What will happen when the Queen dies?                                          

Let’s face the fact that Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith—is not going to live forever.

Queen Elizabeth the Second is currently 91 years of age. She is the same age as my mother was when she died in 2003. The queen’s mother died when she was 101 years of age. There is no way of knowing just how old the current Queen will be when she passes on.

In Canada, Queen Elizabeth is the Queen of Canada as she is of other countries including the United Kingdom.

The British royal family comprises of the monarch of the United Kingdom and her close relations. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of the British royal family, and apart from Queen Elizabeth II herself.  

Since ascending to the throne in 1952, the Queen has seen 12 Prime Ministers serve Britain, and lived through another 12 US Presidents. She's now 91. At some point — not for many years yet as many of her subjects hope, Queen Elizabeth II's reign will eventually come to an end.

For at least 12 days between her passing, the funeral and beyond— Britain will more or less grind to a halt. It'll cost the British economy billions in lost earnings. And both the funeral and the subsequent coronation of her successor will become formal national holidays,  with an estimated economic hit to GDP between 1.2 and 6 billion Pounds Sterling  as banks and the stock markets close, to say nothing of organizational costs.

However, focusing on the financial disruption doesn't begin to describe the sheer magnitude of the financial costs. It will be an event unlike anything Britain has ever seen before. There will be trivial disruptions—the BBC will cancel all comedy shows and jarring loud popular jazz. Prince Charles may change his name, for instance, and the words of the national anthem will be changed, also for obvious reasons since the monarch will be a man—to wit; Prince Phillip wh0 will then be referred to King Phillip.      

The deaths of Princess Diana and the Queen Mother both brought on waves of public mourning and hysteria. But the Queen, due to her longevity and fundamental place atop British society, will be on a whole new level above what occurred when the other two women died.

Much will depend on the manner of the Queen's passing. If it's expected (from a long illness, say), then detailed plans will have been put in place for handling it and making the announcement. These plans are already being made.

 Inside Buckingham Palace, arrangements for after the Queen's passing and the subsequent succession are known as the Bridge".  However if it's sudden, unexpected, "or even in public as was the case with Princess Diana's death in 1997—then the news will get out immediately, in an unplanned, uncontrolled fashion.  

Either way, the majority of staff at Buckingham Palace and associated institutions will be immediately sent home. The Royal Court has a staff hotline for distributing news and instructions to employees in the event of occasions like this.

Assuming the Queen's passing was expected, the news will spread at first via the main TV channels. All BBC channels will stop their programming and show the BBC1 feed for the announcement. The other independent channels won't be obligated to interrupt their regular programming. But they almost certainly will.

At the BBC, anchors actively practice for the eventuality of the Monarch's passing so they won't be caught unaware on their shifts. The BBC's Peter Sissons was heavily criticized for wearing a red tie to announce tge Queen Nother's passing. The BBC now keeps black ties and suits at the ready at all times. Presenters also run drills in which they're required to make sudden "spoof" announcements that are never actually broadcasted.

The last death of a Monarch was in 1952, (King George VI) and the BBC stopped all comedy for a set period of mourning after the announcement was made. The Daily Mail reported  thatthe BBC plans to do the same again today, cancelling all comedy until after the funeral.

CNN has pre-recorded "packages" on the Queen's life ready to be aired at a moment's notice and so will every other major news channel.

Some businesses may choose to close if the announcement happens during working hours. The protocols government bodies will follow will emanate from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (though they may also originate from the Palace). But the immediate government response beyond official statements of condolences will be hard to predict. The last monarch died in 1952 so it is possible that procedures that seemed apt then may be woefully antiquated today.

Given the Queen's international significance, it will almost certainly be the top news story across the entire world. It will trend globally on social media. After all, Britain has a massive overseas presence — not just via its embassies, but also former colonies and the Commonwealth, which swears loyalty to the crown, and more informally in any country where English is spoken. The British Empire once covered a quarter of the earth's landmass and for a brief, surreal period it will feel as if the Empire still exists, as all its former subjects will turn toward Britain for the news.

As to be expected, there will be detailed plans and procedures in place. If it's sudden, overseas posts will look to the British  Foreign Office for urgent guidance.

A number of activities will definitely happen overseas. Social functions will be cancelled. The national flags will be flown at half-mast until after the funeral (this will also happen at home in the UK). Officials will enter a period of mourning, and dress appropriately. Condolence books will be prepared for visitors to leave messages in.

