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Original poster

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

596 replies

Ginandpink · 08/09/2022 20:43

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

OP posts:
bellac11 · 09/09/2022 16:53

jennakong · 09/09/2022 16:41

Who are all these 'friends' and 'husbands' who get to know before anyone else? The 'London bridge' protocol states that the monarch's private secretary contacts the PM via a SECURE telephone line, and that code words are used, the next to be informed is the Privy Council and govt ministers, then the Foreign Office so that other govts can be informed. Again, this is done via coded messages and secure lines. Only after that are news orgs advised, again at a very senior level. The only civil servants told are exceptionally senior, probably undersecretaries, and certainly not people who take advantage of their teabreak to gossip to their nearest and dearest on mobile phones/ on Mumsnet and break the terms of the OSA, which they have signed. If they were caught, what do you think the consequences would be? Look what happened to civil servants who ate a bit of cake in Downing Street. Jesus, there is some bullshit on here.

That is absolutely the official briefing protocol order of events but you're naive if you think no information comes out informally before those communications take place

They have to because as others have said, plans have to be made for scheduling, logistics, personnel maneuvers etc etc

It wasnt possible for example for the BBC to have rescheduled their programmes, got their presenters in black mourning suits without knowing already before the 'official' announcement to the council and the PM (who already knew)

jennakong · 09/09/2022 16:59

The BP announcement at midday was basically tipping a nod and a wink that the queen was not going to last much longer, certainly not to the end of the day. It's still assumption. More like an 'action stations'. That's quite different to being told officially and formally that someone is dead.

bellac11 · 09/09/2022 17:09

jennakong · 09/09/2022 16:59

The BP announcement at midday was basically tipping a nod and a wink that the queen was not going to last much longer, certainly not to the end of the day. It's still assumption. More like an 'action stations'. That's quite different to being told officially and formally that someone is dead.

Are you replying to me?

I specifically said the official and formal notification is a different thing

Have you never had to provide a formal briefing at work? Everyone who you are briefing already knows about the thing, you've probably had prolonged discussion with them about it but then the official and formal briefing is provided and then its the official notification.

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 09/09/2022 17:14

Quartz2208 · 09/09/2022 14:01

@RedToothBrush

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.

That is the bit I cant quite work out.

BEcause Anne was already there and Charles around a lot one assumes that it was expected ish. That there were signs Weds night/Thursday am but then there was a far more rapid decline from around 11am Thursday morning when the alarm was sounded

She must have declined more rapidly than expected. Even near the end, it's very difficult to predict death accurately - which is one reason why HCPs are usually reluctant to be too definitive - we have all been proven wrong too many times. And sometimes older people can seem to be at the point of no return, and then bounce back. I remember, as a junior doctor, telling my consultant that I thought a patient was about to die, and we needed to call her family. We went to her bedside - only to find she had got out of bed and was happily eating toast.

So I think something happened on Wednesday that was serious. The way the cancellation of the Privy Council was reported was weird - the media put a lot of emphasis on it, even though the Queen had cancelled many other events over the last few months without it being a big deal. So I'm guessing the media were briefed that this might be the beginning of the end. However I assume her doctors didn't think she was dying imminently, as they didn't send for the family.

Even on Thursday morning, she presumably was not too bad as only Charles was sent for, initially. Then she must have taken a turn for the worse, and died more quickly than anticipated.

I don't want to speculate on what she actually died of, but there are many conditions that affect elderly people that could fit this pattern, including (just as an example) heart failure.

Andromachehadabadday · 09/09/2022 17:35

That is absolutely the official briefing protocol order of events but you're naive if you think no information comes out informally before those communications take place

i can imagine it does.

But official briefing to people who have to connection to anything to do with it, doesn’t happen.

The people who are briefed are also people who are used to keeping these things to themselves.

I don’t believe that officials briefs were given to people, who didn’t need to know, with no request to keep it to themselves and told far earlier than the PM. Which is what several posters are claiming.

and I don’t believe so many of the people who did need to be told, then went and blabbed to wives, friends, mums, brothers, friends of friends.

It’s ridiculously unlikely.

YoniWheretheSunDontShine · 09/09/2022 17:41

I find it odd.
Something must have suddenly happened because surely anyone would want all their DC there and the royal family can facilitate that more than most people.

I'e they would have been up there holding vigil? instead of this last minute dash?

reaganya · 09/09/2022 17:53

I work in a law firm and most of our QC’s (KC’s now) were told by BBC reporters early afternoon.

Creameggs223 · 09/09/2022 18:30

Veeragall · 08/09/2022 20:54

No.

