Secret plan for when the Queen dies: ‘London Bridge is down’

YESTERDAY’S news of an all-staff meeting at Buckingham Palace sparked fears about the Queen’s health. When she does pass away, this is what will happen.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Pic: AFP

NEWS that Prince Philip will retire from his Royal duties sent the world into meltdown after staffers were summoned to Buckingham Palace for a mystery meeting.

While the Duke, 95, is simply stepping back from public engagements, the Royal couple’s advancing years sparked fears the worst could be true.

So what will happen when the Queen really does pass away?

A recent piece for The Guardian revealed the secretive and extremely detailed plan in place to inform the world of the Queen’s passing.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Pic: AFP

When the time does come, Sir Christopher Geidt, the Queen’s private secretary, will be the first official to convey the news. Geidt will call the prime minister and use the secret code “London Bridge is down” to inform of her death.

It’s a tradition that comes from the fact previous palace officials used a code to make sure switchboard operators weren’t the first to find out. When King George VI (the last British monarch to pass) died in 1952, the code that palace workers used was “Hyde Park Corner.”

Queen Elizabeth’s secret code is “London Bridge is down.” This statement will kick off Operation London Bridge, the plan to alert the world that Queen Elizabeth II has died.

The statement will kick a complex and sombre operation into gear. After the prime minister is alerted, the Foreign Office’s Global Response Center will inform the 15 governments where the Queen is still head of state, including Australia, Canada, the Bahamas and Belize. Then the 36 nations where she still serves as a figurehead will be informed.

The Queen and Prince Philip together in 1961. Pic: AFP

Next, the Press Association will send out a news alert to simultaneously notify the world’s media — a break from the past, when the BBC was always the first to know about royal deaths. Social media and modern technology have negated that system.

The BBC’s “radio alert transmission system,” also known as RATS, will be activated. This is a Cold War-era alarm that most BBC staff have only heard used in tests.

British news outlets have had decades to prepare for coverage of the Queen’s passing, with the Guardian reporting that places like the Times UK have 11 days of coverage planned.

Royal experts have already been contracted for exclusive appearances with organisations like Sky News and ITN — which reportedly have rehearsed their broadcasts, replacing the Queen’s name with “Mrs. Robinson.”

Newscasters will all wear black and the coverage of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch will likely go on for months.

The couple in 1979. Pic: AFP

Radio stations in the UK have blue “obit lights” that go off in such events. DJs have sombre playlists cued up for these occasions and will know to play inoffensive music before switching to news.

In 2011, a former BBC radio producer wrote that if you’re listening to Radio 1 and “Haunted Dancehall (Nursery Remix)” by Sabres of Paradise starts playing, “Something terrible has just happened.”

A footman in mourning clothes will pin a notice to the Buckingham Palace gates, as the palace’s website is updated with the statement on a dark background.

Prince Charles becomes King Charles, making Prince William the Prince of Wales and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, the Princess of Wales — Princess Diana’s former title.

Great Britain will enter an official 12-day mourning period, with the Queen’s funeral taking place at the end of the two weeks.

In December, the Queen announced she’d be stepping down from 25 of the over 600 organisations in which she serves as patron. Queen Elizabeth II turned 91 on April 21.

Originally published as Secret plan for when the Queen dies: ‘London Bridge is down’