The UK has a secret plan for the death of Queen Elizabeth II, which includes a memorial service with the prime minister that should seem “spontaneous” and preparations for crisis mode if London is filled with bad guys, according to the recently revealed documents.
Named “Operation BRIDGE BRIDGE”, the plan describes in detail what will happen in the first ten days after the death of the 95-year-old monarch, who is currently in good condition, Politico reported on Friday.
The UK government is preparing for a crisis, with a note that warns that London could be overwhelmed or “full” by too many people flooding the city to mourn the queen, causing chaos with public transport, accessibility to food, police and more.
To respond to this possibility, “Operation LONDON BRIDGE” calls for a security operation to be launched to manage possible overcrowding.
A sketch of the plan also shows that, following the Prime Minister’s official announcement of the Queen’s death, a service will be held in honor of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The prime minister and some senior ministers are expected to attend, but according to documents, the monument should look “spontaneous”.
In addition, there are plans for the prime minister and his cabinet to meet with the queen’s coffin at St. John’s station. until the funeral while he takes over as King of England.
“Operation BRIDGE BRIDGE” begins with what is called “D-Day”, where hours after the Queen’s death, there will be a “cascade of calls” where the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary and other dignitaries Ministers and officials will be alerted to the Queen’s Passage by HRH’s private secretary. According to reports, it will also be notified to the Office of the Privy Council, which is responsible for coordinating the work of the government on behalf of the monarch.
The royal house will issue an “official notification” to alert the public and there are scripts on how officials should alert others about the news. For example, the cabinet secretary will email ministers and senior officials: “Dear comrades, I am writing with sadness to inform you of Her Majesty the Queen’s death.”
There are also plans to reduce all flags on Whitehall Road to half a pole 10 minutes after the news broke.
As for social media, according to Politico, “the royal family’s website will turn into a black page with a small statement that will confirm the queen’s death. The UK government website, GOV.UK, will display a black banner at the top. All government department social media pages will also display a black banner and change their profile pictures to their departmental crest. “
Interestingly, retweets are “explicitly prohibited” unless they are authorized in the head of central government communications and non-urgent content should not be published.
The prime minister will be the first government official to make a statement, the Ministry of Defense will organize the salute of arms and a minute of silence will be announced for the nation. The prime minister will then meet with the new king, and at 6 p.m., King Charles “will make a broadcast to the nation.”
During the ten days leading up to the Queen’s funeral, various plans have been put into play so that different officials can mourn the Queen while her coffin rests at Buckingham Palace.
There are several plans in place to ensure the Queen’s return to London if she dies in other cities, such as “Operation UNICORN”, where she goes to Scotland, will be transported by train or “Operation OVERSTUDY”, where her body will travel in plane.
According to reports, on the tenth day the state’s state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey and a two-minute silence will be observed throughout the nation “at noon”. The processions will take place in London and Windsor and there will be a service in St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, where the Queen will be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.