"London bridge is down": what will happen on the day of the death of Elizabeth II
While Prince Philip passed away on April 9, 2021 and Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 95th birthday this year, return to the millimeter protocol planned in the event of the Queen's death. The latter has a code name, "London bridge is down", literally: "The London bridge has collapsed".
At almost 95 years old (she will celebrate them on April 21, 2021, editor's note), Queen Elizabeth II has not yet decided to cede her throne and continues to perform her royal duties as on the first day. However, the fateful day will come when, like her late husband Prince Philip, she passes away.
A very particular royal protocol will then be triggered to announce it to the whole world, as revealed by The Guardian. And it will all start with an enigmatic code name: "London Bridge is down". Literally: "London Bridge has collapsed".
Who will trigger the special protocol after the death of Elizabeth II?
The plan put in place in the event of the queen's death is not new, since it dates back to the 1960s. It has also been revised many times during the reign of Elizabeth II, involving a little more of people each time.
The Queen's death would first be confirmed by her personal physician, Professor Huw Thomas, who will also decide on what information to make public about the circumstances of the death.
The Queen's private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt, will then transmit the information via a secure telephone line to the British Prime Minister, who will even have to be woken up if necessary, with the code "London Bridge is down".
After this call, 15 governments outside the UK and where the Queen is also the head of state will be alerted, as well as the nations of the Commonwealth of Nations. The media - and therefore the general public - will then be warned.
Who will be the first informed media?
In the event of the queen's death, the BBC will not be the first channel to be notified. "For many years the BBC was first informed of the deaths of members of the royal family, but its monopoly on broadcasting has disappeared," reports The Guardian.
Thus, the Press Association news agency and all other world press services will be alerted immediately. A valet in mourning attire will also be held at the gates of Buckingham Palace, announcing the start of a 10-day mourning period. The Buckingham Palace website will display a similar message on a black background, similar to the one posted on April 9, 2021 following the death of Prince Philip.
As you might expect, news headlines around the world will quickly release movies and obituaries online. At the BBC the "Radio Alert Transmission System" (Rats), an alarm from the Cold War era, will be activated. Most of the staff only saw it working during testing. But many have never seen it work at all. “Whenever there is a strange noise in the newsroom, someone always asks, 'Is it the rats?' Because we don't know what it looks like, ”a regional journalist told The Guardian.
British commercial radios have a network of blue "obituaries", which are tested once a week and supposed to turn on in the event of a national disaster. When news of the Queen's death is revealed, those lights will start flashing, alerting radios to break into the news in the next few minutes and play soft music in the meantime. Each station has musical playlists called "Mood 1" or "Mood 2", with more or less sad songs to broadcast in times of sudden mourning.
What will the Queen's funeral look like?
The royal protocol also includes a section on the conduct of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Namely that the funerals of all the main members of the royal family - the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and anyone else connected with the succession to the throne - are planned years in advance.
Moreover, when Lady Diana died in 1997, her funeral had not been planned because of her young age on the one hand but also because at that time, she was no longer officially part of the royal family of made her effective divorce from Prince Charles a year earlier. For its course, the family was finally inspired by the protocol of the funeral of the queen mother.
As the reigning monarch, Her Majesty will receive a state and non-public funeral. According to The Economist, "The only visual difference between the two types of funerals is that the car used in the military procession preceding the state funeral is guided by sailors from the Royal Navy."
Four days after her death, the Queen will rest in Westminster Hall for the public to pay tribute to her, until the ninth day, that of her funeral. The staff employed by the Queen for more than 50 years should show nothing of their emotions and ensure the implementation of a whole ceremony that they have already repeated many times.
On the ninth day, there will be a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for the service, and the strategically planned route could accommodate at least a million people. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the one who married Kate and William and Meghan and Harry, will lead the funeral service attended by royals, politicians and heads of state from around the world.
On the day of Elizabeth II's funeral, most of the country will wake up to a day off dedicated to mourning for its sovereign. The stores will close. The stock market will not open. The Queen will be buried in the Memorial Chapel of the Royal Cemetery. Prince Philip, who died on April 9, 2021 and was buried in the royal vault of Frogmore Gardens, will be moved to rest with his wife, specifies 20 Minutes.
Who will succeed the queen?
The order of succession indicates that his eldest son Charles will become king. According to The Guardian, Charles will have to make his first address as Head of State on the evening of his mother's death. Then, at 11 a.m. the next day, the flags will be raised and he will be proclaimed King of England. The sacrament ceremony will not take place until several months later.
According to The Guardian, genealogist Thomas Woodcock will make the official announcement from the balcony of St. James. It is he who will pronounce for the first time - officially - the term "King Charles III".
The national anthem will then become "God save the King".
As for Camilla, who became Duchess of Cornwall, the queen would have demanded that after her death, she does not have the title of queen consort. Before their marriage in 2005, it was announced that she would be called "Princess Consort" rather than "Queen Consort". After Charles, the line of succession will follow chronologically, and it is therefore Prince William, eldest of Prince Charles, who is expected to become king.
More popular than his father, William is a future king expected by the British, but rumors have it that Charles has no intention of abdicating to speed up his arrival on the throne.
Father and son have also decided to organize a royal summit, which they will co-chair, to discuss the future of the monarchy in 2021. Indeed, in just a few months, the royal family has lost four of its members. officials: Prince Andrew withdrew from public life in 2019 following accusations of sexual assault brought against him in the Jeffrey Epstein case, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have decided to relinquish their titles and their roles of active members within "The Firm", and Prince Philip is no more. It is therefore urgent to redistribute their patronage and commitments and to develop the missions of each within the family, which also happens to be a company in its own right.
