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There are some things I avoid thinking about. If you're curious, those things are face mites, the entire concept of Pompeii, and the fact that eventually, the Queen of England, the sovereign of a country that I have never lived in but have often wished I was from, will perish. Yet I've been thinking about this inevitability quite a bit lately, thanks to the season 2 release of The Crown on Friday, December 8, which will follow Elizabeth's reign between 1955-1965 .
Earlier this year, The Guardian published an in-depth report on what, exactly, will occur when the Queen of England dies. "The idea is for nothing to be unforeseen," the article reads. The top-secret plans for the death of a royal are only discussed using code names — Elizabeth’s is Operation London Bridge; her father’s was “Hyde Park Corner,” something fans of The Crown may recall. When the time comes, the Queen’s private secretary will set off the full schematic of Operation London Bridge, beginning with the utterance of the phrase: “London Bridge is down.”
Some aspects, like who will hear of the Queen’s death first, have already been decided. But the country’s reaction to losing a sovereign this long-lasting? That’s something no plan can foresee. Here's a snippet of the highly ritualized events that will occur after Queen Elizabeth, who is 91 years old now, passes on.
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