In 2017, the British newspaper The Guardian revealed the details of the unfolding of events and we can say that it is millimeter. The plan, established in the 1960s, has since been refined at the two or three annual meetings.
The first call will be for Liz Truss, the British Prime Minister. And inevitably, in the country of James Bond, there is a coded message: “London Bridge is down” (in French: “the London bridge has collapsed”). In the process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will warn the Commonwealth countries as well as the nations which depend on the Crown, such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A valet in mourning will hang a message against a black background on the gates of Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the British monarch. The palace website will display a black page with the same text.
At the same time, an official dispatch will be sent simultaneously to the Press Association and to the media around the world. There will be tweets and program interruptions. An alert system will be triggered at the BBC and small blue lights will come on in all private radio studios which will then have to play quiet music. the Guardian reports that already in 2011 a BBC radio producer told the Huffington Post : “If you hear in broad daylight, on Radio 1, Haunted Dancehall (Nursery Remix) of Sabers of Paradise, immediately turn on the television. Something terrible has just happened.” On television, presenters will wear black suits and ties.
the Guardian indicates that he already has articles ready to be published. Another British newspaper, The Times, ensures for his part that he would have enough to cover the event for eleven days with articles already written. The Sky News channel has already signed exclusive contracts with royalty experts.
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When news of the Queen’s death is announced, members of both Houses of Parliament will be recalled, people will be able to come home from work earlier and airline pilots will inform their passengers. If the Queen dies in Scotland, where she is now, at her Balmoral residence, there will be traditional rituals. If his death occurs abroad, a BAe 146 jet, dubbed “Royal Flight”, will take off from Northolt, a base in west London, with a coffin on board. In any case, his body will be repatriated to the throne room of Buckingham Palace.
On the fourth day (“D+4”), the coffin will be transported to Westminster Hall where his body will be exposed 23 hours a day for four days. 500,000 people are expected. Nine days after the Queen’s death, her funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey, a few hundred yards from Westminster Hall, with 2,000 people inside the abbey alone. It will also be the first time since 1760 that the funeral of a British monarch will be celebrated in the abbey. On that day, the shops will be closed. At 9 a.m. the bells of Big Ben will ring and at 11 a.m. the coffin will pass through the doors of the abbey.
Everything is already written and planned. Except maybe Prince Charles’ speech. He will have to deliver his first speech the very evening of the death of Elizabeth, and will be officially proclaimed king the following day at 11 am. who will become king of England.