The secret death plan for Queen Elizabeth, codenamed "Operation London Bridge," made headlines after a report revealed every detail of Britain's official response to the death of Her Majesty.
The plan, leaked to the public for the first time on Politico and first hatched in the 1960s, includes how people will be informed of the death of the 95-year-old monarch when Prince Charles will ascend the throne, and D-Day plans that detail what will happen during the 10 days between the Queen’s death and her funeral.
Headlines
The Daily Mail report, titled "Palace fury as secret plan for Queen's death is revealed", said "'Cabinet Office probe' after 'Operation London Bridge' is leaked - showing how flags will fly at half-mast within minutes, royal website will go black and Charles will address nation."
PageSix's Leah Bitsky said "The UK government is readying for a crisis, with one memo reportedly warning that London could become overwhelmed or “full” by too many people flooding the city to mourn the queen, causing mayhem with public transport, food accessibility, policing, and more," in the article titled "10-day plan for after Queen Elizabeth II’s death revealed."
The Guardian said in a report titled "Security operation for Queen's death includes social media blackouts,": "The UK government's vast security operation to manage the immediate aftermath of the death of the Queen include official social media blackouts and a ban on retweets."
In The Mirror's report "Queen's secret funeral plans being leaked will only cause more pain to grieving monarch," Russell Myers said, "The Queen has been faced with the bizarre and most likely uncomfortable situation of having her funeral plans published to the world, causing more than a degree of frustration among palace courtiers and officials."
Details of The "Operation London Bridge"
The day that the Queen dies will be named D-Day. In hours after the Queen's death, a “call cascade” will take place informing the prime minister, the cabinet secretary, and several senior ministers and government officials.
The cabinet secretary Will end an email to Ministers and senior civil servants, “Dear colleagues, It is with sadness that I write to inform you of the death of Her Majesty The Queen.” The leaked plan said then flags across Whitehall should be lowered to half-staff within 10 minutes.
The royal family's website will change to a black holding page with a short statement confirming the death news. The U.K. government's website and its social media pages will show "a black banner" and "change their profile pictures to their departmental crest. "
The royal family will announce plans for the Monarchy's funeral, the PM will hold an audience with Prince Charles who will deliver a broadcast to the nation at 6 p.m.
During the following 10 days, the queen's coffin will be brought to Buckingham Palace, and Prince Charles will meet with top government ministers, who are about to recognize him as king.
The Independent reported that the Duchess of Cornwall will become Queen Camilla, and the Duke of Cambridge will likely become the Prince of Wales.
As new King, Charles will take a short tour of the U.K. with visits to the Scottish parliament, Northern Ireland and Wales.
On the 10th day, the state funeral for the queen will be held at Westminster Abbey, and a two-minute silence across U.K. will take place "at midday.”
Britain's Anger and Mole Hunt
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the report, but officials are 'not happy', "We are not talking about this. It is a matter for the Government," said a royal insider.
"I think it is awful and cruel to release the top-secret plans about the Queen's death. Where are our morals?" Royal expert Angela Levin said, reported by Daily Mail.
According to news.com.au, U.K.'s top officials are "on the warpath," and have launched a mole-hunt to find out who revealed the documents to Politico.