Operation “London Bridge is down”: This is what is supposed to happen when the Queen dies

There are four words that will bring an entire country to a standstill: “London Bridge is down.” With this sentence – in German something like “London Bridge has collapsed” – a high-ranking official will one day inform the British Prime Minister that Queen Elizabeth II is dead. In a short time, grief will overshadow all of public life. But above all the code is the trigger for the “Operation London Bridge” – because the sequence of the days after the death of the Queen has been meticulously specified for years.

Who is notified and when, how is the population informed, what happens to the heir to the throne, Prince Charles? Responsible are the palace and the central government agency Cabinet Office, which even has its own “Bridges” department. How rehearsed the protocol is, could only be seen five months ago with the death of Queen’s husband Prince Philip – “Operation Forth Bridge” went like clockwork.

The main features of “London Bridge” have been known since the Guardian newspaper reported comprehensively in 2017 about the plans – which were never denied by the palace. Now the online magazine “Politico” reports that he has the complete process including some new details. For example, possible corona conditions have been incorporated, and there are also precise regulations for the behavior of the government apparatus in social media.

It may seem strange that the plans have been around for years and the Queen should know about them. Especially since it is clear that the 95-year-old monarch is obviously in the best of health. But in an event of this dimension that will have repercussions on the whole world – especially since the Queen is head of state of a good dozen states, former British colonies – everyone involved must know exactly. Otherwise, the emotional mess would cause chaos. The same applies to the media, for example: Obituaries have been prepared around the world for years, just like with other celebrities.

Flags at half mast within ten minutes

But back to the course of “Operation London Bridge”, as “Politico” describes it. The “Death Day” itself is therefore internally called “D-Day” – the British equivalent of the German “Day X”. As soon as the government is informed, the UK news agency PA will report the death of the Queen in a lightning bolt, and the palace will issue an official notification. Then the flags on all public buildings are to be lowered to half-mast in no time at all, the goal is a maximum of ten minutes.

The Prime Minister will be the first to comment, and the Royal Family announces plans for the funeral, which is believed to be ten days later. Gun salutes and a national minute of silence are ordered before the Prime Minister meets for an audience with the new King – Charles, the Queen’s eldest son. The new head of state will then give a speech to his people, scheduled for 6 p.m. local time. A memorial service will be held in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral.

But not only the traditional ceremony is prepared. The plans are also adapted to modern times. According to “Politico”, it is required that the banners of the state social media accounts appear in black and that the official coat of arms is used as the profile picture. Ministries are only allowed to publish the most important notifications. They are not allowed to retweets on Twitter until they are approved by the head of communications for the government.

The days leading up to the state funeral have also been prepared. It is true that Charles is already king from the second his mother dies. But it will not be officially proclaimed until the next morning – “D-Day + 1”. On “D-Day + 2” the Queen’s coffin, who most recently resided at Windsor Castle near London, will be transferred to Buckingham Palace in the heart of the capital. “D-Day + 3” sees Charles set off on a journey through all parts of the country. First stop: the Scottish capital Edinburgh.

Different aspects of “London Bridge” also have their own code names. The enthronement of Prince Charles is called “Spring Tide” and the three-day laying out of the Queen is called “Feather”. Meanwhile, preparations for the funeral ceremony in London’s Westminster Abbey are in full swing. The Queen is finally buried at Windsor Castle in the small King George VI memorial chapel, next to her husband.

“The documents show the extraordinary level of action required by all parts of the British state,” writes Politico. A massive security operation is planned to deal with “unprecedented crowds and travel chaos”. Hundreds of thousands will flock to the city. The online portal quotes from a memo: The death of the Queen could lead to London being “full” for the first time.