It's an incredibly sad day for the entire world as the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced. According to the royal family's website, Charles, the queen's eldest son, is already king.
The site says that “new Sovereign succeeds to the throne as soon as his or her predecessor dies."
That means that the moment after his mother died, Charles become the new head of the British monarchy. Still, formalities will wait during a period of mourning, which may last several months.
While the passing of the queen is a sad moment in history, it's one that the monarchy has been preparing for for quite some time. The meticulous plans are all laid out in what's called "Operation London Bridge." It's been constantly updated since the 1960s. According to documents obtained by Politico, the council will meet on Friday morning.
An Accession Council will meet as soon as possible to declare Charles the official monarch. But his formal coronation will be delayed. This is part of a longstanding tradition that allows the country to grieve the monarch's death.
Just after the queen's death, new Prime Minister Liz Truss spoke to the people of the UK. She called on Britons to “come together” to support Charles, the United Kingdom’s new king.
“In the difficult days ahead, we will come together with our friends across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world, to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service,” Truss said. “It is a day of great loss, but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy.”
