The world is in mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday, with tributes flooding in for the monarch and her incredible 70-year reign.
Britain will now enter days of official national mourning as long-held plans prepared by the Palace and Government, known as Operation London Bridge and Operation Unicorn, are put in place. The country will see changes across many areas of life in the coming days including sport and entertainment, as public commemorations take place.
Today, September 9, marks D-Day, with the coming days to be referred to as D-Day plus the number of days that have passed since the Queen’s death, The Mirror reports . National mourning is expected to last 12 to 13 days - here’s what will happen during that time.
READ MORE: Queen's funeral 'expected' to be a Bank Holiday for Brits to pay their respects
King Charles III , who is now sovereign following his mother’s death, will return to London with Queen Consort Camilla today and meet with Prime Minister Liz Truss as soon as possible. The King is also due to meet with the Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, who is in charge of the accession and the Queen’s funeral, to approve the plans for the coming days.
While the Government will confirm the length of public national mourning from now until the day of the funeral, the King will decide how long the length of mourning will be for members of the royal family and households. This is expected to last a month.
King Charles will address the nation in a pre-recorded televised speech, in which he will pay tribute to the Queen and pledge his duty to his service as the new monarch. Charles has already paid a touching tribute to his “beloved mother”, writing in a statement on Thursday: “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and much-loved mother.
“I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held.”
There will also be many public commemorations around the country to mark the Queen’s life and passing. Bells will toll at landmarks including Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and Windsor Castle, and gun salutes - one for every year of the Queen’s life - will be fired in Hyde Park and at other stations.
Prime Minister Liz Truss and other senior ministers will attend a public service of remembrance at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. There are also expected to be remembrance events across the North East, after the Millennium Bridge on the Quayside and Newcastle Civic Centre were lit up in purple in memory of the Queen on Thursday night .
Several changes will be made in the world of television and wider entertainment. BBC One has replaced its entire schedule for today with live news broadcasts throughout the day, and on ITV an extended news special will also air from 9am until 8:30pm while commercial breaks have been pulled .
In the world of football, the English Football League has confirmed that two matches scheduled for Friday evening, Burnley v Norwich City in League One and Tranmere Rovers v Stockport County in League Two, have been postponed. The EFL is due to announce whether games on Saturday and Sunday will also be cancelled.
Meanwhile, major planned strikes by workers in the coming days will no longer take place. RMT boss Mick Lynch sent his “deepest condolences” to the royal family as he confirmed that an RMT walkout scheduled for 15 and 17 September would be suspended, while a 48-hour walkout by Royal Mail workers that was set to begin on Friday has also been called off.
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