The British monarch Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday in Scotland.
The royal family has a particular plan in place that dates back to the 1960s for what will happen after the announcement that Queen Elizabeth II passed away at age 96 on September 8, 2022. The plan, known as Operation London Bridge, reportedly describes what will happen in the United Kingdom once the queen dies.
The plan states that the UK would observe a 10-day period of national mourning until her funeral preparations are finalised now that the news of her loss has reached the public. The state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey before she is taken to the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle for her last resting place.
Here is information regarding Operation London Bridge in detail:
Operation London Bridge: What is it?
The strategy for handling the death of the British head of state, known as Operation London Bridge, was first made public by The Guardian in 2017 and then by Politico in 2021. According to the documents, the London Bridge strategy considered the likelihood that Queen may pass away at Balmoral. The part of the plan that involved murdering her at her favourite Scottish castle was known as Operation Unicorn.
These procedures provide a detailed framework for the funeral procession and other significant logistical chores. The plan specifies the day of her funeral as D+10 and the day after her passing as D+1 (D-day plus 10 days). The British parliament will suspend operations for these ten days after sending a condolence statement.
When did Operation London Bridge start?The term "royal death" has been a code since the passing of King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1952. At the time, his code phrase was "Hyde Park Corner," which allowed crucial government figures to be made aware of his passing.
Since then, other codes have been created for important royal family members, such as Operation Tay Bridge for The Queen Mother and Operation Forth Bridge for Prince Philip. Queen Elizabeth is known as Operation London Bridge in code, while Prince Charles is known as Operation Menai Bridge.
The execution of Operation London Bridge.
The plan, according to The Guardian, is for Sir Edward Young, Queen Elizabeth's private secretary, to be the first person to inform her loved ones and the medical team that she has passed away.
The prime minister, Elizabeth Truss, will then be contacted by Young, who will use the code phrase "London Bridge is down" to inform her of her death.
Through Operation London Bridge, who else is made aware of Queen Elizabeth's passing?
According to The Guardian, the Foreign Office's Global Response Center would inform "the 15 governments outside the UK where the Queen is also the head of state" as well as "the 36 other Commonwealth states for which she has operated as a symbolic figurehead" of the queen's demise. Other heads of state, ambassadors, governors general, and other world leaders will also be informed.
Will the newly installed King Charles refuse to abdicate in favour of his son Prince William?