Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, is not going to live forever. Since ascending to the throne in 1952, the monarch has seen 13 prime ministers serve Britain and lived through another 13 US presidents. She's now 92. At some point — not for many years yet, we hope — Queen Elizabeth II's reign will come to an end. But what happens then? For at least 12 days — between her passing, the funeral and beyond — Britain will grind to a halt. The chaos will cost the UK economy billions in lost earnings. The stock markets and banks are likely to close. And both the funeral and the subsequent coronation will become formal national holidays, each with an estimated economic hit to gross domestic product of £1.2 billion to £6 billion ($1.6 billion to $7.9 billion), to say nothing of organisational costs. But to focus on the financial disruption doesn't begin to describe the sheer magnitude of the queen's death. It will be an event unlike anything Britain has seen since the end of World War II. There will be trivial disruptions — the BBC will cancel all comedy shows, for example — and jarring cultural changes. Prince Charles may change his name, and the words of the national anthem will be changed too. The British Commonwealth might even unravel completely. The deaths of Princess Diana and the queen mother both brought on waves of public mourning and hysteria. But that of Queen Elizabeth II, due to her longevity and fundamental place atop British society, will be on a whole new level. Most British people have simply never known life without the queen. It will be a strange, uncertain time.<doc-sep>Queen Elizabeth: The royal made a shocking choice during a state visit to Buckingham Palace When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow and never miss the top Royal stories again. Queen Elizabeth has travelled more than any British monarch in history. The 92-year-old has visited more than 120 countries during her reign, traversing the world on official visits on behalf of the crown. To promote good relations between countries, the royal family also invite foreign dignitaries and royal members to the country. The Queen has hosted many members at Buckingham Palace, although not all of them have been the best meeting. One such meeting with a foreign country’s leader did not go well.<doc-sep>Queen Elizabeth In a first, the UK ministers rehearsed the death of Queen Elizabeth on Thursday last week after she pulled out of a service at St Paul’s Cathedral due to ill health. According to media reports, in addition to the senior ministers of Theresa May Cabinet, Home secretary Sajid Javid and leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom were also reported to have been in the planning session. The meeting, chaired by Cabinet minister David Lidington, also discussed ten days of national mourning in the aftermath of the Queen's passing. The rehearsal, dubbed 'Castle Dove', reportedly focused on the day after the Queen's death and when Prime Minister Theresa May would make public statements. The reports added that though a plan for the Queen's death, known as 'London Bridge' has long been discussed, the last week's exercise was held on an 'unprecedented' scale. "This is the first time different ministers have come together in one room. Previously it has only been officials," a Whitehall source was quoted as saying by The Times. The Times quoted another minister as saying that “things have clearly been stepped up because of the ageing process.” Latest World News<doc-sep>There are always big stories on WalesOnline - don't miss any with our daily email Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign me up now Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice It will be a short, formal and historic announcement which will bring the country to a halt. The TV and radio stations you watch will change what they are broadcasting. Instead of Pointless or Saturday Kitchen, there will be a newsreader dressed in black. Sports fixtures will stop, events will be cancelled. The Stock Exchange will close and Parliament will hastily reconvene if not in session. Airline pilots will make a special announcement to passengers, flags across the country will be put to half mast. Depending on where you work, your boss may appear wearing a black ribbon (for men) or a black rosette (for women). You may be sent home early. And it will all start with a coded phrase being uttered. It is understood the chosen phrase will be "London Bridge is down", which will be said on a secure phone line (however, due to this phrase becoming widely known, it may now have been changed). Like with the assassination of JFK, the death of Princess Diana or 9/11, it will be a moment that for years to come we will remember exactly where we were. