Operation London Bridge is now in effect after the passing of the Queen
Operation London Bridge is now in effect after the passing of the Queen
It was announced today that the Queen had died, with a statement from the Royal Family explaining that the 96-year-old had passed away at her home at Balmoral.
Announcing Her Majesty's passing, a post from the Royal Family's official Twitter account said: "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 tragic news came after the Palace revealed that Her Majesty was under medical supervision due to concerns over her health.
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It now means that 'Operation London Bridge' has come into effect, marking a 10-day period leading up to the Queen's funeral and Charles' accession to the throne.
A leaked report by Politico revealed the day that the monarch passes is to be referred to as 'D-Day', with each day leading to the funeral being known as 'D+1', 'D+2' and so on.
Flags across Whitehall will now be lowered to half-mast and Liz Truss will make a statement.
A gun salute will also be organised, as well as a national minute's silence arranged as a mark of respect for Her Majesty.
The prime minister will hold an audience with Prince Charles, who will now become King.
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He will then deliver a broadcast to the nation and a service of remembrance will be held at St. Paul's Cathedral.
Tomorrow, the Accession Council (made up of all Privy Counsellors, Great Officers of State, the Lord Mayor and City Civic party, Realm High Commissioners and certain senior civil servants) will meet and proclaim King Charles as the country's new sovereign.
At 3:30pm that same day, Truss and the Cabinet will hold an audience with the new King.
On D+2, the Queen's coffin will return to Buckingham Palace, travelling to St. Pancras station on the royal train or plane.
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On D+3, King Charles will receive a motion of condolence at Westminster Hall and will begin a tour of the UK later that afternoon.
The next day, he will travel to Northern Ireland where he'll receive another motion of condolence.
There will also be a rehearsal procession for the coffin to be taken from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster.
On D+5, the procession will take place along a ceremonial route through the country's capital.
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D-Day+6 to D-Day+9 will consist of funeral preparations and rehearsals, motions of condolences and arrangements by the relevant government departments to deal with security arrangements and the Department of Transport to work out potential overcrowding issues.
D+10 will be the official state funeral which, it has been agreed, will also be a 'Day of National Mourning'.
The funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey and there will be a two minutes' silence at midday.
Processions will take place before the Queen is buried in the castle's King George VI Memorial Chapel.
Dominic Smithers