People across the UK were stunned to find out that the Queen was taken into hospital earlier this week.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the 95-year-old monarch was spent Wednesday night in care for ‘preliminary investigations’.
The monarch’s planned trip to Northern Ireland this week was cancelled as doctors urged her to rest.
Yesterday it was revealed that the Queen returned to Windsor Castle, where she is said to be in ‘good spirits’.
But the scare brought the Queen’s health into the spotlight, particularly as the news came months after the death of her husband Prince Philip.
Earlier today, we reported on the plans that will be in place for when the Queen passes in England.
And there are similar plans in place in case if the Queen dies north of the border as she frequently visits Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
Operation Unicorn is a multi agency strategy that will involve Police Scotland and the Scottish Parliament.
It notes that in the circumstances of the Queen’s death, parliamentary business at Holyrood will be suspended immediately so the authorities can prepare for her state funeral.
The plans have also prepared for droves of people to venture to Scotland - with the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood and St Giles’ Cathedral identified as focal points for journalists and the public.
The Queen’s body will rest at Holyroodhouse before her coffin is then carried to the cathedral on the Royal Mile.
Her body will then be placed on a Royal Train at Waverley Station before travelling down the east coast mainline to London.
It is understood that there are around three meetings a year - which involves the government, police and broadcasters, to strategise the event of the Queen’s death.
Minutes from a meeting in June 2019 from the Scottish Government’s Leadership Group, which were leaked on a forum for senior Holyrood staff, revealed the parallel strategy.
The account stated: “LG received an update on planning for Operation Unicorn – the death of Her Majesty The Queen while in Scotland.
“The primary focus was on the impacts on staffing and the specific impacts depending on timing.”
It is not the first time that Operation Unicorn has been mentioned. It appeared in the Parliament's online papers in 2017, when LG agreed to set up a "resilience board" for "disruptive incidents".
