How does the "London Bridge" operation work if Queen Elizabeth dies?
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London (CNN) London
's police chiefs and doctors are bracing for nightmarish security at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on Monday, while balancing the need to protect the world's top leaders and dignitaries with the desire of the audience to mourn their beloved monarch.
Some have compared the event in scale to the London Olympics, but in reality the state funeral — the first in Britain since Winston Churchill died in 1965 — is likely to dwarf the sporting extravaganza of 2012.
Codenamed "Operation London Bridge", the arrangements for Britain's longest-serving monarch have been carefully scrutinized for years by the many agencies involved, with the queen herself signing off on every detail before her death.
The city has already seen unprecedented crowds watching the official funeral, which will last until 6:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m. ET) on Monday, just hours before the funeral procession to Westminster Abbey begins.
The sheer number of people caused lines to temporarily stop on Friday.
In an interview with Sky News earlier this week, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said of the scale: "If you think about the London marathon, the carnival, previous royal weddings, the Olympics, it's all of that in one".
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The three police forces operating in the British capital, the Metropolitan Police, the City of London Police and the British Transport Police, began their well-rehearsed plans in London as soon as Elizabeth II's death was announced on September 8. .
The funeral will be the "largest single policing event" ever carried out by the London Metropolitan Police, its Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy told reporters on Friday.
"As a single event, this is bigger than the 2012 Olympics. It's bigger than the Platinum Jubilee weekend. And the range of officers, police personnel and everyone who supports the operation is truly immense." , said.
It is also set to "be the largest global protection operation the Met Police have ever undertaken" as "hundreds of world leaders and VIPs" will be in London, he said.
Asked specifically how high-profile guests would be transported to London's Westminster Abbey for the funeral service, Cundy declined to give specific details, saying it would not be conducive to a "safe event and police operation".
Meanwhile, the gigantic logistics operation has involved a myriad of other aspects, such as doctors, toilets, street cleaning and road closures.
The size of the crowds who turn out to pay their last respects is "impossible" to predict, according to Andy Byford, Transport Commissioner for London (TfL).
Byford described the funeral as "the biggest event" the transport network has ever faced in an interview with Britain's PA Media news agency.
Comparing it to the Olympics, he said: "This is more challenging. It is a long period and although there are estimates, it is impossible to say with certainty how many people will attend the various elements, so we have assumed the highest possible number and we are aligning our service to match.
Invitations have been sent to world leaders, politicians, public figures and European royalty, as well as more than 500 international dignitaries.
The security considerations are mind-boggling.
Crowds have been growing in London in the run-up to the queen's state funeral.
The British government is taking the lead on logistics but has refused to comment on specific "operational security arrangements".
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, was among the first to confirm his attendance at the event, which will be attended by up to 2,000 people.
Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will also travel to London, as will many other royals and world leaders.
Hundreds of police from other forces support the Met, but the attendance of so many VIPs will add to the pressure.
Huge crowds have waited for hours to see Queen Elizabeth before her State Funeral.Simon Morgan is a former Royal Protection Officer who was responsible for overseeing high-level royals, including the Queen and the new king, between 2007 and 2013.
"It will be perfect," Morgan, who now runs the private security firm Trojan Consultancy, told CNN.
"The policing plan and the security behind it is a two-pronged operation: security and public safety are intrinsic."
Morgan said the events surrounding the state funeral have been in the making for decades.
"London Bridge came into being in the 1960s. It has been overhauled at least three times a year.
"Elements are discussed and indeed some elements have already been used in isolation," he said, citing the queen mother's 2002 funeral, royal weddings and the Platinum Jubilee as examples.
Regular reviews were vital in combating the changing nature of security threats, from Irish nationalism in the 1970s and 1980s to Islamic extremism more recently.
The historian Arnaldo Miranda specified the details of the "Operation London Bridge"
White House aides have declined to provide specific security details for President Biden's visit, but say they are working with their British counterparts to ensure presidential security demands are met.
The FBI will monitor potential threat streams and share any information with the British security service MI5.
When reports emerged last week that world leaders would have to travel by bus to the funeral, US officials were skeptical, rejecting the suggestion that Biden would travel to Westminster Abbey by coach.
In 2018, when other world leaders traveled together on a bus to a World War I memorial in Paris, then-US President Donald Trump traveled separately in his own vehicle.
The White House explained at the time that the separate trip was due "to security protocols."
"Everything will have been negotiated," Morgan said, explaining that some concessions will have been made.
There are simply not enough police and protection officers to give an escorted convoy to everyone who would normally receive it on an independent visit.
So people come together on a logistical basis," Morgan said.
"There is no compromise on safety and many visiting dignitaries will be very aware of the optics of requiring their own protective equipment."
Police must also consider the "fixed threat," he said.
"It's someone who is obsessed with a member of the royal family. Many of those people are subject to mental health orders and have subsequently come to the attention of medical professionals and sometimes law enforcement."
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"Single cause" activists also pose a risk, Morgan said.
The force has already drawn harsh criticism for its treatment of Republican protesters.
"Each of these causes wants to use global media attention to highlight what's important to them," he added.
Oxford's Symon Hill told CNN how he was aggressively arrested after shouting "not my king" at a ceremony heralding the accession of Charles III.
He said he was "stunned" after "police stepped in, grabbed me, handcuffed me and put me in the back of a police van."
He added: "Surely arbitrary arrest is not something we should have in a democratic society."
According to Morgan, the goal of the police is not to ban peaceful protests, but to ensure public order, as demonstrations can sometimes lead to confrontations when emotions run high.
"Police are in a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation," he said.
While the police are leading the operation, many others are closely involved, including military, transportation and utility chiefs.
Preparing London for the queen's funeral has been a massive operation that has been planned for decades.
Health concerns are paramount.
In addition to the official emergency services, around 2,000 St. John Ambulance volunteers and employees provide 24-hour support in London and Windsor for the wake and funeral.
“In our planning for this sad occasion, we estimated we would need about 1,000 volunteers, but more than twice that number said they may be available,” St. John Operations Commissioner Mike Gibbons said in a statement.
This implies the death of Queen Elizabeth II for tourists visiting the UK
Patrick Goulbourne, assistant commissioner for control and operational resilience at the London Fire Brigade, told CNN that his team worked "for many years with partners."
They have conducted fire safety inspections at more than 40 key central transportation hubs and have also conducted around 160 fire safety inspections a day at hotels, restaurants, stores and more.
In addition, there have been 10 fire trucks and around 50 firefighters helping people in line to see the queen's coffin throughout the day.
CNN's Lauren Said Moorhouse, Max Foster, Luke McGee, Duarte Mendonca, Christian Edwards, Kevin Liptak and Niamh Kennedy contributed to this report.
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