The ambassadors will be stressed there is a massive amount of uncertainty as to what will actually happen. It has been more than 65 years since the last monarch died. Society has changed a huge amount in that time.

Once the majority of the staff are out the way and the public tourist attractions are closed, an Accession Council will be held at St. James's Palace to declare the successor formally who will be Prince Charles, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The Accession Council will be attended by Privy Councillors, Lords, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, and High Commissioners of certain Commonwealth countries, amongst others.

It is highly unlikely that there will be a debate on the subject so it will just be a formality that Prince Charles will be the new king. Actually the council is not required to make Queen Elizabeth II's successor "official" however Prince Charles will become the monarch from the moment of her passing. There is always a Sovereign on the throne. This is also why the Royal Standard is never flown at half-mast (unlike the Union Jack)

It's also worth discussing the possibility of the crown "leapfrogging" Prince Charles in favour of his son, Prince William which is a possibility that has been discussed in the media repeatedly.That possibility would only become a reality of Prince Charles was mentally unfit to be king.

Incidentally, Catholics cannot ascend to the throne. That came about during the reign of King Henry VIII. However, this would cause a constitutional crisis, and definitely will not happen. Prince William himself has said there is "no question" of it happening. Instead, Prince William will become the new Prince of Wales —Prince Charles' current role. Just as Queen Elizabeth presided over the investiture of Prince Charles being the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles will preside over the investiture of his older son being given the same appointment.

At the council, the new Monarch (presumably Prince Charles) will swear loyalty to Parliament, and to the Church of England. He will also become the new Supreme Governor of the church. The council will also make a Proclamation of Accession.

This was the most recent Proclamation, from when Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne:

“Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to His Mercy our late Sovereign Lord King George the Sixth of Blessed and Glorious memory, by whose Decease the Crown is solely and rightfully come to the High and Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary:

WE, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this Realm, being here assisted with these His late Majesty's Privy Council, with representatives of other Members of the Commonwealth, with other Principal Gentlemen of Quality, with the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of London, do now hereby with one voice and Consent of Tongue and Heart publish and proclaim that the High and Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary is now, by the death of our late Sovereign of happy memory, become Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of all Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom Her lieges do acknowledge all Faith and constant Obedience with hearty and humble Affection, beseeching God by whom Kings and Queens do reign, to bless the Royal Princess Elizabeth the Second with long and happy years to reign over us.”

Prince Charles won't necessarily become "King Charles," however. upon ascending to the Throne, royals may pick their "regal" name from any of their Christian or middle names.  When Queen Elizabeth II was asked, she opted for "my own of course — what else?" But if Prince Charles felt inclined to choose his regal name,  he could choose from his four names—Charles, Philip, Arthur, George and then  choose  either to then be known as  "King Philip," "King Arthur," or "King George." If he chose King George, he would be referred to as King George VII.

As these discussions are ongoing, the Queen's coffin will be prepared to lie in state—that is, to be presented for public viewing so people can pay their respects.

However, before this, however, both Houses of Parliament will sit, or be recalled if necessary. Members will have the opportunity to take a new oath of allegiance to the new Monarch. All MPs must swear allegiance to the present Monarch.  Members of both houses will also present addresses of condolences and loyalty to the new Sovereign in a format that is yet to be determined. After this, both Houses will be suspended until after the official State Funeral.

The Queen's body will lie in state in Westminster Hall. There will be a short ceremony to mark the coffin's arrival, after which the public will be able to file past and pay their respects. The Hall will be open all but a single hour a day until the funeral ceremonies begin.

When the Queen Mother lay in state for three days, her grieving grandsons relieve the official guard to stand guard over the coffin for a short period. It was called the Vigil of the Princes. Something similar happened for George V. While not a formal ceremony, it's likely a similar act of remembrance would be accorded to Queen Elizabeth II. More than 200,000 members of the public paid their respects as the Queen Mother lay in state; the scale of mourning for the Queen should easily eclipse this.

Throughout this period, there will be a massive, hysterical outpouring of public grief. It won't just be sombre dress and a minute of silence at sports games.  When Princess Diana died, the public turned out in their tens of thousands to lay flowers outside Buckingham Palace and by some estimates,  as many as 1 million bouquets were left.

