“London Bridge is down” (“London Bridge is down”). It was with these words that the Queen’s Private Secretary informed Prime Minister Liz Truss, the Cabinet Secretary and the Privy Council of the death of Elizabeth II on Thursday, September 8. The implementation of “London bridge”, the planned plan to organize the tributes, has therefore officially begun. The Foreign Office’s Global Response Center sent the news to the fifteen governments outside the UK, where the Queen is head of state, as well as the other 28 Commonwealth countries. All ministers were also briefed by email, and the flags in Whiteall – the seat of British government – were flown at half-mast.
Protocol then dictated that a valet walk through the Buckingham forecourt and pin to the palace gates the “official notification” indicating the Queen’s death. Parliament has been called and the Royal Family’s website now shows a black page with a statement confirming the Queen’s death. For her part, Prime Minister Liz Truss made a statement at 10 Downing Street a few minutes after the announcement of the death.
The funeral program, which will take place in ten days, will soon be published by the royal family. It should be noted that the day of death is called the “D-Day”, and that from this one, until the day of the burial, the denomination of the days will be done according to the following formula: D 1, Day 2, Day 3…
Prince Charles chose to be called Charles III. This Friday, September 9, at 6 p.m., he will address the British nation. The following days, until the funeral, will take place as follows: the day after the death, the Membership Council will meet and proclaim Charles the new sovereign. Parliament will then gather to share a message of condolence and pay tribute to the Queen. All parliamentary work will be suspended for ten days.
On the second day, the coffin must be at Buckingham Palace, London. The body of the queen, who died at Balmoral Castle, in Scotland, will be transported by royal train. On day three, Charles will begin a funeral tour of the UK, starting with Scotland. On the fourth day, he will travel to Northern Ireland. On the fifth day, the Queen’s coffin will be transferred to Westminster according to a specific route. For three days, the queen will rest in Westminster, where the British can come and pray. On the eighth day, Charles will travel to Wales. The tenth day will be that of the funeral, proclaimed “day of national mourning”. The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey, before the Queen rests forever at Windsor Castle.
