Art, obsession, and identity
If you know even a tiny bit about the British royal family, it will come as little surprise that nothing that happened in the days and weeks following the death of Queen Elizabeth II was left up to chance. In fact, meticulous plans were laid out in a plan referred to as Operation London Bridge, which had been around since the 1960s. And now that the reign has passed to King Charles III, plans are in place for what will happen when he eventually passes. Enter: Operation Menai Bridge.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The list of people who were called includes the prime minister and the cabinet secretary, as well as several senior ministers and government officials.
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.
Her coffin then lay in Westminster Hall, lying in state for four days prior to her funeral, which took place on September 19, 2022.
During those four days, people were able to go and visit the Queen’s coffin and pay their last respects.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The current Prince of Wales will become king, and it is expected that his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, will become Queen Consort.
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.
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.
In terms of informing people in government, the prime minister will be notified directly by the King’s private secretary.
Departmental permanent secretaries will then receive a script to inform government ministers, and the cabinet secretary will send an email to senior civil servants.
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.
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.
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.
Plans for the funeral arrangements of both the Queen Mother and Princess Diana, for example, were referred to as 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.
There were also plans in place for the death of the late Duke of Edinburgh, who passed in April 2021, aged 99.
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)
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LIFESTYLE British royal family
If you know even a tiny bit about the British royal family, it will come as little surprise that nothing that happened in the days and weeks following the death of Queen Elizabeth II was left up to chance. In fact, meticulous plans were laid out in a plan referred to as Operation London Bridge, which had been around since the 1960s. And now that the reign has passed to King Charles III, plans are in place for what will happen when he eventually passes. Enter: Operation Menai Bridge.
Curious? Check out this gallery to learn more.