King Charles III has addressed the nation for the first time as the new King. Plans for the aftermath of the Queen’s death, codenamed London Bridge, now incorporate Operation Unicorn, the contingency plans for her death in Scotland.
Thursday September 8 would traditionally have been D-Day or D+0 in the plan but the announcement came late in the day – around 6.30pm – meaning Friday was considered as D+0 to allow the complex arrangements to be put in place.
Here is the day-by-day account of what is expected to happen next, leading up to the Queen’s funeral in around nine days.
The funeral date, when confirmed, will be a public holiday in the form of a Day of National Mourning.
Saturday September 10
10:00 – King Charles III will be proclaimed at the Accession Council in the state apartments at St James’s Palace in London. The event, attended by privy counsellors, is divided into two parts. In the first part, the Privy Council will proclaim the King and formally approve various consequential orders, including the arrangements for the Proclamation, without the King present.
The second part is held by the King of His Majesty’s first Privy Council. The King will make his declaration and read and sign an oath to uphold the security of the Church in Scotland and approve orders in the council which facilitate continuity of the Government. The King will be accompanied by the Queen Consort and the Prince of Wales as they are both privy counsellors.
11:00 – The Principal Proclamation then follows. It will be read from the balcony overlooking Friary Court at St James’s Palace. The proclamation will be read by the Garter King of Arms, accompanied by the Earl Marshal, other Officers of Arms and the Serjeants at Arms. This will be the first public reading of the proclamation.
Flags will also be flown at full-mast from 11am for about 24 hours, which will be until one hour after the proclamations are made in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. They will then return to half-mast in mourning for the Queen.
Gun salutes will also take place at Hyde Park and the Tower of London.
12:00 – A second proclamation will be read at the Royal Exchange in London. Further proclamations will be read in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales at 12pm the following day (Sunday).
In mid-afternoon, the King will hold audiences with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
Court mourning – A period of royal mourning for members of the royal family and royal households will be observed until seven days after the Queen’s funeral, the date of which is to be confirmed by Buckingham Palace.
National mourning – The Government is expected to confirm the length of national mourning, which is likely to be around 12 days, up to the day after the Queen’s funeral. They are also expected to announce that the funeral day will be a public holiday in the form of a Day of National Mourning.
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