"London Bridge is down"

It's four words that bring an entire country to a standstill

Elizabeth II, the Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, the longest-living and longest-reigning British monarch, died at the age of 96 on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The official announcement came at 18:30 BST. Earlier in the day, doctors reported that her health had been deteriorating rapidly and placed her under medical supervision.

Elizabeth's death set in motion Operation London Bridge, a collection of plans in response to her death.

"London Bridge is Down" is the name of a funeral plan for Queen Elisabeth II., so its the code phrase of Operation London Bridge. The plan includes the announcement of her death, the period of official mourning, and the details of her state funeral. The plan was first created in the 1960s and revised many times in the years before her death at 8. september 2022.   

The phrase "London Bridge is Down" would be used to communicate the death of the Queen to the prime minister of the United Kingdom and key personnel, setting the plan into motion. Bodies involved in preparing the plan included various government departments, the Church of England, Metropolitan Police Service, the British Armed Forces, the media, zhe Royal Parks, London boroughs, the Greater London Authority and Transport for London.  Some critical decisions relating to the plan were made by the Queen herself, while some were left to be determined by her successor.