Thursday the 08th of Sep 2022 we received the news of Queens I’ll health and there were rumours of her demise as Prince Charles and other family members were called and were arriving at Balmore Castle in Scotland where she was spending her summer. By late afternoon it was not official but speculations of her death were strong that she was no more as the pictures shown on t.v and the social media were showing the sudden rush of royal family’s gathering , flag on Buckingham palace was at half-mast and from Royal family members dress code it was obvious that the Queen is no more.
Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor born April 21st 1926 become Queen on the 6th of Feb 1952 while she was holidaying in the then British colony Kenya and residing in a Treetop hotel where here father King George VI could not join her due to ill health with lung cancer. Jim Corbett, legendary British hunter and tracker turned conservationist and Elizabeth’s bodyguard at Treetops, signed the hotel’s register “For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess, and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience, she climbed down from the tree the next day a Queen— God bless her.”
As per Royal protocols Queens passing was already planned for years and there are very specific royal protocols and plans that came into play before the public were even notified of her passing.
This plan was code named Operation London Bridge and when it was announced to the royal family that ‘ London Bridge is Down ‘ all the plans swing into action.
- Sir Edward Young, the Queen’s personal secretary has to inform the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the monarch’s demise before informing 15 other countries , including Australia , where the Queen is head of state and the rest of the 36 Commonwealth nations.
- The public are notified by hanging a framed official notification onto the gates of Buckingham Palace.
- New King to be announced as soon as Her Majesty died and Prince Charles becomes king.
- New King Charles to choose his name , Charles has chosen to be King Charles III. (This name King Charles has returned after 337 years)
- Mourning , London and cities around Great Britain and the Commonwealth have lowered flags to half-mast also many other countries have lowered their flags to half-mast to show their respect.
- Before funeral , Before the funeral Two days after her death , The Queen’s body will be returned to Buckingham Palace for her family to spend time with her and say their goodbyes. Five days after her passing, her body is moved by procession to Westminster Hall where she will lie in state for the public to pay their respects.
- Charles will tour the United Kingdom before his mother’s funeral, Charles, as the new King , will visit leaders in England, Scotland , Wales , Northern Ireland and the British Isles, attend church services and go out to meet the general public.
- The funeral , Queen’s funeral will be held on the 10th day after her death at Westminster abbey. It will be a day of mourning and will most likely be declared a national holiday.
- After her funeral the Queen’s body will be transported from Westminster Abbey in London to Windsor Castle so that she can be laid in her final resting place in the ‘royal vault’ in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. (It is said Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh will also be laid to rest next to her as he is temporarily buried at Royal Vault beneath St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle)
- The line of succession will change , Prince William will gain his father’s current title, The Prince of Wales.
70 years are long enough to get used to something and now after the demise of the Queen there may be new changes as it is the time of change. While countries in the Commonwealth have been loyal to their longest-serving monarch, they may not be as open to King Charles and Queen Camilla. Some may feel the time is right to change their head of state and become a republic or even leave the Commonwealth altogether.
The role of head of state is not actually hereditary so countries under the monarch don’t have to automatically choose Charles as their head of state.
Also the Royal monogram cipher ER II will change to CR III ( E = Elizabeth & R = Regina which is Queen in Latin will be changed to C = Charles & R = Rex which is King in Latin)
Over the years Queen had become an instantly recognizable image , a house hold name who everyone loved , reminds me of her childhood nickname ‘ lilibet ‘ which her grandparents also profoundly called her as she struggled to pronounce her name , thou shall miss you lilibet.
Shaandar Bukhari
08.09.2022
Sultanate of Oman
