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They meet when they can, where they can. The members of this secretive group hail from the highest echelons of the British aristocracy, government, law enforcement, the army, the Royal Parks, and even the BBC.
The purpose of their gatherings always has a codename. For Queen Elizabeth II, it was Operation "London Bridge," and for King Charles III, it is now Operation "Menai Bridge." This group has one job: to hash out every last detail of events that will unfold the moment a sovereign dies. This is the story of the operation for the longest-reigning monarch in British history, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8, 2022.
On the day it happens, the first call will be made on a secure line to alert the prime minister with the code words, "London Bridge is down."
Keeping control of what happens from there is no small undertaking. Queen Elizabeth's passing will launch an historic event that will besiege London on a scale never before seen, not least because there will also be a new monarch in power: King Charles III is expected to accede to the throne the moment his mother dies.
No one wants to think about the death of a respected sovereign, but this cadre of top British figures is tasked with the solemn job of ensuring everything goes to plan. How many bells will toll and when; who is in charge of lowering the flags around Whitehall; when the media will be alerted; who is told of her passing and in what order.
This will be the first death of a sovereign in a time of social media, cellphones and the internet. Upon her father King George VI's death in 1952, there were reportedly four news cameras capturing the official pronouncement that his daughter was now queen. With Elizabeth, there will be billions of viewers watching every moment of the rapidly unfolding events after her death.
This is the story of how these plans came to be, what they entail, what precedents were set by what came before, and how some historians say her passing marks the end of an era for Great Britain in more ways than one.
About the Author
Courtney Hargrove is the pen name of a writer who covered royals, breaking news and celebrities for major international publications during a twenty-plus-year journalism career in nine countries.
Her time up close to the goings-on at various royal residences, including time spent around Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Princess Eugenie and Beatrice among others and covering the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles in Windsor, lends Hargrove’s writing the weight of authenticity and a true knowledge of the history of how this family relates to one another—and to outsiders.
#1 New Release
They meet when they can, where they can. The members of this secretive group hail from the highest echelons of the British aristocracy, government, law enforcement, the army, the Royal Parks, and even the BBC.
The purpose of their gatherings always has a codename. For Queen Elizabeth II, it was Operation "London Bridge," and for King Charles III, it is now Operation "Menai Bridge." This group has one job: to hash out every last detail of events that will unfold the moment a sovereign dies. This is the story of the operation for the longest-reigning monarch in British history, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8, 2022.
On the day it happens, the first call will be made on a secure line to alert the prime minister with the code words, "London Bridge is down."
Keeping control of what happens from there is no small undertaking. Queen Elizabeth's passing will launch an historic event that will besiege London on a scale never before seen, not least because there will also be a new monarch in power: King Charles III is expected to accede to the throne the moment his mother dies.
No one wants to think about the death of a respected sovereign, but this cadre of top British figures is tasked with the solemn job of ensuring everything goes to plan. How many bells will toll and when; who is in charge of lowering the flags around Whitehall; when the media will be alerted; who is told of her passing and in what order.
This will be the first death of a sovereign in a time of social media, cellphones and the internet. Upon her father King George VI's death in 1952, there were reportedly four news cameras capturing the official pronouncement that his daughter was now queen. With Elizabeth, there will be billions of viewers watching every moment of the rapidly unfolding events after her death.
This is the story of how these plans came to be, what they entail, what precedents were set by what came before, and how some historians say her passing marks the end of an era for Great Britain in more ways than one.
About the Author
Courtney Hargrove is the pen name of a writer who covered royals, breaking news and celebrities for major international publications during a twenty-plus-year journalism career in nine countries.
Her time up close to the goings-on at various royal residences, including time spent around Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Princess Eugenie and Beatrice among others and covering the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles in Windsor, lends Hargrove’s writing the weight of authenticity and a true knowledge of the history of how this family relates to one another—and to outsiders.
Used availability for Courtney Hargrove's London Bridge is Down