The Queen has died aged 96. Image: Michael Garnett
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Queen Elizabeth II has died aged 96 at Balmoral, the royal family’s summer home in Scotland.
The Queen died peacefully, surrounded by her children and grandchildren, who travelled to be by her side after she fell ill. Her death was officially announced in the early evening of September 8.
A period of national mourning has now begun, with arrangements for a funeral already being made and thousands of people already travelling to London to lay tributes to the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
Following her passing, many people will now be wondering what happens in the wake of the Queen’s death and how it will affect all of our lives. Here’s what we might expect.
Now that the Queen’s death has been officially announced by the palace, flags across Whitehall in London are lowered to half mast as a mark of respect.
Union flags are also lowered and flown at half-mast at military bases and royal residences and books of condolence are opened in British embassies across the globe.
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In official documents, the day the Queen dies is known as “D-day”, and there are extensive plans for the period between her death and the funeral.
Each day up to the funeral is known as “D-day+1”, “D-day+2” and so on.
How many days of mourning will there be – and what happens during it?
The government confirms the length of the national mourning period. This is expected to be 10 or 12 days long and will likely last up until the day after the Queen’s funeral.
The Royal Family will have their own mourning period, decided by the new King Charles and believed to extend for a week after the funeral.
On Friday Bells will toll 96 times for each year of the Queen’s life at St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle, with 96 gun salutes fired in Hyde Park and other locations such as Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Woolwich, Cardiff, Belfast, Plymouth, Dover Castle, York and Gibraltar.
The new King Charles will speak to the nation in a televised address, though this will be pre-recorded.
Meanwhile, the new prime minister and her senior ministers will attend a service of remembrance at St Paul’s Cathedral.
MPs will also have a chance to pay tribute to the Queen in parliament from noon.
Tributes to the Queen are likely to continue pouring in from around the world throughout the mourning period, while commemorative services will take place up and down the country.
Most workplaces will likely continue as normal, though some workers in the public sector, such as in the civil service, may be asked to perform or not perform certain duties in the immediate aftermath of the Queen’s death.
Many businesses are likely to adjust their social media output to avoid appearing insensitive online between the Queen’s death and the funeral.
Parliament will suspend ordinary business until two days after the Queen’s funeral.
What is cancelled after the Queen’s death?
A number of sporting events, TV shows and awards shows have been cancelled following the Queen’s death out of a mark of respect, though this is not obligatory for most.
As the national broadcaster, the BBC is required to uphold editorial restrictions on its programming in the coming days.
Though other TV channels are not obliged to do this, they may follow the BBC’s lead and adjust their schedules accordingly.
Some regular programmes have already been taken off the air, including ITV’s This Morning, Loose Women and TV soaps.
The BBC Proms and the Mercury Awards have been cancelled, along with Emmerdale and Coronation Street being cancelled for the rest of the week.
Producers of The Crown have also paused filming out of respect for the Queen.
A number of sporting events have also been cancelled in the wake of the Queen’s death, with horse racing halted after the Queen died on Thursday, and all fixtures cancelled on Friday.
A Test cricket match between England and South Africa on Friday has also been cancelled, along with the second day of the PGA Championship golf and two English Football League games.
Decisions on Premier League and EFL fixtures are yet to be confirmed.
The Irish FA has already said that all football in Northern Ireland due to take place the weekend following the Queen’s death is cancelled.
Rail and postal worker strikes due to take place next week have already been cancelled as a mark of respect.
Do schools close after the Queen’s death?
The Department of Education has confirmed that schools will stay open during the mourning period for the Queen.
It is as yet unclear whether schools will be open on the day of her funeral, however.
Will shops and workplaces be open?
Workplaces and shops are not obliged to close now that the Queen has died, although some may choose to do so as a mark of respect.
The Royal Botanic Garden in Kew, London, for instance, decided to close on Friday following the announcement of the monarch’s death.
When will King Charles be crowned?
Following the Queen’s death, the crown automatically passed to King Charles, who will henceforth be known as King Charles III. An official crowning ceremony follows.
At 10am on Saturday September 10, the Accession Council – which includes senior government figures – meets at 10am for the purposes of officially crowning the new king.
Hundreds of privy counsellors, including senior government ministers and the PM herself, are invited. They’ll wear sincere mourning clothing much like the black suits donned by BBC presenters.
The proclamation of Charles’s crowning is then read out at St. James’s Palace and at the Royal Exchange in London.
In the afternoon, Charles holds an audience with the prime minister and the cabinet.
It may be some time before an official coronation takes place for the new king, and the date is unconfirmed.
