What will happen after the death of Elizabeth II
Elizabeth Alexandra Maria Windsor, better known as Elizabeth II, is the record holder for the longest reign in the history of Great Britain. The Queen is 96 years old, and it's no secret to anyone, including Elizabeth herself, that she doesn't have long to reign. But what will happen when the throne of Great Britain is vacated?
Elizabeth II has sat on the British throne since 1952. It's like Brezhnev, only four times more. Millions of Britons were born, lived, lived and went to another world without seeing anyone else at the head of state. Accordingly, the impending shock will cover all the subjects of the British Crown with their heads, and such news will not pass us by.
Let's figure out what exactly will happen after the death of Elizabeth II.
Immediately after the death of the queen, the country will rise. Literally. Classes in schools will stop, public institutions will close, office workers will go into mourning, something like "Swan Lake" will start on TV, only in the British way, the stock exchange and banks will stop working. And not for an hour or a day. For at least 12 days of mourning, the measured life of the British will cease to be such.
News agencies in the UK and all other Commonwealth countries have already prepared decent obituaries. No self-respecting news outlet can afford to let this take its course: it is too significant an event for the whole world. Of course, when it happens, the necessary changes will be made to the billet, but now everything is ready to press the button and publish the sad news on all channels — be it printed publications or the Internet.
The best media prepared for the event in the cult newspaper The Times — there are materials stored for the first 11 (!) days after Elizabeth's death: while journalists of other publications will be knocked off their feet, the Times will be able to have a good rest.
There is an old tradition according to which the royal power is never interrupted. As soon as one monarch gives up the spirit, his successor takes his place at the same moment. For this reason, the Royal Standard (that is, the flag) is never lowered, like other flags, during mourning. Those rare cases when this rule of succession was violated are known in history as "troubled times".
So at the time of the announcement of the Queen 's death , The United Kingdom will already have a new monarch. And they are 100% likely to be Crown Prince Charles (and not William, as the frivolous media often write). Because there is no other succession to the throne.
When Charles becomes king, his brothers and sisters will kiss his hands. At the same time, Prince Charles will not necessarily become "King Charles". When ascending to the throne, members of the royal family can choose their throne name from any of their second Christian names. Thus, Prince Charles Philip Arthur George can take the name "King Philip", "King Arthur" or "King George".
The British take the monarchy very seriously! So much so that after the death of Queen Elizabeth, all comedy programs on the BBC will be removed from the broadcast grid, and no stand-up performances in clubs around the country are also expected — until the mourning ends. Yes, the British really adore their comedians and are known for their sense of humor, but in the days of grief everything will be serious and adult. All entertainment programs will be canceled, and this is just a tribute to the queen.
So, the mourning will last at least 12 days. Is it necessary to explain that in the modern world such a stop means huge financial losses. London is one of the world's financial centers, and the closure of the London Stock Exchange will result in the loss of a huge amount of money. In fact, billions will be lost.
The closest contender to the throne automatically receives the title "Prince of Wales". His wife becomes the Princess of Wales. Prince William will indeed be called the Prince of Wales when his father ascends the throne, but given the fact that William's mother is Princess Diana, whom people adored and who tragically died in 1997, William's wife Kate was advised to consider giving up the title of Princess of Wales. This is just a guess, of course. Time will tell whether Kate will become the Princess of Wales or not.
By the way, Camilla Parker-Bowles — Charles's wife — decided not to take this title and did with another one — "Duchess of Cornwall". The title "Princess of Wales" is too firmly connected with the deceased Diana to claim it.
The death of the queen is an event that must be kept under control, and all subsequent steps must be taken clearly and quickly. The Prime Minister and other leaders of the country should be the first to find out about everything. An action plan and a secret code for notification have already been developed. It sounds like "London Bridge is down" — "London Bridge has fallen". Well, that is, this code is no longer so secret, since they write about it everywhere. Maybe I'll have to come up with another phrase.
Let's start with the national anthem, the words of which "God save the Queen" will have to be replaced with "God save the King." Surely it will not be easy for those who have sung this hymn all their lives to retrain. New coins and banknotes will also be issued, for which the British mint has already prepared the appropriate blanks with a portrait of Charles. A new inscription will appear on the helmets of British police officers, because now the initials of the queen are indicated on them. An update of British military symbols will also be required. Postage stamps with the image of the Queen will go out of circulation.
All members of Parliament must take an oath or oath of allegiance to the monarch, for which they are given several days. Without doing this, no parliamentarian receives a salary and has no right to attend meetings or vote. After the death of the Queen, all members of the British Parliament will have to re-conduct the ceremony of taking the oath of allegiance to the new king.
It's funny, but a fact: the small number of Republicans who advocate the abolition of the monarchy in the country, swear with their fingers defiantly crossed. So adult serious men are trying to convince themselves of the inconsistency of what is happening.
The Queen's death will have deeper consequences than new postage stamps. Now the British monarchy is headed not only by Great Britain, but also Elizabeth II is the official head of 52 countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Barbados. The Commonwealth is a remnant of the British Empire, which in the modern world has remained in the form of trade and political relations between the former colonies of Britain. Many of these countries became part of the British Empire against their will, and almost all of them have long since declared their independence.
Each country of the Commonwealth has the unconditional right of unilateral withdrawal from it. And the death of the Queen may become an occasion for some Commonwealth countries to terminate the union with Great Britain once and for all. The British Crown, of course, will make every effort to avoid such a turn of events. And for King Charles, this could be a serious task.
No matter where the Queen meets her death, her body will first be taken to Buckingham Palace. If she is on a trip abroad at that moment, the body will be flown to London immediately. The royal coffin will be displayed at Buckingham Palace for a few days. People will be able to come to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth and pay their respects.
The British really love their queen. Her ratings among the population have always been high, and remain so to this day. It is not difficult to achieve such ratings, because the monarch in the UK has no real power and does not rule the country. And the people could get rid of the monarchy, if they wanted to, very simply — by an ordinary referendum. In much the same way as the British left the European Union, they could also abolish the monarchy. But it is unlikely that anyone will want this in the near future.
According to analysts, it is most likely that Queen Elizabeth II will pass away after a short illness, in the family circle. In the last hours of the monarch's life, the main person will be the royal physician, Professor of medicine Huw Thomas (Huw Thomas). It is he who will decide who can be allowed into the queen's chambers and what the subjects will learn about her state of health.
For example, a few hours before the death of King George V, who died in 1936, His Majesty's attending physician published a bulletin: "The King's life is peacefully coming to an end," after which he injected George with 750 milligrams of morphine and a gram of cocaine, which is enough to kill two people.
When the queen leaves this world and the time comes to tell people about this sad news, a footman in mourning livery will come out of the doors of Buckingham Palace, cross the courtyard and, without saying a single word, hang a notice in a mourning frame on the gate. This is an old and beautiful tradition.
In the event of the Queen's death, the BBC will activate the RATS (Radio Alert Transmission System) system, which will notify everyone about it on the radio. This is a secret protocol used to report the deaths of high-ranking royals. It began to be used in the 30s and is still supported. Few people know about him. A signal from this system is enough — and a plan of action developed by the BBC to the smallest subtleties in the event of the queen's death will be carried out.
And although analysts assume that the queen will live for about four more years, let's better wish Elizabeth II to celebrate her centenary in 2026. Which is quite realistic, considering that her mother lived 101 years.