Queen Elizabeth Fact: Monarch, Prince Charles, and Prince Philip Have Code Names When They Die

By Annie Dee

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip — (Photo : Jonathan Brady - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

If it is not Queen Elizabeth abdication that is being discussed left and right as the aging monarch continues to reign, it is the topic of her death that is being pondered upon. It appears that this is not just a topic that the palace is mulling over, but actually planning on, as early as now.

Plans that would be carried out upon when Queen Elizabeth dies have already been reported occassionally in the past. According to these earlier reports, the palace already has a code name to use when announcing the death of the monarch to the Prime Minister, one day.

In particular, the palace will deliver the tragic announcement using the code words, "London Bridge is down," as reported by Express UK.

Queen Elizabeth Death: "London Bridge is Down"

Why "London Bridge is down?"

Apparently, the code name assigned to Queen Elizabeth is London Bridge.

Once the PM is informed of the death of the Queen, the PMs and governor-generals of the rest of territories where the monarch is presently the head of state will also be informed.

Afterwards, the leaders of countries member of the Commonwealth, of which the Queen is also the head, will be given the same announcement.

The last to know naturally would be the public, which would learn of the death from the media.

The process does not stop there.

When the public is made aware, a footman dressed in mourning clothes will come out from the Buckingham Palace and then place a black-edged notice to the gates. Likewise, the royal family's official website will also be updated to reflect the sad news.

The website will also for a span of time, stop showing the webpages in the shade of royal blue. Instead, the whole website would feature a single, sombre page on a dark background.

Queen Elizabeth Husband and Children Have Code Names Too

Giving code names to royals to be used upon their passing is actually a tradition already. Queen Elizabeth is not the first to be assigned a code name and she would not be the last. In fact, Queen Elizabeth husband is already given one.

Prince Philip is said to be assigned the code name Forth Bridge. The name was not randomly thought of. Instead, the choice is deemed appropriate considering his title as the Duke of Edinburgh. Forth Bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Edinburgh.

On the other hand, Queen Elizabeth children are expected to have names too. Prince Charles' code name is reportedly, Menai Bridge.

Code Names Featured in "The Crown"

This activity is even shown in Netflix's "The Crown." The practice of having code names used during royal funeral operations has been recently depicted in "The Crown" on Netflix.

It can be recalled that on the show, when Prince Charles was feared already dead following an avalanche that happened at Klosters in Switzerland while on skiing holiday, the Queen's private secretary's line was, "We have contingency plans in place for all members of the royal family, 'Menai Bridge' is no exception."

Speaking to Prince Philip, the Queen (on the show) said, "We're all bridges, the choice of name was to suggest a link between this life and the next."