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Concerns are mounting over the health of Queen Elizabeth II — and her death will kick off a meticulous plan of action dubbed “Operation London Bridge.”
The all-hands protocol, set up in the 1960s, gives detailed instructions on how to handle the first 10 days after Her Majesty’s passing, ensuring a smooth transition of the throne to her eldest son, Prince Charles.
The operation’s nursery rhyme-sounding name represents a secret code used to communicate the sad news to the most senior Buckingham Palace staff and members of government — before it is finally announced to the rest of the world.
To keep the news under wraps, those first alerted will be told, “London Bridge is down.”
Upon the last death of a UK monarch — Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, in 1952 — the code words “Hyde Park Corner” were used to prevent switchboard operators from catching on.
Likewise, the death in April 2021 of the queen’s 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, had been shared under “Operation Forth Bridge,” while the Queen Mother’s death at 101 in 2002 was codenamed “Tay Bridge.”
But despite the planned secrecy, the queen’s codeword has long been known — as have the detailed, much-rehearsed plans for the next 10 days ahead of her funeral, as detailed at length by The Guardian in 2017.
Politico also revealed further details after getting high-level documents in 2021 — including UK officials’ plans for a possible crisis if London becomes “full” with the flood of expected mourners.
However, The Guardian noted that the plans have been repeatedly reevaluated and updated over the years, which means Operation London Bridge may have had last-minute changes.
If unchanged, the queen’s death will be referred to internally as “D-Day,” the military term for a major new operation — most famously the 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy heralding the end of World War II.
