Queen Elizabeth II’s death to funeral: How things unfurled since London Bridge went down

On September 8, after the entire Royal family came to Queen Elizabeth II’s side as doctors were concerned for her, Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the 96-year-old monarch was no more. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” said the official statement of the Royal Family. Outside the monarch's Scottish residence, Balmoral Castle, journalists and mourners gathered in all-black dress.

While Operation London Bridge was the codename for the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it was called Operation Unicorn since she died when she was in Scotland.

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The Queen's private secretary informed newly-elected Prime Minister Liz Truss of her passing away. Soon, the Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and Prince William arrived at Balmoral. Following the passing of his mother, Charles - the Prince of Wales - became the King.

For the first time since 1952, the national anthem of the UK changed to “God Save The King”. A period of national mourning started in England and would go on until the end of the day of the State Funeral on September 19, which was declared a bank holiday while schools and offices would remain closed.

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King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla flew back to London the following day. Along with other dignitaries, Truss met with the new king to discuss the execution of plans related to the Queen’s death. On the same day, King Charles addressed the people in the UK and the Commonwealth for the first time and paid respect to his mother. Meanwhile, tributes poured in from around the globe as world leaders started paying their condolences for the Queen’s demise.

On September 10, the Garter King of Arms formally crowned Charles III as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as the Dominions and territories abroad. On the next day, the implementation of Operation Unicorn started as the Queen's coffin left Balmoral and reached Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.

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On September 12, the Queen's coffin was carried in a procession while being followed by her children, arriving at St. Giles' Cathedral overnight for a lying-in-state. The Queen’s children presided over the 20-minute Vigil of the Princes around the coffin. On the following day, the Queen’s coffin was taken to Buckingham Palace. On September 14, it was taken to Westminster Hall.

On September 14, the Lying in State began, and people started lining up to see the Queen’s coffin. Officials issued a warning on September 16 that there would be at least a 14-hour wait since there was a long queue to see Queen Elizabeth in London.

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On September 17, dignitaries started arriving in London for the funeral from all around the Commonwealth and the rest of the world. The leaders of the nations where King Charles is still the head of state attended a reception. These included Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, Anthony Albanese of Australia and Justin Trudeau of Canada, with whom the King had private audiences.

On September 18, all reigning monarchs in Europe, as well as those of Japan, Jordan and Thailand, reached London. King Charles held a reception at Buckingham Palace for all visiting dignitaries, including Indian President Droupadi Murmu.

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The Lying In State officially ended on September 19. Around 2,000 people - including 500 world leaders - are likely to attend the funeral ceremony. The entire event will be livestreamed starting from 3:30 pm (India time).