The British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96 in her private residence Balmoral estate in Scotland.

The queen’s death was announced on Thursday by Buckingham palace.

Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne at the age of 25 and the revered monarch was a living link to pre-World War II , post-colonial and post-imperial Britain.

The Royal Family confirmed the death of the queen

Buckingham Palace released a statement to announce the death of the queen.

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

Current changes in the UK following the Queen’s demise

(1) Prince Charles, first son of the late queen, is enthroned as King of Britain

Prince Charles has ascended the British throne as King Charles III. The King could have chosen any name from his full name – Charles Philip Aurther George-but he kept the Charles becoming the third.

The new Monarch has made his first address as Britain’s head of state.

“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” he said in a statement on Thursday evening. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.”

(2) Prince William takes the title of Prince of Wales

Prince William will become the new Prince of Wales, taking on his father’s title as the first in line to the throne.

(3) UK flag flies at half -mast

Flags in the UK will fly at half-mast for the mourning period. ‘Half-mast’ means flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land or pole on a building. Half-mast is considered as a sign of respect, mourning, distress or salute.

It is believed by some that flying a flag half-mast or half-staff (American English) is a way to make room for an “invisible flag of death” flying above the flag. 

(4) BBC’s red intro graphic turned BLACK

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has a characteristic red intro graphic. This has been turned black following the queen’s death.

(5) UK will mourn for 10 days

The UK will mourn for 10 days. The queen will be buried on the 10th day.

In the UK, the day of the queen’s death is called the D-Day. The days following the D-day are numbered as D-Day+1, D-Day+2, D-Day+3,D-Day+4 up to the D-Day+10 where she will finally be interred.

The D-Day+10 is a day of national mourning. Flags will fly at half-mast up until and on the day of the funeral.

Operation London Bridge,  Operation Unicorn, Operation Spring Tides

The death of the Queen of Britain, Elizabeth II unleashes a cascading  well choreographed events encompassing Operation Unicorn (protocol to observe after death of the Queen in Scotland). Operation Spring Tides (Ascension of the Prince of Wales to the throne), Operation London Bridge (main protocol that details burial of the Queen).

Operation Unicorn

A unicorn is a national animal of the state of Scotland – a part of the United Kingdom (UK). The unicorn forms part of  the Scottish royal coat of arms alongside the lion of England.

‘London bridge’ is the code name for the queen. Upon her passing, the private secretary of the Queen is expected to call the Prime Minister of UK and formerly break to her that ‘London Bridge is down’. That is to imply, the queen is dead.

The term ‘Operation Unicorn’ was first used in the Edinburgh parliament’s online papers in 2017. It explains the protocols to observe should the queen die in Scotland.

The operation Unicorn states that on hearing the news of the demise of Her Royal Majesty the Queen of Britain, all parliamentary businesses would seize with immediate effect and pave way for the Queen’s funeral to start.

With the passing of the Queen in Scotland, it is expected that multitude of people would travel to Scotland to pay their last respects. People are expected to gather around the Scottish Parliament, the Palace of Holyrood House and St Giles’ Cathedral – all on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

Operation London Bridge

London Bridge is a codename for a sequence of protocols following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The 96-year-old British monarch passed away at her remote Highlands residence, Balmoral, on Thursday September 8, 2022.

The London Bridge protocol encompases the slightest detail from announcing the death of the queen, her state mourning and  burial. Some critical parts of the operation London Bridge was crafted by the queen herself. The other parts will be planned by the current King Charles III.

The protocol of the operation London Bridge was crafted in the 1960s with yearly updates throughout the years.

The protocol entails activities by various government departments, the Church of England, Metropolitan Police Service, the British Armed Forces, the media, the Royal Parks, London boroughs, the Greater London Authority and Transport for London.

Operation Spring Tides

The Operation Spring Tide refers to the sequence of protocols that outline ascension of  the Prince of Wales’ to the throne. 

This plan begins the day after the announcement of the Queen’s death.

The Prince of Wales  will be proclaimed the new king by the Accession Council at St James’s Palace.

Later in the day, MPs swear allegiance to the new monarch. The next day, this is  followed by proclamations by the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish administrations.

The third day would see the new monarch receive the motion of condolence at Westminster Hall in the morning. The new King would then depart for a tour of the United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland. 

He would attend services in Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff.

The last event would be the new King returning to London  for the burial of the deceased queen.