Will Camilla be Queen?
Camilla will not become “Queen”, as when a monarch ascends to the throne, their spouse doesn’t automatically become king or queen.
Instead they become the monarch’s “consort”, so Camilla will likely be known as the King’s Consort. The Queen’s late husband, Prince Phillip, was a “Prince Consort”.
Meanwhile, the Queen’s coffin begins its journey from Balmoral, where she died, to Buckingham Palace in London.
The coffin starts in Edinburgh, with a service taking place at St Giles’s Cathedral in the Scottish capital.
Under pre-prepared plans for the Queen’s death, there are two options for transporting the monarch’s coffin: by train or by plane.
It is as yet unclear which route the coffin will take. If it’s taken by train, the coffin will travel down the east coast mainline, with crowds expected to arrive at various stations across the country to throw flowers. Another train may follow behind to clear any debris.
If the coffin can’t be transported by train, it’ll be carried on a plane.
The coffin will first rest at Buckingham Palace before being taken to the Houses of Parliament for a service at Westminster Hall.
Here, the Queen is expected to lie in state for around three days, with members of the public permitted to visit and pay their respects.
Senior members of the Royal Family are also expected to pay their respects during this time.
It’s anticipated that thousands of people will visit the coffin, with long queues likely. Some important figures from abroad may be issued tickets to ensure they get a time slot to visit.
King Charles’s tour
Following his official crowning, King Charles will begin a tour around the UK, starting with a visit to the Scottish parliament and followed by a trip to Northern Ireland and Wales.
King Charles is likely to visit a number of different locations throughout the UK to meet and greet people at civic receptions and accustom the public to having a new monarch take the throne.
Travel chaos and organisational woes
The Cabinet Office has warned that people travelling in, out and around London may face crowding and public transport delays as people travel to pay their respects to the Queen.
Government departments will have already begun preparations for the Queen’s funeral, with a number of organisational hurdles to overcome.
The Foreign Office will be preparing to welcome heads of state and other key figures from abroad who will be attending the funeral.
The Home Office will be responsible for making security arrangements for the funeral and will be on high alert in case of any potential terror threats in the run-up to, or during, the event itself.
Policing the event is likely to stretch resources given the number of people likely to attend.
According to the documents seen by Politico, the days leading up to the funeral and the day itself could see an enormous amount of travel chaos in and around London.
Thousands of people will be attempting to travel to London for the funeral, which could cause delays and congestion on roads and on public transport.
This could affect the public more widely across the country even if they aren’t attending the funeral.
Concerns have also been raised about the potential for unmanageable crowds in the capital which could lead to basic services like healthcare and food being stretched thin.
Do we get a day off work after the Queen’s death?
It is not yet clear whether an official bank holiday – meaning a day off for most – will be called for the Queen’s funeral.
The day of the Queen’s funeral, which is expected to be Monday September 19, will be designated as a “Day of National Mourning”.
It’s as yet unknown whether this will be made an official bank holiday. Reports suggest that the day will be an unofficial bank holiday with employees permitted to take the day off at their employers’ discretion.
When will the Queen’s funeral take place?
The date for the Queen’s funeral is as yet unconfirmed, though recent reports suggest that it could be held on September 19 after a mourning period of ten days.
How big will the Queen’s funeral be?
Around 2,000 people are expected to attend the Queen’s funeral in Westminster Abbey itself, while thousands more people are expected to line the streets of London to watch the funeral procession.
The day before the Queen’s funeral, there are likely to be a number of services in churches and other venues across the country to commemorate the late monarch.
On the day of the funeral, a procession will take place to move it from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
During the procession, thousands of people will line the streets while senior members of the Royal Family are expected to follow the coffin as they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the late Duke of Edinburgh.
This procession will involve thousands of personnel, and there may even be corgis leading it. In 1910, mourners for Edward VII were led by the late King’s dog, Caesar, while his son’s coffin was later led by Jock, a pony.
On the day itself, many shops will close or adjust their hours, with some likely to display pictures of the Queen in windows. The stock market won’t open on the day of the funeral.
Heads of state, royal families and other key figures from around the world are expected to attend the funeral, with the Abbey holding around 2,000 people in total.
At midday there’ll be a two minutes’ silence across the nation as the funeral takes place.
Afterwards, the coffin will be carried in a hearse from London to Windsor Castle.
A private committal service will take place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and the Queen will be finally buried in Windsor Castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel, so named after the Queen’s late father.
The late Prince Philip’s coffin will be moved from the Royal Vault to join the Queen in her final resting place.
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