Do govt employee find out early about the Queen’s death?

[Ginandpink]

My brother said they were told early, doesn’t make sense?

No-one feels ‘better’ or ‘important’

I’m so confused?!? People are saying they heard through friends, officially or unofficially, isn’t bragging.

They were right, I don’t know why it’s affecting you that people knew before you found out on the news

You seem to know for sure when the PM was informed?

I think what people are saying is that either their organisation or employer had to get things into place for a significant event, which either the poster put together and knew but no one sai d the words outloud or someone might be told we need to prepare for a significant public incident

Also, Im hearing again what the speaker said, he said the We give the queen our best wishes and her family are in our thoughts and prayers.

That can be read a number of ways, it certainly could be said of someone who is in the process of dying or just about to die.

I knew this afternoon but only because I work in an area that needed to know (implementing arrangements for what our dept does when she dies). Most of my colleagues found out on the news.

@JustLyra

Tell you one thing my friend is def not " very important all knowing". 😂 Far bloody from it.

I didn’t see anyone say they were told ‘officially’ just that they head heard on good authority.

I don’t find that surprising at all!

I have a friend who is MI(enter number) because of the military unit my late husband served in.

He whatsapped the group at 18:42 "guys The Queen has died?! Just on the news"

So even a MI clearance didn't get him prior knowledge 😂

And then we all took the piss out of him, because how could he be MI and not put two and two together that Huw Edwards had been in a black suit and tie since about 1pm and all the family were at Balmoral....then he told us to fuck off 😂😂😂

@bellac11 Ms Truss was informed of the Queen's death at 16:30 BST by senior civil servant Simon Case while she was working in Downing Street, her official spokesman has said

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62842010

Anyway I'm out - this going to PM (not by either posts I've been debating with for the record) is a line for me. Goodnight.

She will have known before that. The official briefing time is a different thing

Same with what people are saying here, I havent seen anyone say they know 'formally' or 'officially', but they may well have been told because they needed to know (or whoever their associates are that this applies to)

But Charles wouldn't have just found out. She more than likely was ill yesterday, and life threateningly ill this morning and was being kept alive until Charles arrived (I hope he was there). Then the cogs sprang into action, family members were summoned to all be there before she either passed fully or before the official announcement was made.

It wasn't as if people were rushing around not knowing what to do. They follow protocol and decide the times of the announcements when they are ready to make it.

But you are right, it isn't about Harry. I guess I just feel for him arriving by himself . Part of me thinks he was later arriving as he spent time with Meghan grieving after hearing the news before making his way there to be with the Royals.

She will have known before that. The official briefing time is a different thing

@bellac11 what do you mean?

NW was getting testy around 6 pm having been waffling on for hours that no announcement from BP had come.
He clearly knew the Queen had died and was at the end of his tether with having to keep on blustering . If the announcement wasn’t made till Harry had got to Balmoral all the news people would have been expiring on the floor. As it was, 6.30 seemed late. I think they waited as long as they could.

I would be intrigued to know if BBC etc were told a lot more than the public at lunch/early afternoon or if it was "guessed" from the clues in the statement and family travelling.

My Dbil has a senior policing role and said they got a we need to re-prioritise diaries message and then things shuffled about and holders put in about mid afternoon, so he was pretty sure then but not formally told. He doesn't know if his top boss actually knew officially earlier or if it was all educated guesses based on what was happening

Yes same where I work. We got a lengthy email about 2. Then we were in full on prep mode.
But it's clear that the news channels wouldn't be wearing black if the monarch hadn't died

I know what you mean, I feel sorry for him too, as a human being who has just lost his grandmother.

But what I’m thinking is Charles had so much going on, whether he knew today or yesterday, and it would be cruel to him I feel to speak ill of him for not waiting for Harry.

maybe Harry just wasn’t on his mind, and wasn’t his priority, and that’s okay.
No matter what people may think of him, he’s just lost his mother.

Our org found out sooner presumably due to an official planned cascade

I’m thinking from Charles personally.

I would class the day of the death of a parent as being ‘just found out’, no matter what protocols are in place, you’ll never be prepared for the real thing.
And most people would want to just mourn, I doubt Charles could care less about being King right now.
But yet he has to step up. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone to be honest

My brother is in the Scottish police forces and they were briefed yesterday to prepare. Step dad is in the army and they were too

Like I say, there was a lag with Diana, but it wasn't a very long one.

I don't think they would want to delay longer than absolutely necessary with any Royal death, because it increases the risk of a leak/slip-up, and they know rumours will be flying.

OTOH, clearly all the Royals who went up today arrived after she had died, which isn't really consistent with the statements around midday about the doctors being very worried. Surely, if that had been true, the family would have rushed up to try to get to her before she died? So perhaps she did die earlier in the day? I can believe that, I just can't believe that the world and his dog were briefed in advance.

I dont know about government employees, I think only those who need to know, but I knew at 4pm via a media friend who had been notified , so I can’t understand how it can be correct that the pm didn’t know till 4.30.

Good grief, the state of people on this thread. Why argue over who knew what when?
It was clear by lunchtime that the Queen had died or was in the final hours of her life - what do people gain from this weird competition? It's like the dicks at Buckingham Palace tonight gurning into their phones and when asked why they are there can't actually articulate anything. One vacuous woman said "my friends told me it was an amazing atmosphere".

People love to claim proximity to big events, especially deaths or tragedies, especially when they have no connection to the tragedy. Numbskulls.

Did they bollocks

@Swimmingpoolsally

That's what I thought.

😆

I work for the police, we had a briefing about Operation Unicorn a couple of years ago. We were told if we were on duty (because of the area i work in) we would most likely be aware before the official announcement. It was also made very clear that if we were that it was highly confidential & there would be repercussions if we passed the news on before it was formally announced

Any organisation directly involved in OP Unicorn or London Bridge would have some areas of personnel informed early but it would only be on a need to know basis

It was very obvious by 2pm that there was a big problem!! Newscasters had black ties on! They all were struggling to stay composed and then the newsfeed stopped showing the presenters!