THE BIG MOMENT

The death of the queen has set in motion a complex series of events that require military precision

- DENNIS CAVERNELIS

IT WAS a day no one wanted to come yet had been planned to the last detail.

Operation London Bridge, the codename for the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the nine days that followed, was in place for six decades. Over the years the plans were regularly updated and modified to accommodate an ever-changing social and political landscape.

Operation London Bridge was triggered the moment the queen passed away – a day codenamed D-Day.

Here’s a look at one of the most complex, detailed operations ever planned.

D-DAY

The queen’s gastroenterologist, Professor Huw Thomas, was in charge of her final hours. He controlled access to her room as well as what information should be made public. Once she died, her eyes were closed and Prince Charles immediately became king. His sister, Princess Anne, would’ve been expected to kiss his hands.

Because the queen passed away at Balmoral Castle, there was a more elaborate set of plans. A day after her death, her coffin was placed in the ballroom at Balmoral so staff could pay their respects before she lay at rest at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the British monarch’s official residence in Scotland.

Her body was then carried up the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral for a service of reception before being flown to London to return to Buckingham Palace.