As the world awaits news of Queen Elizabeth II’s ailing condition, Australia prepares to unleash a secret plan of action that is now heartbreakingly close to being realised.
The Queen, now 96 and ruler of Great Britain and Head of State for Australia and the Commonwealth for more than 70 years, is now the center of global attention because of her ailing health.
Buckingham Palace announced she is under “medical supervision” after her official doctors expressed concerns about her health on Thursday morning.
“The Queen remains comfortable and on Balmoral,” concluded the brief but ominous statement.
The Queen waits in the drawing room before welcoming new British Prime Minister Liz Truss in Balmoral, Scotland on Tuesday. On Thursday, she was under medical supervision out of concern for her health
The secret plans unleashed on the sad day Queen dies and what they mean for Australia – including a new national holiday – have now come into focus
Her Majesty’s immediate family have all been apprised of the downturn, her spokesman said, prompting her two heirs – Charles and William – to go to her bedside.
While it will be the saddest days for her family, royal watchers and her legion of fans, prompting a solemn mourning period, the Queen is immortalized by the announcement of a new one National Day in Australia.
The code words from Buckingham Palace, “London Bridge is down,” will begin a 10-day process beginning with the appointment of a new king and ending with her funeral.
The Australian Prime Minister will be informed of the Queen’s death an hour before the rest of the world is informed via official announcement.
In preparation, it is understood that the Prime Minister’s staff is now wearing a ceremonial black tie, which Anthony Albanese must wear immediately after receiving the news.
On the day the Queen dies, Prince Charles becomes Charles III, to be proclaimed at St James’s Palace and in Australia by the Governor-General
He will likely wear it to make a statement to Australians from Canberra.
The plans are said to have been revised since 2017 and handed over to Mr Albanese as Australia’s new prime minister, The Weekend Australian reported.
On the day the Queen dies, Prince Charles becomes Charles III, to be proclaimed in Britain at St James’s Palace.
In Australia the same proclamation is made in Parliament House by the monarch’s notable representative here, the Governor-General.
Charles’ new full title will be the full “Charles the Third, by the Grace of God King of Australia and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth”.
Charles’ wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, will assume the title of Queen Consort, the Queen confirmed earlier this year.
“When my son Charles becomes king in due course, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you gave me,” she said.
Australia’s official mourners are likely to include Mr Albanese and his girlfriend Jodie Haydon
Charles’ new full title will be the full “Charles the Third, by the Grace of God King of Australia and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth”. Camilla Parker Bowles becomes Queen Consort
“It is my sincere wish that when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues in her own faithful service.”
She will have no authorities or titles other than social and diplomatic in Australia, but she will be known to the world as Queen Camilla.
A framed notice will be posted on the fence of Buckingham Palace informing the public of Queen Elizabeth’s death.
The palace floodlights are extinguished in poignant but traditional symbolism.
Most interesting for Australians will be the news that a national holiday is likely to emerge after the Queen’s death.
But fittingly, that will have to wait at least 11 days.
Her funeral will take place ten days after her death, with a procession to Westminster Abbey at 11am, a 3.55pm funeral at Windsor Castle and a private funeral at the castle at 7pm.
There will be four official Australian mourners – the Prime Minister, his partner, the Governor General and his wife.
Current Governor-General David Hurley will be an official mourner at the Queen’s funeral if that happens before 2024, which seems likely
If the Queen dies before 2024, which seems likely, the official mourners will likely be Mr Albanese, his girlfriend Jodie Haydon, current Governor General David Hurley and his wife Linda Hurley.
Mr Albanese would likely play a ceremonial role for worship in the UK as well as back home in Australia.
Another 10 to 12 well-known Australians will be invited to the Queen’s funeral.
They are expected to include Indigenous Australians, representatives from charitable, religious, sporting and community organizations.
The plans include two RAAF planes collecting Pacific leaders and flying them to London for the Queen’s funeral.
After the state funeral, an Australian service will be held in an Anglican cathedral, to be confirmed.
The day that happens will likely be declared Australia’s national day.
Flags will be flown at half-mast for ten days in the UK and Australia.
The Queen celebrated her platinum anniversary in June but has since become increasingly frail, missing several important appointments and raising concerns about her health before the palace issued its statement.
