On September 8th, 2022, Queen Elizabeth passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle, ending a reign of more than 70 years. A period of Royal Mourning will be observed from Friday 9th of September, until seven days after the Queen’s funeral (Monday September 26th).
Beyond emotional reactions, this historic event also impacts logistically on several aspects of civilian life - so here at Daily Info, we’ve compiled a list of exactly what you need to know.
Business
The government have announced that the Queen’s funeral, on Monday, September 19th will be a bank holiday. The London Stock Exchange will close and businesses are likely - but not legally obliged - to give their employees the day off.Strikes
The Royal Mail cancelled a planned strike due to take place on Friday the 9th. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union also confirmed strikes meant to be happening from the 15th-17th were now postponed. Meanwhile, the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) called off all industrial action planned for September.
More information on strike cancellations can be found here.
Extinction Rebellion postponed this past weekend’s Festival of Resistance indefinitely.
Observances
On the day of the Queen’s death, flags were lowered to half mast. Saturday, they were temporarily raised again - to signify the start of King Charles’ reign. Sunday the 11th we saw the flags return to half-mast, where they will remain until the day after the Queen’s funeral (Tuesday September 20th).There will be a national one minute silence at 8pm this Sunday (the 18th). Following this, there will also be a national two minute silence on the 19th at 11 am. In Oxford, this will be led by the Lord Mayor of Oxford at the Oxford Town Hall.
If you wish to leave flowers for the Queen, there is a designated spot outside the town hall on New Road - please unwrap from any packaging beforehand.The City Council opened a book of condolences on the 9th - situated in the Long Room of the Oxford Town Hall, in memory of the Queen’s lifelong service. This will be open to the public weekdays 9am-5pm, and Saturdays 10am-5pm.
The Platinum Jubliee exhibition created by Oxford City Council, in collaboration with Oxford Mail, will stay at the Oxford Town Hall for an extended period, so residents can continue to revisit memories of the Queen’s visits to Oxford over the years.Schools
Schools will be shut for the Queen’s funeral on Monday the 19th, so that young people can view the televised funeral and mourn with their families.Sports
Unsuprisingly, the Friday immediately following the Queen’s passing saw several postponements and cancellations in the sporting world.Premier League and English Football League games set for that weekend were postponed out of respect, while Cricket resumed on Saturday, and The Great North Run still went ahead Sunday Morning, including tributes to the late monarch.Cancellations have been left up to individual governing bodies - you can read a breakdown, sport-by-sport, here.
Television
The BBC will be required to remove all comedy programmes during the mourning period, and male presenters will be required to wear black ties. There is an expectation radio shows will stick to playing calm and sombre sounds. BBC One’s schedule has been wiped and new programming has been announced. Some shows like Celebrity Masterchef, have been dropped all together, to resume airing at a later date, while others, such as EastEnders and Bargain Hunt, have been moved to BBC Two.ITV has removed several talk shows to make space for their own coverage of the Queen’s passing, although Good Morning Britain will continue to run.
Channel 4 will continue airing it’s shows, however, it’s schedule may be subject to changes.
Channel 5 will be largely uninterrupted.
You can read more in-depth coverage of the changes to television programming here.Passports, Stamps, Coins and Cash
In the UK, there is approximately 29 billion coins in circulation - all bearing an image of Queen. The laborious process of replacing them with the head of the new monarch, is expected to take upwards of two years. If historical precedent is followed, there will not be a recall of coins, but rather a gradual change will occur as new money is introduced.While unrelated to the Queen’s passing, this is a good chance for a reminder that using paper £20 and £50 banknotes will no longer be an option come October - the last day they will be accepted as legal tender is September 30th.
The Royal Mail has stopped producing Queen Elizabeth stamps and will now look to create new ones bearing the likeness of King Charles. However, older stamps will still be valid. All passports are currently issued in the name of Her Majesty. These will still be valid, however, going forward, new passports will be updated to His Majesty instead.Support
While few of us will have known the Queen personally, highly publicised deaths have a way of bringing up painful memories of our own bereavements. If you or someone you love is struggling with reminders of a loss, it’s important to know you do not have to suffer alone.
Ataloss.org has a compendium of UK resources for the bereaved.
The Samaritans, (phone: 116 123) offer a free confidential listening service 24/7.
Mental health charity Mind has an up-to-date list of resources and organizations for different types of bereavement.