With the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh announced yesterday by the Royal Family, Operation Forth Bridge was put in effect which details the specific mourning and funeral arrangements for the Prince.
But it is just one of several elaborate and strict procedures that are undertaken when one of the members of the Royal Family dies.
Part one of each plan concerns notifying the British media, when a royal family member dies. As the state broadcaster in the UK, the BBC is the first to break the news to the British public, along with bulletins from the Press Association.
The next part of Operation Forth Bridge Down sees Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household consult with Queen Elizabeth and the Prime Minister Boris Johnson on any specific wishes the Queen wishes to include in her address after the prince’s death.
Yesterday, Johnson gave a speech outside Downing Street shortly after the announcement was made in which he paid tribute to the Duke and the Queen's "strength and stay’", of more than 70 years.
From Monday April 12, the UK enters its official mourning period, during this time all flags will be flown at half-mast out of respect, all news readers will wear black, with politicians wearing black armbands during business.
The British parliament cannot pass any new laws during this mourning period.
Prince Philip wanted a private ceremony in the event of his death and so opted for a military funeral over that of the state funeral was entitled to due to his marriage to the queen.
His funeral will be attended by members of the royal family, the armed forces and senior members of British parliament, and broadcast across the country for people at home.
The mourning period ends the day after Prince Philip is buried, giving Britain a total of eight days to officially mourn his passing.
Operation London Bridge – Queen Elizabeth II
When Queen Elizabeth II passes away, the initial stages of her funeral and mourning plan remain similar to that of her late husband.
Prince Charles will be king and his siblings will kiss his hands to acknowledge his succession.
Senior members of the Royal Household will first inform the Prime Minister of her death and the BBC will first break the news.
However, in the case of Queen Elizabeth, Britain will go into 10 days of mourning in which flags are lowered, television presenters wear black and no new laws are passed.
Regular programming will halt and obituary films will play throughout this period
As queen, there will be a state funeral, and depending on when she dies, Covid-permitting will be one of the largest state funerals in history, with Heads of State, Senior Cabinet members, extended royal family members and millions of UK citizens expected to gather outside Westminster Abbey.
At 9am, Big Ben will strike. The bell’s hammer will then be covered and it will ring out in muffled tones.
Operation Menai Bridge – Prince Charles
The eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the operation is named after the suspension bridge in Wales.
Operation Tay Bridge – Queen Mother and Princess Diana
In 1996, Princess Diana’s sudden death caused the royal family to copy the plans designed for the Queen Mother.
When the Queen Mother died in 2002, her death gathered crowds of almost one million who lined the streets 20 deep.
Her coffin was carried on a gun carriage draped in her personal standard and supported by 1,600 members of the armed forces.
She laid in state in Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster for three days as 200,000 filed past to pay their respects.
Immediately following the coffin were all the male members of the Royal family.
Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle currently have no official codenames for their deaths.
