- Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral on Thursday.
- Family members, including Prince Harry, raced to be by her side.
- The Queen, who has ruled for a historic 70 years, is 96.
Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday that the Queen was placed under medical supervision at Balmoral amid health concerns as her family rushed to her side. (The Balmoral Estate in Scotland is where the queen spends her summers.)
The royal family later confirmed that the Queen died that same day in a brief statement on Twitter: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
The Queen, who ruled for a historic 70 years, was 96.
The U.K.’s new prime minister Liz Truss said on Twitter that the whole country is “deeply concerned” by the news, adding, “My thoughts—and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom—are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.”
All of this has raised questions about what happens now that the queen has passed. Here's everything you need to know.
What is Operation Unicorn?
Since the queen passed at Balmoral, Operation Unicorn was triggered. (That's the codename for plans in Scotland.)
Plans are also thought to include a ceremonial procession along the Royal Mile to St Giles’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, per The Guardian. A service is expected to be attended by the royal family before a 24-hour period of lying at rest, which would be open to the public.
The coffin will then be moved to Edinburgh Waverley station to travel on the Royal Train overnight, arriving at London St Pancras the next morning. From there, it will be taken to Buckingham Palace. Senior government officials will attend a reception to welcome her coffin.
What is Operation London Bridge?
Operation London Bridge is a detailed, secret 10-day plan that spells out exactly what will happen in the U.K. after the queen’s passing. Politico obtained documents from Operation London Bridge and shared them last year.
Here's what the step-by-step process will look like.
Officials will be notified by the queen's private secretary.
When the queen dies, a “call cascade” will happen where the prime minister, cabinet secretary, and senior ministers and officials will be told of her passing by the queen’s private secretary.
The day will be referred to as “D-Day” and each day after that leading up to the funeral will be referred to as “D+1,” “D+2,” etc. There’s even a call script for each person who makes the calls on what, exactly, they should say.
Flags will fly at half-mast.
Once people are notified, flags across Whitehall—a street in the U.K. where government offices are—will be lowered to half-mast, with the goal of doing this within 10 minutes.
Parliament will be adjourned.
If Parliament is open, it will be adjourned. The U.K. government website will show a black banner at the top and all government social media pages will also have a black banner.
The Prime Minister will be the first person to publicly discuss the news.
The Prime Minister will be the first person to speak on the matter, and no other government officials are allowed to speak about the queen’s death until this happens. Gun salutes and a national minute of silence will follow.
The Prime Minister will meet with the new king and King Charles will then deliver a broadcast to the country.
Charles will be confirmed as king.
After that, a slew of other things will happen, including Charles being confirmed as king the next day, the queen’s body returning to Buckingham Palace
The queen will lie in state at the Palace of Westminster and Charles will meet with a slew of different people to receive their condolences.
There will be a state funeral at Westminster Abbey.
A state funeral at Westminster Abbey will be held on day 10, followed by a two-minute silence across the nation.
The queen will be buried in Windsor Castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel.
