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Operation London Bridge: What happens after the Queen's death?

In the aftermath of a death a period of chaos can often follow - there’s a whirlwind of emotions, and uncertainty about what to do next. This is made even worse when there is no plan in place, something that Sam, our founder experienced personally, which is why he founded Guardian Angel.

In the case of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, it’s a little bit different. You still have the collective mourning, confusion, shock and upset, but there are century-old protocols that kick into action and determine what happens next. These plans have been meticulously choreographed - dictated by tradition and the Queen herself. The plan is so thought through it even has a code name, ‘Operation London Bridge’.

What is ‘Operation London Bridge’

Operation London Bridge is the code name for the plan for what happens when Queen Elizabeth dies.

The plan has never been formally released but elements of it have been leaked over the years. And a 2017 investigation by the Guardian revealed much of the detail of this plan.

What are the code words for Operation London Bridge:

“London bridge is down” is used to secretly announce the Queen’s death by the private secretary
“D-Day” is the code word for the day of the Queen’s death
“D-Day+1” is the code word for the day after the Queen’s death. D-Day+10 was planned to be her state funeral.

What happens next after the Queen’s death - a timeline:

What happens on the day of the Queen's death (D-Day), Thursday, 8th September

The Queen dies at Balmoral Castle, aged 96, after reigning for 70 years and 214 days
Charles is immediately made King
The Queen’s private secretary delivered the message that the Queen had died to the Prime Minister by saying "London Bridge is down"
The Foreign Office relays the news of her death to the Commonwealth leaders
Her death is announced to the public via the Royal Family’s Twitter account and on their website before being announced in the press
The country enters an official period of mourning, expected to last around 10 days, until the date of her state funeral
The flags at Buckingham Palace, other government building, and military establishments were lowered to half-mast

What happens the day after the Queen's death (D-Day+1), Friday 9th September

King Charles III travels from Balmoral to meet Liz Truss the PM
Courts open in the name of the King
At midday Churches across the UK toll their bells in tribute to the Queen
At 1pm the military perform the ‘Death Gun Saltues’ in Hyde Park and across the UK, firing 96 times to mark each year of Queen Elizabeth’s life
Charles addresses the nation at 6pm
A remembrance service will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral, the PM and other senior ministers will attend

What happens two days after the Queen's death (D-Day+2), Saturday 10th September

Senior MPs have to swear an oath of allegiance to the King
The Accession Council will officially proclaim Charles the new sovereign.
The first Privy Council of Charles’s reign will be held - this might be televised

What happens three days after the Queen's death (D-Day+3), Sunday 11th September

The Queen's coffin travels from Balmoral to Palace of Holyroodhouse
There will be a ceremonial procession along the Royal Mile to St Gile's Cathedral in Edinburgh
There will be a service for members of the Royal Family

What happens before in the days before the Queen's state funeral

The Queen’s coffin will be flown from St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace
The coffin will be processed to Westminster Hall where it will stay for four days until her state funeral, this is called 'lying in state'

What happens on the day of the Queen's State funeral, Monday 19th September

Date to be confirmed by Buckingham Palace.

Her state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey
As her coffin is taken from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey at 11 am there will be a moment of silence
Following the funeral, her coffin will be processed down to Trafalgar Square and down the Mall to Buckingham Palace, before being taken to Windsor Castle to be buried alongside Prince Philip and her parents and sister in St. George’s Chapel
The London Stock Exchange will close on the day of the Queen’s funeral and possible days after
This will be a public holiday - many businesses, shops and schools will close on this day

What happens after the Queen's state funeral

There will be a 1 week period of royal mourning for her family and staff
Months later Charles will be formally crowned at his coronation

Not everyone will have or need such an elaborate plan for what happens after they die, but putting some form of plan in place for when we die does make life easier for the people we leave behind. Find out what your plans for when you die look like by taking this free 1 minute quiz today.