Royals to officially mourn Queen for at least two weeks at King Charles’ wish
A PERIOD of royal mourning will be observed from now until seven days after the Queen’s funeral, it was announced today.
The date of the funeral will be confirmed shortly, Buckingham Palace said.
It means members of the Royal Family and royal staff will mark the Queen's death for at least the next two weeks.
The Palace said this was at King Charles' behest.
A spokesperson said this morning: "Following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, it is His Majesty The King's wish that a period of Royal Mourning be observed from now until seven days after The Queen's funeral.
"The date of the funeral will be confirmed in due course.
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"Royal mourning will be observed by members of the Royal Family, Royal Household staff and Representatives of the Royal Household of official duties, together with troops committed to Ceremonial Duties."
The official period of national mourning will continue until the end of the day of the state funeral, the government confirmed.
Royal residences will close until after the funeral, including the Queen's Gallery and the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, as well as the Queen's Gallery in Edinburgh.
Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, the Queen's private estates, will also shut for this period, as will Hillsborough Castle, the sovereign's official residence in Northern Ireland.
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Following the announcement of the Queen's death at Balmoral yesterday, flags were lowed to half mast.
They will remain that way until 8am on the day after the final day of official mourning.
Brits wishing to pay their respects to Her Majesty have been advised they can lay flowers at dedicated sites near Buckingham Palace.
These sit at the Green Park Floral Tribute Garden and in Hyde Park.
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There are separate tribute areas at Windsor Castle, the Sandringham Estate, Balmoral, Holyroodhouse and Hillsborough.
There are no physical books of condolence at the royal residences, but a digital one has been opened on the .
The Queen's death put in motion Operation London Bridge - the code name for the intricate plan of action.
The day of Her Majesty’s passing would have been D-Day or D+0, but because the announcement came late yesterday, the schedule has been shifted, meaning D+0 is today.
It will be followed by a period of national mourning culminating in the Queen’s funeral.
The plan has been in place since the 1960s and updated every year, involving branches of government, police, the Church of England and even Transport for London.
Full details are to be confirmed, but it is expected that the King and Queen Consort, who stayed in Scotland last night, will today return to London.
Despite his grief, duty calls for the new sovereign and his first audience as monarch with Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to happen as soon as practically possible.
The King will also make his first televised address to the nation.
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Tomorrow, he will be formally proclaimed monarch at a historic Accession Council meeting at St James's Palace.
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After that, the Queen's coffin will travel to Edinburgh then to London where it will rest at Buckingham Palace.