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now Though the exact nature of events will depend on whether the death is sudden and unexpected (as with Princess Diana) or after an illness, when the world's longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, dies, hundreds of years of tradition and years of planning will kick into action. It will all begin with an official announcement, made by St James’s Palace at 11am (or 2pm if it's a Sunday). When the last monarch died - the Queen's father, George VI - the official announcement was just two sentences long. (Image: Western Mail) But those words will set into action a whole series of events, the like of which many of us will never have seen. The plans are ready but no-one will admit it. Buckingham Palace does not discuss funeral arrangements for members of the Royal Family. When we asked the Welsh Assembly or the council in charge of the capital of Wales what they have planned, they would not disclose any details. BBC Wales refused to confirm if they had protocols, or whether their Welsh language output would change. But it is understood members of the devolved Governments were at a recent meeting in London to discuss plans for what happens after the Queen's death. Much has changed in the 66 years since the last monarch died. Then, the code words "Hyde Park Corner - go and tell Mr Churchill and Queen Mary" were said by the late King's principal private secretary to his assistant. The BBC told the nation the news, stopping all but essential broadcasts. Sports fixtures were cancelled, all cinemas and theatres closed, flags were lowered to half mast. The cabinet held an emergency meeting, Westminster was suspended, and the Prime Minister didn't make an announcement until 9pm the following day. According to The Guardian, staff at the Foreign Office’s Global Response Centre, which is at an undisclosed location in the capital, will send out the news to the 15 governments outside the UK where the Queen is also the head of state and the 36 other nations of the Commonwealth. Governors general, ambassadors and prime ministers will be told. As a news flash goes out, via the Press Association, a footman at Buckingham Palace will pin a notice announcing the death, as he has done in recent years to announce Royal babies. The notice will be edged in black, as will the condolence books positioned at official building on tables around the country. Presumably, although they would not confirm this, there will be one at the National Assembly in Cardiff and other official buildings. (Image: Daily Herald) In contrast to the last time it happened, there will probably be a rush of pre-prepared statements, tweets and messages from world leaders. But plenty of the traditions will remain the same. A new sovereign succeeds to the throne as soon as his or her predecessor dies - there is no need for a public ceremony (though 600 members of the Privy Council will meet to rubber stamp the new King's position). However, before the public is told, the next monarch - currently Charles - would be told, just as his mother had been before him. Her father had been found dead at 7.30am, a statement was released at 10.45am, the BBC announced it thirty minutes later. A secret Whitehall meeting was held in June 2018 to discuss what The Sunday Times described as "plans for the days following the Queen's death". It was led by Theresa May's deputy, David Lidington, and others present reportedly included Sajid Javid, Andrea Leadsom and David Mundell. Their meeting was described as "Castle Dove" and about what statements and meetings take place the day after the monarch dies. It also included how the accession council will meet. The council meets in a centuries-old custom to decide on the making of the accession proclamation. It is formed of all Privy Counsellors, Great Officers of State, the Lord Mayor and City Civic party, Realm High Commissioners and certain senior civil servants – they are to meet within 24 hours of the death, usually at St James’s Palace and before Parliament meets. Their role is to confirm by name the identity of the heir who has succeeded and draft the proclamation. Queen Elizabeth II's proclamation The Proclamation of Accession read after King George's death was signed by members of the Privy Council at St James Palace.<doc-sep>
The Queen with Harry and Meghan days before falling ill The run-through has been given the code name Castle Dove and saw Theresa May’s senior cabinet ministers and Whitehall officials discuss ‘D+1’ - the day after the Queen dies. The plan itself also has a code name - London Bridge - and came in the same week the 92-year-old cancelled a public engagement at St Paul’s Cathedral after a health scare. Though the rehearsal is not in response to any fears about her health, the protocol was done at an "unprecedented" scale. The rehearsal was the first time civil servants and politicians came together to discuss the plan, which would also involve the Prime Minister addressing a nation in mourning. The plan itself also has a code name - London Bridge A source told The Sunday Times: “This is the first time different ministers have come together in one room. Previously it has only been officials.” A cabinet minister added: "Things have clearly been stepped up because of the ageing process." The Queen had been due to attend Thursday's event at St Paul's Cathedral which was also being attended by Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie. But a doctor was called in the 11th hour to attend to the Queen. A Palace spokeswoman said: “The Queen is feeling under the weather today and has decided not to attend this morning's service at St Paul's Cathedral marking the 200th anniversary of the Order of Michael and St George.” The Queen wears light blue dress for final day of Royal Ascot When the Queen turned 90 in 2016, she cancelled all long-haul visits overseas, leaving them to the younger members of the Royal family instead. Though last year, she remained busy attending 296 engagements. At the beginning of the month, it was revealed the Queen had undergone eye surgery to remove a cataract, but wore sunglasses in public rather than cancel her long-planned engagements. Despite the procedure, she did not cancel any events or engagements. The run-through has been given the code name Castle Dove The Queen recently attended an event with the Duchess of Sussex