The funeral plan of Queen Elizabeth II: London Bridge is down or Operation Unicorn

London, Sep 09: Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving monarch of Britain passed away on Thursday after serving the throne for almost 70 years. She was crowned queen of seven countries and she reigned over 16 nations.

She succeeded her father King George VI in 1952 at the age of 32. The fact that the Queen died in Scotland and not in England has added complexities to the procedures in what has been dubbed as Operation Unicorn to her funeral.

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How is Operation Unicorn carried out:

• Codenamed London Bridge, Buckingham Palace already has in place a plan for the Queen's funeral had she died in London. However according to news agency AFP there were special provisions if the queen died when she was in Scotland.
• This plan was codenamed Operation Unicorn and the name was chosen because unicorn is the national animal of Scotland and forms part of the Royal coat of arms, along with the lion of England.
• The day of the Queen's death will be referred to as D-Day, while every day following that will be referred to as D+1, D+2 and so forth.
• Shortly before the Palace announced her death the BBC presenters changed into black attire, black suits and ties as part of the protocol. The BBC also played the national anthem, 'God Save the Queen' over her portrait as the death was announced. The flag at the Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-staff.
• As per 'Operation Unicorn,' Queen Elizabeth II's body will be brought from Scotland to Buckingham Palace within the first week of her death. The Queen's body will need to be moved from Balmoral to Holyroodhouse, which is her residence in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. The body will then be carried in a procession up the Royal Mile, a central avenue to St Giles Cathedral for a reception service.
• The body will then be taken to London on a royal train from Edinburgh's Waverley Station. At London the coffin will be received by newly appointed Prime Minister of UK, Liz Truss following which it will be taken to Buckingham Palace.
• On the tenth day, a state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbe. There will be a committal service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Thereafter Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in the castle's King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Operation London Bridge and how it was meant to proceed:

In Operation London Bridge the queen's private secretary was supposed to call the Prime Minister and say the words, 'London Bridge is down.' Following this the Prime Minister was to make the announcement regarding the death.

The news was then supposed to be announced to 15 governments for which the queen is also the head.

The same was to be shared with 30 other members of the commonwealth as per the operation procedures The Guardian reported.