Queen Elizabeth II Dies: What Happens Next?

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Queen has died, aged 96, at her Scottish residence of Balmoral.

Her death marks the end of an era, and has sent shockwaves across the nation.

Approximately 24 hours after her passing, Prince Charles will be officially announced by the Accession Council as the new king. This will make him King Charles III, although he automatically became the monarch from the moment of her death.

Here’s what will happen next.

What happened when the news broke?

According to The Guardian’s break down of “Operation London Bridge” – the supposed code name for this occasion, which has been in place since the 1960s – the first thing that would have happened was the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Edward Young, contacted the prime minster.

The news then would reportedly have gone to the 14 governments outside the UK where the British monarch is also head of state, as well as the 36 other nations of the Commonwealth.

Flags around the world will also fly at half-mast for 10 minutes, according to POLITICO.

The Queen’s body will initially lie at Balmoral, where she died, before being carried up to Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral. 

She will then board the Royal Train at Waverley station down the east coast of the country, and the general public may throw flowers to mark her passing.

Once she arrives in London, her body will then be placed in the throne room of Buckingham Palace, while four Grenadier Guards stand watch.

Expect church bells to ring across the country, with one toll for each of the monarch’s life.

London Bridge suggests both the House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit in parliament within hours of her death, to pay their respects.

Charles will also make his first address as head of state the evening of his mother’s passing.

Tomorrow, there will be a proclamation that he has become King Charles III, while his second wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will become his Queen Consort – an event for which there will be 10,000 invited guests.

Charles will then carry out his first official duties, and swear to protect the Church in Scotland.

More proclamations will continue from various officials, while a 41-gun salute (meaning almost seven minutes of fire) will start in Hyde Park.

What happens before the funeral?

There is expected to be a ceremony in St Paul’s Cathedral the day after her death, while her family members in Balmoral may go to church to honour her passing.

Four days after the day of her death, her coffin will be moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where her body will lie in state for another four days.

There will be a procession from Buckingham Palace, the first great military parade, down the Mall, through Horse Guards and past the Cenotaph – a journey which will accommodate around a million people.

The procession will reach Westminster Hall on the hour, where the doors will be left open for the public to say goodbye for the next few days, while guards stand by, while crown jewels sit on the coffin.

There’s been speculation that corgis, the dog breed the Queen looked after throughout her entire reign, will be part of this parade, too.

In between her death and the funeral will likely be declared a period of national mourning.

European royal families will come to the UK too, and will be put up at Buckingham Palace.

What happens at the funeral?

The Queen’s funeral will be held nine days after the day of her death.

It’s likely to be a day off for the nation, with shops probably swapping to bank holiday hours and the stock market closing.

She will be the first British monarch to have her funeral in Westminster Abbey since 1760, and 2,000 guests will sit within.

Before dawn on the day of the funeral, the crown, the sceptre and the orb will be removed and cleaned.

Big Ben will strike at 9am, and the coffin will reach abbey doors at 11am when there will be a national silence.

The hearse will go 23 miles by road to Windsor Castle, where British sovereigns lie, and then cameras stop broadcasting – her successor, Charles, will drop red earth on the coffin.

She will be buried in a lead-lined coffin, in King George VI’s memorial chapel, and her late husband Prince Philip (who died last April) will be moved from his current resting place of Royal Vault (also in St George’s Chapel) to join her.

The entire funeral will be overseen by the Earl Marshal, the 18th Duke of Norfolk. He is the most senior peer in the peerage of England.

Many of the extra details at this point have to be signed off by either Charles, or the Duke of Norfolk.

What does this mean for the monarchy?

In terms of royal history, this is a big deal especially as the vast majority of the population only know having Queen Elizabeth II sitting on the throne.

The Queen is the longest reigning monarch in British history, after serving on the throne for more than 70 years. She celebrated those seven decades in June this year while the whole country enjoyed a bank holiday in honour of her Platinum Jubilee.

She also had the second-longest reign in the world’s history, coming closely behind French King Louis XIV who was the the monarch for more than 72 years. 

After a period of mourning, Prince Charles – the Queen’s heir apparent – will take over as the reigning monarch.

There is usually a substantial delay before the deceased’s successor is officially crowned in a lavish coronation. The Queen ascended the throne on February 6, 1952 after her father King George VI died, but her coronation did not take place until June 2, 1953.

With Charles becoming King, the whole royal line of succession moves up one place. So, Prince William will become the heir apparent, and likely inherit the title of Prince of Wales.

Charles will officially become head of the Commonwealth, too.

The second-in-line to the throne will be his nine-year-old son, Prince George.

According to Operation London Bridge, Charles will then undertake a four-nation tour and a “diplomatic assembling in London not seen since the death of Winston Churchill in 1965”.

Does this affect the government at all?

In the long-term, no. The Queen has already appointed the cabinet, meaning there is not a problem around not having a government, although MPs may begin swearing an oath of allegiance to the new sovereign.

In the immediate aftermath of her death, in the House of Lords, two thrones will be replaced by a single chair and a cushion with the golden outline of a crown.

Parliamentary activity will probably be halted, too.

During her final days on the throne, the monarch officially accepted the resignation of former prime minister Boris Johnson and welcomed his successor, Liz Truss, in Balmoral.

She welcomed an astonishing 15 prime ministers during her reign.

Operation Unicorn, reportedly the name of the Scottish plan when the Queen died, states there will be up to 36 hours for Holyrood to prepare a motion of condolence in the chamber.