Royal: Funerals, tributes… What will happen after the death of Prince Philip?
Prince Philip died on April 9. Operation "Forth Bridge is down" has been triggered. Here are the details.
Special Flash on the BBC. The presenter, dressed in a black dress - provided in boxes in the event of a major death - announces, tremolos in her voice, the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip, the rock of Elizabeth II since their marriage in 1947, passed away on April 9, just weeks before he turned 100.
All members of the royal family have a long-planned funeral protocol that has been repeated and revised over and over again. Upon the death of Elizabeth II, Operation London Bridge is Down will be launched. Prince Philip, meanwhile, was entitled to another bridge, located in Edinburgh, Scotland: Operation "Forth Bridge". “Bridges symbolize the journey of life to the afterlife. The "bridges" code has been around for decades and members of the royal family know its contours and validate their own funeral arrangements, "former Windsor secretary Dickie Arbiter explained in a recent interview.
Few details are known about the unfolding of Prince Philip's funeral. One thing is certain, it was the Queen who had to announce her death to Lord Chamberlain, Earl William Peel since 2006, who then warned top officials, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, of course. Buckingham Palace then passed the information on to the BBC and the Press Association. Certainly as with the death of Elizabeth II, the various radio stations in the kingdom will broadcast sad songs for the occasion.
The country's flags should be half-masted, especially in military institutions, of which Prince Philip has often been the faithful godfather. A period of national mourning should immediately come into effect, for twelve or fourteen days.
Black tie for parliamentarians
During this period, journalists will be invited to wear black on television. Politicians will have to wear a black tie or black armband. There could also be a halt in legislative activity: no law should be signed for a few days.
According to some sources, Prince Philip, a discreet man, would have liked a funeral without frills, far from the event that had been that of Queen Mum in 2002. They should take place at St. George's Chapel in Windsor, in the presence of heads of state of the Commonwealth, some members of the British political class, representatives of the military and of course the family. It is not certain that the ceremony will be televised.
If all this has been organized and repeated, several uncertain points darken the funeral score. First of all, the coronavirus pandemic. The funeral may need to be even more discreet and intimate. Also, no one knows at this time if Prince Harry and his wife the Duchess of Sussex will be in attendance. After the earthquake, their recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, will they be united with the other members of the Windsors?
