Queen Elizabeth II is 92 years old and has lived through more history than most people will ever get to experience. While she is in good health, there are detailed plans for what will happen when she eventually passes away.
First and foremost, her oldest son Prince Charles will be the new King. The 70-year-old Duke of Cornwall is first in the Queen's line of succession. A meeting of Parliament will be called where members of Parliament will pledge loyalty to the new King.
If, for any reason, Prince Charles cannot succeed Queen Elizabeth, Prince William would be next in the line of succession. After that, it goes Prince George, Princess Charlotte and then Prince Louis.
The Guardian published an in-depth investigation into the process for handling the Queen's death in 2017. First, her private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt will relay the news to whoever happens to be Prime Minister at the time. If it happened today, Geidt would make sure Theresa May received the news as quickly as possible.
According to The Guardian, she would have to be woken up if she was not already awake. A private code phrase, "London Bridge is Down," will be spoken to convey the news to those who need to hear it. It will be passed along to Britain's other territories and any other nations in the Commonwealth.
The news will then make its way to news outlets around the world at the same time, rather than giving any one outlet the exclusive story. Many publications have contingencies prepared for this event, according to The Guardian. Television correspondents have already been given duties regarding the Queen's death.
"I am going to be sitting outside the doors of the Abbey on a hugely enlarged trestle table commentating to 300 million Americans about this," an anonymous source told The Guardian.
A former BBC news head was also quoted by The Guardian as saying rehearsals for the Queen's passing have a tense energy to them.
"She is the only monarch that most of us have ever known," the source said.
The Queen will have to be transported to London if she passes while away from the United Kingdom's capital city. She will be transported back to London by a Royal Air Force jet with a special coffin onboard if need be. If she dies at Scotland's Balmoral Castle, she will be transported to Edinburgh, before being taken to London by train.
This article was first published in IBTimes US. Permission required for reproduction.
