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

[Ginandpink]

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

This thread is a terrible load of old tittle tattle. Rumour, gossip and conspiracy theory.

Around 2pm, although I don’t think he wasn’t wearing black immediately- I assume that was purely because they physically had to get him a tie & suit.

I can’t believe the number of people who can’t see that the minute this happened it was obvious what the outcome sadly would be, it was hardly going to get to 8pm and they return to the normal tv schedule and go ‘oops jumped the gun there’.

Someone I know from the Met said that their leave had been cancelled and that they have been put on 12hr shifts at around lunchtime yesterday. So they hadn't been explicitly told but it was pretty obvious that it was imminent/had happened.

Regarding Harry's lateness - at first the Sussexes said they were both travelling to Scotland but in the end Harry went alone. I imagine there were some discussions / back and forth with the rest of the RF about whether Meghan should accompany him or not, which took a bit of time. (NB just surmising of course)

Yes, of course they did, when can anyone remember rolling news from mid afternoon for something that hasn’t actually happened?

Its simply part of the protocol that’s been widely known, planned meticulously and rehearsed for years.

Can you imagine the embarrassment if they’d had to admit they’d jumped the gun & put Eastenders back on at 7pm?

Why would the CPS be clearing buildings?

Is it in Scotland, @bottleofbeer?

I suspect they'd have insisted if Catherine had gone.

I guess they must have been told no, whether they insisted or not.

The information this morning goes like this.

Doctors became concerned Thursday night.
Just before 7am, Charles requested that the Queens helicopter be flown to Scotland (he was staying at Dumfries House, Ayrshire) and he started to make his way to Balmoral. Anne was staying with her mother already. Camila was at Charles Scottish residence and made her way by car.

Charles arrived at Balmoral at 10.37am. He and Anne were with their mother when she died.

Sometime around noon the call must have been made to make the statement about her health.

Whats interesting is the timing of the flight from Windsor to Aberdeen for the other Royals. It seems to only have been arranged after noon.

They didn't attempt to go to Balmoral before then. So despite there being significant concern from Charles prompting him to go Balmoral the others didn't go. We know Charles had been seeing his mother daily over the summer though. So clearly there was significant concerns.

It looks like Charles probably was party to the call being made to tell parliament too.

So it sounds like the Queen must have gone downhill quick but had a few hours were she was very sick - enough time for Charles to get there.

The fact the other Royals dashed to Balmoral suggested they did TRY to get there in time. But they already knew it may be too late - same as the rest of the world. Or they already knew it was too late.

The PM being told at 4.30pm does fit the narrative that she died mid afternoon rather than earlier and whilst the other royals were en route.

I don't think anything suggests much different. Everyone knew she was dying by lunchtime.

Even my 8 year old was astute enough to say 'so she's going to die today' when I told him the Queen was sick at 3.30pm after school.

Sorry Wednesday night they got concerned.

The doctors must have known in the morning. Those in palliative care know all the signs. There is a stage where breathing changes which is irreversible, the sound of the breathing is unmistakable and then time between breaths becomes longer and longer. My guess would be that this occurred in the morning/late morning so then they knew it was a matter of time. It can still take hours though.

I thought Kier Starmer's statement was most odd. Wishing her a recovery. It seemed obvious at that point she was beyond recovery. He seemed to fail to read the room which is worrying for someone in his position.

Eh? Everyone’s phones was pinging at lunchtime. We had meetings with people all over the world and Hungary and California all knew the death was on its way.

Yes I think @Whiskers4 has got carried away with the drama.

there was extensive news coverage from around lunch time saying there was concern about her health. A clear signal.

her husband clearly doesn’t follow the news😂. Either that or he works in a sealed bubble in a high tech lab somewhere

I was thinking the same. I imagine there was a negotiation. Come alone or not at all. I think they would have had to put the foot down on this as I would have thought, in the circumstances it would be intolerable for William, Charles etc. to have Meghan there at this time and given what has happened.

This is not disparaging against the Sussexes it is no secret there is bad blood between the families. It is obviously an incredibly sensitive time in any family.

The announcement interupting the HOC was made around midday and that signalled to Joe Public that she was likely in the final hours of her life (At least I would imagine that was most peoples take on it)

I would think that various people in police, military, government etc have protocols to follow and they would have put those in action then, or perhaps before the mid day announcement. However these would surely start in advance - when it is clear that her death is imminent, but the actual announcement or confirmation of death may not have been immediate.

clearly this was expecte you just had to look at the queens hands sadly during the meeting with truss to know it was imminent, end stage cancer, my grand mother displayed the same.

Charles and Anne were not in Scotland by Co incidence, Anne was not staying with her by coincidence, and neither was harry and Meghan in the Uk coincidently. They were all there on purpose.

The queen had the best medical care, so the doctors knew, as did the family she was end of life now. As usual with these things it’s hard to predict if it’s today tomorrow next week etc. but it’s not as unexpected as the media is making out. And the prime Minister will also have known and been briefed as well.

The 2 blokes on the roof of Buck palace, sheltering from the rain at the foot of the flagpole at 5.30 gave the game away

Lol this thread is so cringeworthy. My friend this, my friend that. What a load of BOLLOCKS 🤣

I'm a civil servant and followed the news just like everyone else. I think only the very senior civil servants, and anyone involved in London Bridge plans (e.g. security, policing, gun salutes) would get early sight.

Very senior who needed to know will have been told earlier but no one else

we all knew by the news and a friend messaged me that she had heard she has already died at about 4 but that rumour was really just an assumption (or what we knew was coming)

it only matters to her her loved ones what time and who was there to us it’s just something to discuss

I think to any normal person it was clear she was dying when they released the statement from Buck House. Once everyone including Harry was on the way, it was obvious she had passed or it was imminent

My daughter spotted this too

We were all made aware the queen was about to die at 12.30ish with the announcement that was made then

Journalist here although not currently active in terms of writing (due to illness).

In training you're coached about what will happen when the queen or a senior royal dies, although it really isn't hard to find this information out regardless.

It's a trickle down effect before the public is informed but when the BBC cancelled programming I knew she had gone, just via my own judgement. The BBC doesn't just cancel programming. I assumed they were waiting for the family to get there before they officially announced which to me, is how normal families do it albeit on a smaller scale.

It's so odd the way people really strive to say they knew she was dead before everyone else - why does it even matter?!

You hadn't twigged before 5.30pm? Really?