A memorial appeal raised £20 million. People queued for ten hours or more to sign memorial books. "Everything closed, saturation TV coverage and few were at work on the day of the funeral even though it wasn’t a national day of mourning. There were "scenes of unbelievable grief. It was as though all of these people had lost someone incredible dear to them and their emotion was genuine. The Guardian's Jonathan Freedland wrote that many Britons felt "forced to close their shops or cancel sporting events on the day of the funeral, lest they suffer from the rage of the tear-stained hordes nearby.

Given the Queen's stature, and how intrinsically she is woven into the fabric of modern Britain, it's likely there will be even greater public mourning for her passing.

Queen Elizabeth II's body will continue to lie in state until the day of the funeral, which will be a public holiday. The Daily Mail believes this will be 12 days after the death. The coffin will then be transported to Westminster Abbey by gun carriage for a State Funeral.

It will probably be the best-attended funeral of all time. World leaders from across the globe will flock to attend. She's one of the most senior heads of state in the world, second only to King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who has ruled for five more years than her.

Once the funeral is concluded, it'll be time for the burial. Queen Elizabeth II may well have already decided this — in which case it could either be Sandringham or Balmoral in Scotland. These two properties are unique in that they belong to the Queen in a personal capacity, rather than to the crown. Alternately, she could be buried at St. George's Chapel at Windsor, the site of the grave of King George VI — her father.

After a certain appropriate period of mourning for up to a year or so, there will be a coronation of Prince Charles. It's a highly ceremonial affair, although the new monarch technically has the ability to do whatever he wants since he is already the King. His authority as sovereign does not derive from the ceremony, so he could choose to eschew it altogether, should he desire to do so but that is highly unlikely that he will not go ahead with the coronation ceremony. Therefore assuming that Prince Charles does not wish to totally break with tradition, the ceremony will be held at Westminster Abbey. And, again, it will be officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The entire event will be broadcast on television (and also streamed online), and there will be parties up and down the country. After the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011, there were thousands of street parties celebrating. The same will be true of the coronation. As a national holiday, the Royal Wedding in 2011 loss of the economy was  between £1.2 and 6 billion, and the next Coronation will be similar — in addition to the direct cost to the taxpayer of holding the largest British ceremonial event since the 1950s.

There will be hundreds of changes taking place up and down the country and in Canada and other Commonwealth nations in the weeks and months ahead. First off, new currency will begin being printed and minted immediately. The portraits of Charles will already have been made in preparation. They won't seek to replace the entire stock of currency overnight, however — it will take several years to do so, much like how older notes and coins are gradually removed from circulation today.

Of course, the UK’s national anthem, "God Save The Queen," would change to “God save the King.

The police in the UK will need a new insignia on their helmets. They currently display the Queen's initials and regnal number. Likewise, a great deal of military insignia will require updating.

British passports too will need a change. The British passport currently "requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance." Stamps will also need updating so that they show the new King's head rather than the Queen's.

The Queen's passing may have far more profound and long-lasting consequences than just new postage stamps.  It may well spell the end of the Commonwealth as we know it. The 53-country organisation includes 16 countries where the British Monarch is officially the Head of State, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Barbados. It's a remnant of the British Empire which today exists mainly as a trade and political organisation. It has few formal powers but carries the weight of symbolism: Many of these countries were part of the Empire against their will, and almost all of them declared independence long ago. With Queen Elizabeth II out of the way, some may choose to end this union with Britain once and for all

Australia, for example, had already held a referendum on becoming a Republic once before, in 1999. It was a relatively close-run thing, with the republicans ultimately losing 45% to 55%. But much support for the Monarchy arguably derives from personal affection for the Queen herself. With her gone, many Commonwealth nations may decide the time has come to separate especially with Prince Phillip at the helm. He is not that beloved considering how he mistreated his first wife, Diana.

Depending on how Prince Charles' reigns as king, republicanism may grow in prominence in Britain. But it is highly unlikely that  the UK will becoming a Republic in the near future. Support for the Monarch is deeply entrenched in the nation's psyche, with 66% of respondents in one survey saying Britain is better off as a Monarchy, and with just 17% opting for a Republic. But right now this is all academic and probably a long way off yet.

My following article will be titled; Will Camilla Parker Bowles be the next Queen?