When queen dies, it’ll be ‘D-Day’ all over again for Brits
God save the queen — but Britain will be ready when she goes.
While there are no signs that the monarch is in ill health, the British government has a plan called “Operation London Bridge” for when Queen Elizabeth II dies.
Documents obtained by Politico indicate the Cabinet Office for Operation has drafted a 10-day strategy that goes into action the day after the 95-year-old queen (photo) dies and includes how the announcement will be made, the planning of her funeral and everything in between.
The day she passes will be called “D-Day.” Each day after will be given that name, plus a number to indicate how many days have passed since her death.
The plan begins with Queen Elizabeth’s personal assistant initiating a “call cascade” by which the prime minister and other top officials are notified that the queen is dead. The prime minister will also be the first government official to make a public statement.
Departmental permanent secretaries are to relate to their ministers: “We have just been informed of the death of Her Majesty The Queen.”
Flags at Whitehall will be lowered to halfstaff after an email from the cabinet secretary informs ministers and senior civil servants: “Dear colleagues, It is with sadness that I write to inform you of the death of Her Majesty The Queen.”
The public will be made aware of her death through an “official notification” delivered by the royal household.
There is even a social media plan in place. The website of the royal family will post a short announcement on an otherwise black holding page. Only urgent matters will be published across all platforms. Only retweets approved by the government’s head of communications are allowed.
The plan to make Prince Charles the new king is dubbed Operation Spring Tide, Politico also reports. Charles will meet with the prime minister at 6 p.m. after the queen dies.
After that, he will address his subjects.
On D-Day+1, the first day after Queen Elizabeth’s death, the prime minister and the cabinet will meet with the new king at 3:30 p.m. Spouses are not allowed.
The queen’s coffin comes to Buckingham Palace on D-Day+2. King Charles will reportedly receive the motion of condolence at Westminster Hall on the morning of D-Day+3. He will head to Ireland on D-Day+4 for another round of condolences and attend a service in Belfast.
The procession of the coffin from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster takes place on D-Day+5, followed by a service.
Queen Elizabeth will lie in state for three days at the Palace of Westminster, where the public will be able to view their queen for 23 hours each day. A funeral rehearsal takes place on D-Day+6. The state service itself takes place on D-Day+10 at the Westminster Abbey.
The days between allow for government departments to get their affairs in order leading-up to the funeral. That includes planning invites, sorting out transportation, preparing for tourists and ramping-up national security.
The queen will be buried in the castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel.
Queen Elizabeth is the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch. According to the new book “The Queen” by Matthew Dennison, Elizabeth told her cousin Margaret Rhodes she will stay on a queen “unless I get Alzheimer’s or have a stroke.”