For some, it's the unthinkable question - what happens when the country's longest reigning monarch passes away.
Well, for some civil servants, its their job just to draw up such plans. They're super secretive and have a special code name - Operation London Bridge.
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| Queen Elizabeth II after she recorded her annual Christmas Day message in 2018 (Image: John Stillwell/PA Wire) |
If you're fond of the Queen, it might seem like a huge deal. And if you're not it might be easy to ignore what will happen - but it will have a big impact on all of our lives, in lots of ways you might not have realised.
But the eyes of the world will be upon London when the day does come, and below we run through 27 of the most important things that will happen when Operation London Bridge kicks into action, as revealed by a Guardian investigation
1. The Prime Minister will be contacted
The Queen's private secretary will be the first official to deal with news of her death. It will be their job to contact whoever is PM at the time (currently at time of writing is Boris Johnson).
2. 'London Bridge is down'
The news will ripple out quietly and secretly with civil servants saying 'London Bridge is down' in secure messages and telephone conversations.
Previous code names for other royal deaths include 'Hyde Park Corner' for George VI and 'Tay Bridge' for both the Queen Mother's and Princess Diana's funeral plans.
3. The news will go international from an 'undisclosed location' in London
Ever heard of the Foreign Office's Global Response Centre?
We hadn't either. But apparently it's based at an 'undisclosed location' in London.
The centre will distribute the terrible news to the 15 governments outside the UK where the Queen is also the head of state, and the 36 other nations of the Commonwealth for whom she has served as a symbolic figurehead.
4. Newsflash
With governments made aware, next will be the world's press.
The announcement of Queen Elizabeth's death will go out simultaneously in a newsflash to the Press Association and other global media outlets.
5. Black armbands will be put on
Officials will delve into cupboards which are often not disturbed.
Black armbands measuring three-and-a-quarter inches wide will be worn on the left arm.
6. Black edged notice on Buckingham Palace gates
A footman in mourning clothes will pin a black edged notice to the gates of Buckingham Palace.
7. Buckingham Palace website will go into mourning mode
At the same time as public notices go up outside, the palace website will be toned down so it becomes one single, respectful page, with text on a dark background.
8. The BBC will start using a special system
RATS stands for 'radio alert transmission system' - it's something most staff at the BBC have only ever apparently seen in tests.
It started life in the 1930s and was designed to withstand an attack on the country.
Never usually used, nothing else will be trusted to spread the word about the Queen's death.
9. Scramble for news coverage
'Mrs Robinson' has apparently been a code name for the death of the Queen at ITV and Sky for years.
Newspapers like the Guardian and The Times have stories pinned to the wall at offices in Kings Cross and London Bridge, ready to be rolled out when the momentous announcement is made.
Huge deals have already been signed by broadcasters, apparently, securing royal experts on an exclusive basis for the days leading up to the funeral.
10. Blue 'obit lights' for commercial radio will come into use
Like listening to a spot of Magic or Heart FM?
The first sign something is wrong might be a sad song coming on the radio.
Behind the scenes at your favourite radio station, a system of blue lights should have started flashing.
The 'obit lights' are tested once a week and alert the DJ to cut to the news at the soonest possible opportunity.
Even hospital radio stations have appropriate playlists prepared.
11. Black ties on the TV news
Scheduled programmes will stop on your TV (if people still watch regular television by this point).
BBC One, Two and Four will merge, fading into the news.
The national anthem will play in the background, news readers will appear dressed in black suits and black ties.
A royal standard will be displayed on screen.
There will be no doubt of the gravity of the situation.
12. People will go home from work early
This one will be popular with many of you, even if the news will be grim - the Queen's death is likely to mean many people will go home from work early.
It's going to depend on when in the day the news is announced. And of course what you do for a living.
But a mood of national mourning will demand that many businesses and workplaces shut down.
14. Pilots will tell passengers
If you're on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport or Gatwick, the news may well be broken to you by the pilot of your aircraft.
On the day of the announcement, there will be a sense of sombre urgency.
15. If the Queen is abroad a coffin will be flown out to her
What if the Queen is on a foreign visit when she passes?
A BAe 146 jet from the RAF’s No 32 squadron, known as the Royal Flight, will take off from Northolt, at the western edge of London, with a coffin on board.
The royal undertakers, Leverton & Sons, keep what they call a “first call coffin” ready in case of royal emergencies.
16. Body will return to Buckingham Palace throne room
No matter when or where the Queen's death takes place, her body will be taken back to the throne room at Buckingham Palace.
There will be an altar, royal standard and four Grenadier Guards in bearskin hats, which will of course be inclined out of respect.
17. Prince Charles will become King
At some point, top secret plans unfolding around him, Prince Charles will become aware he is King.
His siblings will ceremoniously kiss his hands.
Charles will have a great say over some aspects of the days following his mother's death.
Other parts of the procedures will be set in stone after years of planning.
It will be on so-called 'D+1' - the day after the death - that Charles will be officially proclaimed King.
He will speak his first words as the monarch at St. James's Palace.
18. News crews will assemble in pre-agreed spots
Fibre-optic cables run under the Mall, allowing broadcasters to do their thing on special occasions like Royal Weddings.
After the Queen's death though, the level of interest will be even bigger than usual.
Specific spots next to Canada Gate, at the bottom of Green Park, have already been agreed by BBC, ITV, Sky and others.
19. Announcement at London's mid-point
With Charles already sworn in behind the scenes,the Garter King of Arms and half a dozen other heralds will hop in a carriage and travel to the statue of Charles I, at the base of Trafalgar Square, which marks London’s official midpoint, and read out the news again.
20. Hyde Park gun salute
A 41-gun salute – almost seven minutes of artillery – will be fired from Hyde Park.
21. More trumpets in the City of London
A red cord will be strung across the road outside the Royal Courts of Justice, at the old boundary of the City of London.
The City Marshal will be waiting on a horse.
The heralds will be formally allowed into the City, before going onto use more trumpets and more announcements: at the Royal Exchange and then in a chain reaction across the whole country.
22. Queen's coffin will be moved to Westminster Hall
D+4 - the fourth day after the Queen's passing - will see her coffin moved to Westminster Hall to lie in state for four days.
Of course it won't be quietly taken into position. A grand military parade will see the coffin transported down the Mall, through Horse Guards, and past the Cenotaph.
23. The wreaths on the coffin will be renewed each day
Nothing but the freshest, most impressive floral wreaths.
24. Jewels cleaned on day of funeral
The funeral will be on 'D+9'. On the morning of the ceremony, which will take place at Westminster Abbey, the crown jewels will be meticulously cleaned.
25. Shops will close
A day off will be in store for most on the day of Her Majesty's funeral. Shops will close, or open for reduced hours.
The stock market will also not open for the day.
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Prince Charles on March 13, 2019 in London...we will have to get used to calling him King Charles (Image: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)26. Church services and memorial gatherings in football stadiums
The night before the funeral, church services will be held.
It's thought that in larger towns and cities, there will be demand for memorial services in football stadiums and other big venues.
27. Big Ben to strike at 9am on the day of the funeral
One of the most memorable and poignant moments of Operation London Bridge will probably be when Big Ben strikes at 9am on the day of the funeral.
All being well with the state of the bell (Londoners will know the famous tower that houses Big Ben is currently clad in scaffolding) its hammer will be covered with a leather pad seven-sixteenths of an inch thick, and it will ring out in muffled tones.
At 11am the coffin will arrive at the doors of Westminster Abbey and the nation will fall silent.
Life will, of course, go on. But a link to the past will be lost and things will never be quite the same from that moment on.
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