News that Queen Elizabeth II had died aged 96 at Balmoral Castle broke on news websites and TV stations across the world today.
The Queen's death was announced this evening, after a statement released from Buckingham Palace read: "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."
Huw Edwards made the sad announcement live on BBC One as he held back tears. In wake of the tragic news, programming has been suspended across the BBC One and Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
BBC Three and BBC Four are not airing while all BBC radio stations are broadcasting an ongoing news special. At the time of writing, regular scheduled programming is continuing on digital channels including ITV2 and E4.
However, as part of Operation London Bridge – the longstanding plans for how the government, civil service, and broadcasters will respond to the death of the Queen – multiple plans are in place with regards to television. These procedures are intended to both define the news coverage of the Queen’s death, and in some cases to restrict the broadcast of any unrelated programming.
ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 have all suspended programming in favour of a special news bulletin on the day of the Queen’s death (and will likely do the same again during her funeral) but there won’t be the same level of wall-to-wall coverage in the next few days and weeks. After Prince Philip passed away, both BBC and ITV placed total emphasis on the news broadcast, Channel 4 continued with its regularly scheduled editions of Come Dine With Me and so on.
ITV have announced the cancellation of Lorraine, This Morning, Loose Women as well as soaps Emmerdale and Coronation Street as the nation enters an official period of mourning.
Good Morning Britain will air on Friday 9 September from 6am tomorrow as usual, with Susanna Reid and Ben Shepherd but an extended ITV News special will fill the schedule for the majority of the day following the death of the longest reigning monarch from 9am until 8:30pm.
In a joint statement, BBC Chairman Richard Sharp and Director-General Tim Davie said: “On behalf of everyone at the BBC we offer our deepest condolences to the Royal Family following the death of Her Majesty The Queen. Her Majesty was the absolute embodiment of public service. She was a unifying figure across generations, communities and borders, who represented the very best of our nation.
"We are grateful at the BBC to have witnessed, recorded and shared so many of the special moments in her long life and reign. She will always be remembered with the greatest affection and admiration.”
The Queen’s funeral will be televised via concealed cameras, hidden in bricks around Westminster Abbey. It’s expected to take place ten days after the death of the Queen, and will likely cause much disruption to television schedules.
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