Politico says it has obtained the British government's plans for dealing with an event that hasn't happened in almost 70 years—the death of a reigning monarch. The leaked plan, called "Operation London Bridge," describes the day of Queen Elizabeth II's death as "D-Day" and the following days as D+1, etc. The plan says the government website and social media sites will immediately show a black banner and stop publishing non-urgent content. It says that on D-Day, the prime minister will meet the new King Charles, who will address the nation at 6pm. According to the plan, the queen's coffin will be brought to Buckingham Palace on D+2 and her funeral will be held in Westminster Abbey on D+10. Charles will tour the nation in the days before the funeral.
On D+5, a procession will bring the coffin to the Palace of Westminster, which will be open to the public for 23 hours a day for the following three days, according to the plan. VIPs will be given time slots to view the coffin. The leaked documents also set out the concerns of various government departments, with the Department for Transport expressing worries that there could be serious overcrowding in London if large numbers of people decide to travel there for the funeral, the Guardian reports. Politico notes that the plans appear to be up-to-date, with mention of the pandemic, but there is no sign they "have been revisited with any urgency."
The queen—whose husband, Prince Philip, died in April—turned 95 this year and is believed to be in good health. Yahoo reports that the British media has long had plans in place for dealing with the monarch's death. Newsreaders will be expected to wear black outfits, and the blue lights that alert radio station DJs to national tragedies will be switched on, signaling that they should switch to "inoffensive music" ahead of a major announcement. (More Queen Elizabeth II stories.)
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