The rules of the British monarchy state that “a new sovereign accedes to the throne as soon as his predecessor dies.” That means Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son, Prince Charles, became king immediately after his death and it has already been announced that he will reign as Charles III.
Although months may pass before the formal coronation, this Friday the Accession Council will formally proclaim him as the new sovereign at Saint James’s Palace in London. This council is made up of officers from the Privy Council, which includes Cabinet ministers, judges and leaders of the Church of England, who are summoned to the palace for the meeting. The proclamation of the new sovereign will be read publicly at Saint James’s Palace, as well as in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, the capitals of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom.
Later, he will call Parliament so that legislators take the oath of allegiance to the new monarch. Charles must declare in Parliament on the first day of session following accession, or at the coronation, whichever comes first, that he is a staunch Protestant.
In Elizabeth’s case, her coronation occurred on June 2, 1953, 16 months after her accession to the throne on February 6, 1952, when her father, King George VI, died.
The British press had leaked other steps that were planned after the death of Isabell II. Supposedly, the British Prime Minister would receive the coded message “London Bridge has fallen” by phone and thus she would know that the Queen had passed away. It is unknown if she has finally been like this. At that moment, Operation London Bridge would be activated, a complex protocol whose details were revealed at the time by the Politico media.
All flags in Whitehall – the parliamentary area – were to be lowered to half-staff within 10 minutes. British citizens should know the news through an “official notification” issued by the Royal House, as it has been, in this case through a message on Twitter. Prime Minister Liz Truss was the first member of the Government to make a statement, as planned.
Operation London Bridge also included an exclusive protocol for social networks, with the prohibition of retweets in official accounts and non-urgent content.
Without a doubt, D-day will be a hectic day for the prime minister, since he will have an audience with the new king, Carlos, and will attend the memorial service that St. Paul’s Cathedral will host in honor of the queen, an intimate court ceremony and “spontaneous”.
The protocol contemplated different alternatives, depending on the place of death of the sovereign. If it is done in Balmoral (Scotland), as has happened, Operation Unicorn would be activated, which will take it by train to London if possible. And, if not, Operation Overstudy, which will transport the coffin by plane.
On the second day of mourning, the leaked protocol provided for the coffin with the queen to return to Buckingham Palace, and on the fifth to march in procession to the Palace of Westminster. There, he would remain until the eighth in a raised box open to the public for 23 hours a day.
Day D 10 – the day on which the state funeral will be held – will be declared a holiday. The act will take place in Westminster Abbey and the monarch will be buried in the Memorial Chapel of King George VI of Windsor Castle, next to her husband, the recently deceased Duke of Edinburgh.
