New details have been released regarding what will happen when the Queen dies, with plans for UK churches unveiled on Sunday.
In the event of Her Majesty’s death, Operation London Bridge will be triggered, the codename for the arrangements after she dies.
It has now been revealed that churches across the UK will be required to enter an official period of mourning when the Queen dies, including special rules for how church bells ring during that time.
What will happen when Her Majety dies? New details have been revealed.
(Credit: (Image: Getty))Churches will be required to use full leather muffles, reserved to be used only when a monarch dies, when ringing their bells for a more solemn sound during that period.
“We have spent a lot of time talking to the Royal Household and Lambeth Palace about the day the monarch passes, which we hope will not be any time soon,” Vicki Chapman, a spokeswoman for the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, told the Mail on Sunday.
“Adding muffles makes bells sound mournful, more like a hum – so they will sound like thud, thud, thud rather than dong, dong, dong.”
She went on to say that the change would pay “due reverence” to Her Majesty and her many years of service, with the Queen celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year.
WATCH: The Queen looking frail after health scares over the last six months. Story continues after video.
However, her long reign means that many churches haven’t used their muffles since her father, King George VI, died 70 years ago.
The decades have rotted many of the muffles, causing a sudden spike in demand for leather workers who have been tasked with creating new ones in preparation for the Queen’s death.
Though palace spokespeople and members of the royal family have said Her Majesty is in good health, a recent string of health concerns and cancelled engagements has royal watchers worried.
She was hospitalised overnight in October last year, pulled out of several major engagements including Commonwealth Day this March, and will not attend the Easter Maundy Day church service this year.
The Queen attends Maundy Day service with Princess Eugenie in 2019.
(Credit: (Image: Getty))News she had cancelled her Maundy Day appearance surprised royal commentators, as the event has long been an important one in Her Majesty’s royal calendar.
In a recent social media poll, more than 65 per cent of The Australian Women’s Weekly readers said they fear for the Queen’s health since her husband Prince Philip died last year.
“She’s looking much more frail,” one Weekly reader wrote, another adding: “It is the Queen that makes the royal family. Things will change once she passes.”