Yes they were informed at 4.30

mel71 · 09/09/2022 18:36

My son has quite a senior role within the home office - I knew before he did. I should imagine a select few knew before everyone else.

LovelyLisa2 · 09/09/2022 18:38

My ex is a Head of Education and he wasn’t told early.

neighboursmustliveon · 09/09/2022 18:42

My husband told me he had a colleague who knew someone who said she had passed- this was before 4pm
It filtered down to me.

Oscarbravo · 09/09/2022 18:42

BBC were in black and black ties from early afternoon.

Stripedbag101 · 09/09/2022 18:42

LovelyLisa2 · 09/09/2022 18:38

My ex is a Head of Education and he wasn’t told early.

Your ex is Susan Acland-Hood?

probably shouldn’t announce that on mumsnet. It’s very outing.

BabyDreamers · 09/09/2022 18:42

They are told early yes.

Stripedbag101 · 09/09/2022 18:43

mel71 · 09/09/2022 18:36

My son has quite a senior role within the home office - I knew before he did. I should imagine a select few knew before everyone else.

I suspect he’s not that senior then😂😂😂

BabyDreamers · 09/09/2022 18:45

The blonde lady on the news actually said something like... 'she was a wonderful person' then stuttered a bit and changed it to she was a wonderful young woman when younger... or something like that. I thought then, well she's obviously dead.

Dripdropper · 09/09/2022 18:45

I heard a mum at the school gates yesterday loudly proclaiming she knew for a fact the queen had already died - her mother is “high up in a university” so had already been told the secret info.

I assumed she was exaggerating.

newfriend05 · 09/09/2022 18:48

Know someone who
Works for sky news. They were told the afternoon to clean all programs from 6 pm

Swimmingpoolsally · 09/09/2022 18:48

Whiskers4 · 08/09/2022 21:33

DH is a civil servant. He knew nothing about the Queen until he left work, odd as he works for a large organisation. Ithink it was deliberately kept from them, as he didn't even know the Queen had been taken ill.

Um the palace made an announcement mid day 😂

mel71 · 09/09/2022 18:56

Stripedbag101 · 09/09/2022 18:43

I suspect he’s not that senior then😂😂😂

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Do you feel better now? Senior enough to be the youngest ever in his position and that’s good enough for me 😊

AbreathofFrenchair · 09/09/2022 18:58

PicturesOfDogs · 08/09/2022 21:34

I heard about 4:00 from someone who works in a ‘royal’ industry, there have been countless rumours before, but this is the first time she had said something to me.
They also were told about Philips death about half an hour before it was announced.
According to her, the original announcement. Was supposed to be earlier but was delayed, presumably so the family could gather.

There’s so much that needs to happen, so hardly surprising that many people are told beforehand if they are in a role where they need to know.

Its surely common in every industry for staff to be made aware of things before official press releases

So you found out she had passed before the PM did?

I'm sorry but everyone on here who says knew is talking bollocks. If you're privy to information at that level like fuck would you announcement it on Mumsnet 🤣

MarkHemmings · 09/09/2022 19:02

No. Given the efficiency of the public service, staff would have been told after everyone else - if at all. Think of the public service as a huge, flat-footed behemoth.

Stripedbag101 · 09/09/2022 19:02

mel71 · 09/09/2022 18:56

Do you feel better now? Senior enough to be the youngest ever in his position and that’s good enough for me 😊

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I am sure you are really proud of him.

but people are on here hosting about how well connected they are. The senior leadership team I. The home office (perm sec, grade 3) will have been told.

also saying your son is the youngest every to reach a senior grade in the home office is very outing. I assume he isn’t the perm sec - but these circles being the youngest ever anything is well known.

I assume he isn’t Matthew Rycroft or Simon Ridley. But it wouldn’t take people very long to work out who a senior leader in the home office who was the youngest ever to reach that level is.

Bovrilly · 09/09/2022 19:02

I'm sorry but everyone on here who says knew is talking bollocks.

My favourite is the one about BBC reporters not only knowing before the Prime Minister, but phoning up random QCs to let them know too.

bruffin · 09/09/2022 19:06

AbreathofFrenchair · 09/09/2022 18:58

So you found out she had passed before the PM did?

I'm sorry but everyone on here who says knew is talking bollocks. If you're privy to information at that level like fuck would you announcement it on Mumsnet 🤣

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it was obvious it happened by lunch time ,i came back from lunch and was told that it was likely to have happened. I very much doubt the prime minister was only told at 4. We had an event on that evening to do with politics and guests were cancelling all afternoon