September 14, 2020

Royals

What might happen if Queen Elizabeth II dies?

A wave on unpredictability has been hovering over the royal family as well

By Jean Valjean September 14, 2020
What might happen if the longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II dies?

Queen Elizabeth II has become a historical figure for being the longest-serving monarch Britain has ever seen.

Her Majesty, 92, has become the country’s longest serving monarch in history and has been a witness to the rapidly evolving shape of the world in terms of its social and political outlook.

However, a wave on unpredictability has been hovering over the royal family as well as the public about what would happen after the Queen’s passing.

Upon the death of a monarch, the country goes into a 12-day mourning period with Union Jacks flown at half-mast all across UK and condolence books opened at all embassies.

Apart from that, the London Stock Exchange will also be shut for several days or at least, the day of the funeral, bringing the economic cycle to a halt.

The monarch’s body is to be carried to the Parliament where it will be placed in the Westminster Hall up until the day of funeral, similar to what happened when the Queen Mother passed away in 2002.

The event will be covered by BBC One with all programming suspended.

Moreover, if the monarch were to pass away during the night, the death would only be announced at 8:00am with her portrait put up on screens with the national anthem in the background—as we saw at the time of Princess Diana’s death in 1997.

Comedy programming will be suspended by BBC for the 12-day duration in which the country mourns.

Apart from that, since the throne is technically never supposed to be left without a king or queen, the death of the monarch would automatically make the next in line the sovereign.

The formal declaration, however, will be made by the accession council later at the St James’s Palace.

This would result in the words of the national anthem being changed as well as the issuance of new postage stamps and currency.