As the nation comes to terms with the death of the Queen behind the scenes the detailed plans set aside for the aftermath are being rapidly put into action. The arrangements, which have the codename London Bridge, have been in place for many years and were updated and reviewed regularly by palace aides in consultation with the Queen herself and also the government.
The strategy for the final farewell to Elizabeth II will be set in motion once approved by Charles, the new King. The task is a major undertaking on a scale never seen before – and has added challenges with the death of the Queen at Balmoral, with the contingency Scottish plans known as Operation Unicorn now part of the process. Follow live updates on the latest breaking news following the Queen's death here.
The day the Queen died will reportedly be referred to as D-Day as part of the plans and the following days would be referred to numerically – so the day after her death would be D+1 and so on. You can read the full details on Operation London Bridge and what happens when the Queen dies here. The funeral is expected to take place at Westminster Abbey on D+10 – a total of 10 days after her death. However as this would be a Sunday it's expected the ceremony would take place on another day. The UK Government is said to fear a worst-case scenario for the day of the funeral in which London becomes “full” for the first time as hundreds of thousands of people try to make their way to the capital with accommodation, roads, transport, and policing stretched to breaking point.
