It would be ready since the 1960s, and has long been kept secret: the device that will accompany the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Largely imagined by Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony Mather, a former squire who retired in 2014, it will punctuate the ten days following the death of the sovereign.
Her name ?
“Operation London Bridge”.
In 2017, reporter Sam Knight revealed in the columns of the
Guardian
the content of this extensive procedure.
A well-oiled, quasi-military mechanism that leaves no room for improvisation.
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A “worrying” state of health
For several months now, the state of health of Elizabeth II has been worrying her subjects.
The sovereign has indeed canceled her visit to several official events, such as the Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 14, 2021, and the General Synod, two days later.
She also spent a night in the hospital on October 21, 2021.
Since then, the monarch has been placed under medical supervision, this Thursday, September 8, after his doctors judged his state of health “worrying”.
Behind the scenes, the sovereign's teams have been working for years to prepare "the aftermath".
On the program, speech and official tour of the new king, changes of titles of nobility and scenarios adapted to the place where Elizabeth II is.
On video,
Elizabeth, Regard(s) Singulier(s)
, the trailer
The central role of the private secretary
The first person to be informed of Her Majesty's death will be Her Private Secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt.
This will have the task of warning the Prime Minister, perhaps in the middle of the night.
He will then have to pronounce this sentence: “
London Bridge is down
.”
The Foreign Office will relay the news to the 36 Commonwealth nations.
Heads of State, Ambassadors and Prime Ministers around the world will be informed of this tragedy, and held to discretion.
"
Mrs. Robinson
"
Shortly after, the press will become aware of the facts.
If the BBC was, for decades, the first informed of this kind of drama, the famous media has since lost this monopoly.
The death of the queen will thus be announced, first, in a dispatch from the
Press Association
, and all the media will be informed of it simultaneously.
The “radio alert transmission system” (Rats), a kind of alarm designed at the time of the Cold War, will however sound in the premises of the BBC.
A device that the media has used for decades in the event of the disappearance of a royal personality.
Radio stations also have blue "obituary lights", which are supposed to light up in the event of a national disaster.
When the palace has confirmed the death of the sovereign, these lights will begin to flash, to indicate to the DJs to play sad music.
BBC TV presenters will sport black ties.
Sky News journalists are said to have repeated their coverage of the Queen's death for years - code name: "
Mrs Robinson
" - and are preparing to call in royal experts, who have already signed contracts to speak exclusively on their channel.
The
Times
reportedly prepared eleven daily covers.
In video, 5 highlights of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Footman's Announcement
At the same time, a footman in mourning will walk through the Buckingham Gate to post a black-bordered obituary on the palace gates.
The institution's website will display a simple dark page.
The news will also have a monumental impact in England.
The two Houses of Parliament will thus meet to express their condolences, the British will return from work earlier, and the plane pilots will announce the news to their passengers.
The “Royal Flight”
If the Queen dies at Balmoral Castle, her body will first rest at Holyroodhouse, a small palace located in Edinburgh, before being transported to St Giles Cathedral, the time of a mass, then embarked on board the Royal Train at Waverley Station.
In the event of a death overseas, a jet plane, dubbed the 'Royal Flight', is said to have taken off from Northolt, west London, with a coffin on board.
condolence books
In any case, the queen will finally rest in the throne room of Buckingham Palace.
His coffin will be guarded there by four grenadier guards.
The Queen's employees will follow procedures they know by heart, before giving way to Prince Charles' staff.
The flags will be at half mast, and the bells of Westminster Abbey will ring in London.
In its protocol unveiled in 2014, the National Association of Civic Officers recommends that local authorities make condolence books available in town halls, libraries and museums the day after the death.
In provincial towns, large screens will be installed so that the public can follow the unfolding of events.
Some European royal families will be housed in the palace;
others will stay at Claridge's Hotel.
10,000 invites
The government team, responsible for coordinating police, security, transport and the armed forces, will meet at the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport.
10,000 tickets will then be printed, in order to invite personalities from all sides to the proclamation of King Charles III, which will be held the next day.
The main players in “Operation London Bridge”, who meet two to three times a year, will have carefully updated their guidelines.
On the evening of the death of Elizabeth II, Prince Charles will have to deliver a speech.
The next morning, 41 cannons will be fired from Hyde Park, and the Prince of Wales will be proclaimed king at 11 a.m., at St James's Palace.
He will then meet the Prime Minister.
During the next nine days, he will embark on an official tour, visiting four different countries.
Four days after the Queen's disappearance, her body will be transported to Westminster Hall, from Buckingham Palace, before a mass is given.
He will be exhibited there 23 hours a day for four days, so that the public can bid him farewell.
His coffin will be surmounted by a false lid to conceal the crown jewels.
Two minutes of silence
The monarch's funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey, when Prince Charles returns, in the presence of 2,000 guests.
On the same day, stores will close and the Bourse will cease trading for the day.
The nation will also observe two minutes of silence at noon.
A mass will be held at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, and the Queen will be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.
His disappearance will also have an impact on the titles of nobility of his successors.
Prince William will thus become the Prince of Wales, and Kate Middleton the Princess of Wales.
In February, the queen also expressed the wish that Camilla of Cornwall adopt the title of queen consort after the coronation of King Charles III.
A favor granted as an ultimate present, 70 years after the start of his reign.
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