Queen Elizabeth II Passes away at Balmoral
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.
Queen Elizabeth II, who is Britain's longest serving monarch, passed away at the age of 96.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” the Royal Family tweeted on Thursday.
Britain's longest-serving monarch has been dogged by health problems since last October that have left her struggling to walk and stand.
All her children - heir to the throne Prince Charles, 73, Princess Anne, 72, Prince Andrew, 62, and Prince Edward, 58, were either at or heading to join her at the Balmoral royal estate in Scotland, aides said.
The queen - an instantly recognisable figure to billions of people across the world - is in her Platinum Jubilee year, marking 70 years since she succeeded her father king George VI in 1952.
Operation London Bridge
The report by WiltshireTimes also states that as part of a strict protocol, each royal family member has a code name to refer to in the event of their death. In the queen’s case, the codename is ‘Operation London Bridge’, the report stated.
A massive operation, called ‘Operation London Bridge’, was leaked in September last year detailing the extent of what will happen in the hours and days after the queen dies. These “documents" were leaked to news organisation Politico, which stated that the day in question will be called “D-Day".
The monarch will be buried 10 days after she dies and her son and heir, Prince Charles, will embark on a tour of the UK before the burial. According to the plans, the late sovereign’s coffin will lie in state for three days at the Houses of Parliament, with authorities anticipating crowds to descend on London.
Details of the funeral will be announced even as government and royal websites display a “black banner". Charles will then deliver a speech before meeting UK Prime Minister Liz Truss.
What changes will UK see with a new monarch?
From a new face on the country's stamps and coins to new words for the national anthem, Britain will see changes with the death of Queen Elizabeth and the accession of her son Charles to the throne.