By Ed Malik, A  / with Agency reports,  September 9, 2022
ed@ddnewsonline.com

Many writers and historical analysts have already, within 24 hours written tons of materials about Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday at 96.

She was the longest reigning British monarch. Her husband Prince Phillip, passed away last year at 99. An interesting common denominator is the longevity of the British Royal Family, especially regarding the late monarch and also, her mother who lived up to 102. 

Before her death on Thursday, the monarch had been under medical supervision and advised to rest in bed. However, the flurry of activities around her clearly indicated that there an anticipation for her passing, despite reports stating the Queen was comfortable. Of note, the sudden convocation of members of the Royal Family at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland seemed to suggest something more ominous was in the offing.

But of concern to royal protocol managers and the British government is about what will occur after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. According to the New York Post, “Operation London Bridge” was the secret call sign for the queen’s death but with leaks of the decades-old plans for the eventuality, the code had been known to the public for years.

At the death of British royals, it had been a tradition to use code words to prevent switchboard operators from catching on. “With around 60 years of planning, “Operation London Bridge” should ensure the Queen’s send-off goes off smoothly.

However, at the time of the shocking car-crash death of Charles’ then-estranged wife Princess Diana in August 1997, which came as such a shock, the royal family had yet to plan for her possible death, instead they borrowed “Operation Tay Bridge,” the well-rehearsed plans to send off the Queen Mother, who would not die for another five years.

Prince Philip’s death was dubbed “Operation Forth Bridge,” carried out upon his passing at 99 years old in April, 2021.

Upon the last death of a UK monarch King George VI, in 1952, Elizabeth’s father, the code words “Hyde Park Corner” were used to cloud the switchboard operators. 

Likewise, the news of the death in April, 2021, of the Queen Elizabeth’s 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, had been shared under “Operation Forth Bridge,” while the Queen Mother’s death at 102 in 2002 was codenamed “Tay Bridge.”

The operation’s nursery rhyme-sounding name represents a secret code used to communicate the sad news to the most senior Buckingham Palace staff and members of government — before it was finally announced to the rest of the world, “London Bridge is down.”

But despite the planned secrecy, the Queen’s code words had long been known — as have the detailed, much-rehearsed plans for the 10 days ahead of her funeral since 2017 when The Guardian UK first reported it.

However, The Guardian noted that the plans have been repeatedly re-evaluated and updated over the years, which means Operation London Bridge may have had last-minute changes.

The funeral, which could be the largest in history, is set to be held 10 to 12 days after the monarch’s passing, and it will be a banking holiday. The British stock market and a host of businesses will close, said government sources.

If tradition is kept, the Queen’s death will be referred to internally as “D-Day,” the military term for a major new operation — most famously, the 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy heralding the end of World War II.

The day following her death will be “D+1,” until her funeral on “D+10,” which will be declared a “Day of National Mourning,” according to the plans.

The Queen’s private secretary will reportedly be the first person to hear of her death before a “call cascade” will share the news with the Prime Minister and Britain’s most senior ministers and officials.

An updated call script shared by Politico will then instruct departmental permanent secretaries to tell government ministers, “We have just been informed of the death of Her Majesty the Queen.”

Once senior government officials are all alerted, flags across Whitehall, home to the UK government’s main offices, will be lowered to half-staff and Parliament will be recalled.

Meanwhile, news media will also be alerted, with broadcasters at the BBC — which previously first announced royal deaths — all known to have black ties at the ready for the news.

At 10 a.m. on “D-Day+1,” the Accession Council will meet at St. James’ Palace to officially proclaim King Charles the new sovereign, according to the leaked plans.

The proclamation will then be read at St. James’ Palace and the Royal Exchange in the City of London, confirming Charles as king.

Parliament will meet to agree on a message of condolence, with other business suspended for 10 days, Politico stated. The new King will then meet with the Prime Minister and his senior cabinet officials, according to the plans.

If the plan is followed, the funeral will be on the 10th day at Westminster Abbey — the first funeral of a British monarch there since 1760.

The funeral, which could be the largest in history, is set to be held 10 to 12 days after the monarch’s passing, and it will be a banking holiday. The British stock market and a host of businesses will close, said government sources.

As to be expected, most of the country will grind to a halt as it mourns, with a nationwide two minutes of silence at midday. The London Stock Exchange will cease business and banks in the UK will close during the official mourning period.

There will be a committal service in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and the Queen will be buried in the castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel, the plans detailed by Politico media noted.

With around 60 years of planning, “Operation London Bridge” should ensure the Queen’s send-off goes off without a hitch.

‘God Save the King’ will become the new British national anthem. A new currency will be printed with the image of King Charles III. Passports, stamps, police, and military uniforms will all be altered to accommodate the changes within this institution.

In all, the death of Queen Elizabeth is set to cost the British economy billions of pounds during the transition. Charles will then meet with multiple government leaders in the British Isles, traveling to the capitals of Edinburgh, Belfast, and Cardiff.

Police and other law enforcement officials will also have to deal with the logistics of a packed London on the day of the queen’s funeral.

The plans surrounding the queen’s death have been written and re-written for years, so changes to the funeral arrangements and other parts of the royal overhaul wouldn’t be shocking.