Buckingham Palace officials are regularly updating plans for King Charles' funeral as his health declines, with preparations beginning immediately after Queen Elizabeth's burial, according to insiders. The 75-year-old monarch has largely stayed out of public view since revealing his cancer prognosis in February.
The decision to stay away from public view was in a bid to hide his declining health condition, according to multiple sources who described the situation as "not good" to The Daily Beast. King Charles has never revealed the type of cancer he has been diagnosed with, but he confirmed that it is not prostate cancer, a form of the disease known for its relatively high treatability.
Secret Funeral Plans for King Charles
"Of course he is determined to beat it and they are throwing everything at it. Everyone is staying optimistic, but he is really very unwell. More than they are letting on," a source who claims to be an old friend of the royal family told the outlet.
The Firm has maintained a tight veil of secrecy around King Charles' medical journey. However, insiders and political commentators with privileged access have publicly mentioned that the King is "responding really well" to treatment.
Behind closed doors, King Charles' aides are consistently reviewing a comprehensive document spanning several hundred pages that details his royal funeral plans. This operation is referred to as "Operation Menai Bridge."
"The plans have been dusted off and are actively being kept up to date. It's no more than what you would expect given the king has been diagnosed with cancer. But the circulation of them has certainly focused minds," a former staffer with links to the serving courtiers told the Daily Beast.
The highly detailed document was created the day after Queen Elizabeth's burial on September 8, 2022. It draws heavily from the protocols and experiences of her funeral, using her service as a field guide on to ensure Charles' runs more smoothly.
Military officials, confirming the ongoing updates to Operation Menai Bridge to The Daily Beast, stressed that such revisions were standard procedure. They emphasized that it would be "absurd to read anything into" this routine maintenance.
Why Operation Menai Bridge
Each royal member's updated funeral plans are organized using bridge-based codewords, with Queen Elizabeth's funeral famously known as "Operation London Bridge." The death plan for the former Prince of Wales is named after the suspension bridge that links the island of Anglesey with the Welsh mainland.
"Of course they are looking at every aspect of Menai Bridge. The queen's funeral went like clockwork and set a high bar. It's not an emotional thing, it's a job, one taken very seriously, and understandably no one plans to get caught out," a senior official involved in the planning of royal funerals said.
Another official said that "planning for the worst is what the military do ... You've got to remember the scale of this thing. The Household Division, under Major General James Bowder, take the lead — that is seven regiments of Guards. Then you have the entire London District, the Territorial Army regiments and the Royal Horse Artillery.
"That's before you get to the Navy or Air Force. Charles was closely associated with the Parachute Regiment for years, so they will be involved. That's just the ceremonial end," they said.
