Leaked documents reveal UK govt’s plan of action in event of death of Queen Elizabeth

A leaked document has revealed details of the UK government’s major security operation to manage the aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The security plans, codenamed Operation London Bridge, outlines everything from how the news of the Queen’s death will be delivered to the public to how official social media accounts will be managed.

The document provides details on what will happen during the 10 days following the monarch’s death, with the day the queen dies to be referred to as D-Day, while the 10 days that follow will be referred to as D+1, D+2 and so on.

It reports that in the hours following the Queen’s death, a “call cascade” will take place to inform the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary and a number of senior ministers and officials.

Departmental permanent secretaries will be provided with a call script outlining how to break the news to their ministers that will read: “We have just been informed of the death of Her Majesty the Queen. Ministers will also be told that “discretion is required.”

READ ALSO: Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, Prince Michael, accused of selling UK access to Russia

According to the plan, the Cabinet secretary will then send an email informing ministers and senior civil servants and once the email is received, flags across Whitehall will be lowered to half-mast.

The royal household will then issue an “official notification” delivering the news to the public, while the royal family’s website will change to a black holding page with a short statement confirming her death, with the UK government website and all government departmental social media pages also displaying a black banner at the top.

As part of the plan, non-urgent content must not be published and retweets are banned unless cleared by the central government head of communications, while the UK parliament will meet to agree on a message of condolence as other parliamentary business will be suspended for 10 days.

The Prime Minister will be the first member of the government to issue a statement, while all other government members will be told not to comment until after the PM has spoken. It will be arranged by the Ministry of Defence for gun salutes to take place at all saluting stations as a national minute’s silence will be announced.

The Prime Minister will hold an audience with the new king at 3.30pm and at 6pm that day, with King Charles delivering a broadcast to the nation before a committal service will take place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and the Queen is to be buried in the castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Though the Queen who is 95 years old, is still in good health and that there is no suggestions these plans have been revisited with any urgency, the UK government does not want to be taken unawares in the case of the death of the highly revered monarch.

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