Wales will be last UK nation Charles visits when Queen dies, leaked documents reveal
Wales will be the last UK nation the new King Charles visits when the Queen dies, leaked documents have revealed.
The POLITICO news website has obtained a series of documents laying out the UK Government’s plan in granular detail for what will happen in the days after Elizabeth II passes away.
According to the plan, which has been codenamed Operation LONDON BRIDGE, King Charles will embark on a tour of the UK nations in the days leading up to the funeral.
Charles, who currently has the title of the Prince of Wales, will visit Wales after he has first spent time in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
On the day of the Queen’s death, which will be referred internally to as “D-Day” the UK Prime Minister will hold an audience with the new king.
After that King Charles will deliver a broadcast to the nation. There will be a service of remembrance at St Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of London at the same time.
The UK Prime Minister and a few senior ministers will attend, the service, which will be planned to appear “spontaneous,” according to official documents.
According to the plan, on the day of her death the Senedd will adjourn, as will the UK Parliament and the devolved legislatures in Scotland and Northern Ireland. If parliament is not sitting, it will be recalled.
On “D-Day+1” the day after the Queen’s death, the Accession Council, which includes senior government figures, will meet at St James’ Palace to proclaim King Charles the new sovereign.
On the morning of “D-Day+3” King Charles will receive the motion of condolence at Westminster Hall.
‘Begin his tour’
He will begin his tour of the United Kingdom on that afternoon, starting with a visit to the Scottish Parliament and a service at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.
King Charles will arrive in Northern Ireland, where he’ll receive another motion of condolence at Hillsborough Castle and attend a service at St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast.
On “D-Day+5” a procession from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster will take place along a ceremonial route through London. Following the coffin’s arrival there will be a service in Westminster Hall.
It is on “D-Day+7” that King Charles will travel to Wales to receive another motion of condolence at the Senedd. He will also attend a service at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff.
The state funeral will be on “D-Day+10” and will be held at Westminster Abbey.
There will be a two minutes’ silence across the UK at midday. Processions will take place in London and Windsor.
It has been agreed between the UK Prime Minister and the Queen that the day of the state funeral will be a “Day of National Mourning.”
This has also led to planning issues because the day will effectively be a bank holiday, but it will not be named as such.
An extra bank holiday will not be granted if the funeral falls on the weekend or an existing bank holiday.
The UK Government does not plan to order employers to give employees the day off if the funeral falls on a weekday. It will be a matter between employees and their staff according to the documents.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
I hope the funeral is in the summer so we can all have a nice day at the beach.
Let us hope that on this sad for him, Charles states he will be the final ‘Prince of Wales’ – time for this nonsense to end.
(Let us hope that on this sad day… )
Cyntuno’n llwyr – Rather agnostic on the monarchy as it pertains to other nations; they simply are not ‘my’ royals until such a time that Wales elects the English sovereign as a (hopefully symbolic) head of our free state (Canada, Australia etc). The office of ‘Prince of Wales’ has no reason to exist and simply serves to relegate our position, within or without the Union – get rid.
But, of course, a republic would be better.
Personally, I think QE2 has been brilliant. But when she departs, it will probably be the dawn of our independence. Goodbye principality and feathers.
Head of our free state sounds reasonable, though if they push for a principality it’s time for a republic.
Surely the recruitment process for the replacement Sovereign doesn’t comply with the Equality Act 2010?
Interesting question! The United Kingdom chooses its head of state by means of a lottery — the lottery of birth. Nobody chooses to be the firstborn child of a reigning monarch or heir: it’s just something that happens randomly to a few people, including Charles Mountbatten-Windsor. So your question is really a specific instance of the question: “Are lotteries an acceptable way to fill job vacancies?” Charles was never asked if he wanted to be entered into this particular lottery, so he’s been compensated with a generous income from the Duchy of Cornwall, but I wonder if he secretly wishes… Read more »
Expensive, wasteful, unnecessary extravagance in life and death
When I first read that headline, I thought that meant Charles would be kept permanently in Wales and not permitted to leave.
No thanks
Am I bothered? No.
L’chai, long life Queenie, wait till Boris is no longer and no Queen Camilla either.
Hopefully, there will be no further Monarchs after the death of Elizabeth. Wales aims to be a Republic.
“I speak for Wales” is an automatic disqualification for doing so.
When he becomes King of England, let’s hope he offloads his holiday cottage in Wales.
Not my King.
Nae king! Nae quin! Nae laird! Nae master! We willna’ be fooled again!
Why would we want him in Wales?
Pam y byddem am ei gael yng Nghymru?
Charles is the last great hope of republicanism. 😉
I really don’t care if Carlo visits Wales first, last or not at all. Do we want him here anyway? The last man to make an authentic claim to the title of Prince of Wales was Owain Glyndwr. Since then the title has seen a series of English (more recently Hannoverian) impostors.
Make it quick Charles, it may well be one of your last and don’t even think about making William the next Price of Wales.
Definitely time for a republic. This acceptance and continuation of extreme privilege has gone on for far too long. Abolish the monarchy & combat inequality & poverty. I’r gad…..
Is it me or is more effort being put in to preparations for HM’s death than was the case for the evacuation of Afghanistan?