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Best-laid plans -

Whenever a British monarch dies, plans are set in motion to ensure a smooth transition of power. These plans are laid years, if not decades, in advance.

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Code name -

Historically, the plans made for a monarch’s death were referred to by a code name. This was to prevent the press from getting hold of the information too early.

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Operation London Bridge -

Nowadays, the name for these plans has become public knowledge. The plan for Queen Elizabeth II’s death, for example, was called Operation London Bridge.

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Decades-old -

Operation London Bridge was devised in the 1960s shortly after the Queen rose to the throne, and it was revised multiple times before her passing in 2022.

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Operation Menai Bridge -

Now that her son, King Charles III, is on the throne, plans have been put in place for his eventual passing. Enter: Operation Menai Bridge.

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Namesake -

This plan is named after the world’s first ever iron suspension bridge, which is in Anglesey, Wales. It was built in the early 19th century.

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London Bridge in action -

To understand exactly what these sorts of plans entail, let’s first have a look at what happened in the days and weeks following Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

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Codes -

The day that the Queen died was referred to in the plans as D-Day. Each day that followed was referred to as D+1, D+2, and so on and so forth.

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Informing government -

According to documents that have since been unveiled, there was a cascade of calls that took place in the hours following her death. These informed people in positions of power of the news.

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Informing government -

The list of people who were called includes the prime minister and the cabinet secretary, as well as several senior ministers and government officials.

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Leaving Balmoral -

Once the news had broken, the Queen’s coffin was paraded from Balmoral to Edinburgh in a tribute to her impressive 70 years on the throne.

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Lying in state -

Her coffin then lay in Westminster Hall, lying in state for four days prior to her funeral, which took place on September 19, 2022.

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Paying respects -

During those four days, people were able to go and visit the Queen’s coffin and pay their last respects.

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Impressive turnout -

The turnout during those four days was a testament to the huge popularity of Queen Elizabeth II: more than 250,000 people went to pay their respects.

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Massive queues -

Those who wanted a chance to see the Queen one last time had to join a long queue before processing through the ancient hall in the Palace of Westminster to reach her coffin.

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Final resting place -

After four days in Westminster, the Queen’s coffin was taken to King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor, which would be its final resting place.

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Triggering Menai Bridge -

It is expected that Operation Menai Bridge will bear many similarities to Operation London Bridge. As soon as it is triggered, Prince William will ascend to the throne.

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Changing roles -

The current Prince of Wales will become king, and it is expected that his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, will become Queen Consort.

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First address -

In his new role as king, William will address the nation to inform people of his father’s passing, just as his father did for Queen Elizabeth.

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National mourning -

Once the new king has made his announcement, the public will then enter a period of national mourning for a specified number of days before the funeral.

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Informing government -

In terms of informing people in government, the prime minister will be notified directly by the King’s private secretary.

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Informing government -

Departmental permanent secretaries will then receive a script to inform government ministers, and the cabinet secretary will send an email to senior civil servants.

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Half-mast -

Once that email is received, the flags across Whitehall in Westminster, London, will be lowered to half-mast. This signal is used to express sadness in the event of a death or a sad public event.

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Acting quickly -

Plans for King Charles III’s eventual death were put in place after Queen Elizabeth II’s own death. It might seem a little hasty, but plans need to be in place to ensure a smooth transition of power.

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The naming tradition -

The tradition of making plans and giving them a code name is a relatively new one, but it is not reserved to the death of a monarch.

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Operation Tay Bridge -

Plans for the funeral arrangements of both the Queen Mother and Princess Diana, for example, were referred to as Operation Tay Bridge.

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Operation Tay Bridge -

By the time the late Queen Mother died in 2002, these plans were more than 22 years old. She was 101 years old when she passed.

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Operation Forth Bridge -

There were also plans in place for the death of the late Duke of Edinburgh, who passed in April 2021, aged 99.

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Operation Forth Bridge -

As per Operation Forth Bridge, Prince Philip had a funeral that took place at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. His coffin was placed in the royal vault.

Sources: (The Independent) (Cornwall Live)

See also: The most undignified royal deaths in history

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