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

[Ginandpink]

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

We got notification in 2021 that the duke was terminal weeks ahead, we got no such notification today, it came 40 mins ahead of the public notification to get ready to drop the flags to half mast

St Giles service?

I knew at 4.36 pm (I checked the time).

I work in radio.

Well given the news were practically telling us she’d died in the afternoon - ‘Biden has been told, we have to be prepared that she’s probably died’ - words to that effect (why would they tell Biden the queen’s just a bit poorly??), then I’d say yes. Obviously some people have to know in order to tell otherwise otherwise no one would ever find out.

The service in Edinburgh after Hollyrood

So if “everyone” knew at 4.30, what took Harry so long to arrive?

The met knew this afternoon ( so I've heard )
It's probs just protocol.

My husband new early. Didn't tell me though. Don't blame him.

This is bullshit. The only significant event they'll have known about last Friday was the visit by Harry & Meghan.

I left work at 4.30pm and had no clue she was even unwell. No announcements of any kind.

Harry had to book his own flights!
Plus the weather is terrible too, so maybe delays ?

Family in the forces weren't officially told but there were significant changes made to plans after 5pm that indicated she had died.

beccahamlet she died at 14.37 from what I have seen.

No

Same here, also a civil servant.

Only people who specifically need to know for protocol reasons, or so they can carry out some required action (comms, lowering flags etc.) would have been told.

IT was I think fairly obvious with the lunchtime announcement - then it was just a matter of getting everything in order and those who needed to know know before the official announcement 6 hours later.

The lunchtime announcement was a shock. The one 6 hours later only was because I was waiting for a 5 then 5:30 then 6pm one and decided it would then be 7 so I was making dinner when the National Anthem started playing.

By 4pm it was fairly obvious it had either happened or was going to within the next 24 hours.

Given we saw video footage of her on Tuesday it must have been fairly quick (plus the fact that Edward/Andrew/William didnt make it) that those who were aware before the 12:45 one must be a limited number

Senior clergy knew by 5pm.

There is a strict priority of people who have to be informed, PM, privy council, etc etc before the official announcement can be made by the palace

Its not a secret and is just part of the process. So of course the formal announcement came later and people knew a bit before that because various people were being informed as part of that process and protocol, some were informally told because the announcement would be coming soon

@CombatBarbie yes really

so far today I have seen people claim that

All armed forces personnel
Everyone who works in finance in the city of London
’The Met police’ just generally not only certain members

All knew. Thousands of people telling their friends and family, so thousands more. Hours before the announcement?

I think it was quite obvious she had died way before the announcement. The speed at which the family arrived, the clearing of BBC 1 schedule etc.

I am sure most people just assumed the same, that’s she had died and then think adding their job title in gives it some credibility.

i said this on another thread but it’s the same as ‘my best friends brother works is in the Army and they are implementing Martial Law at 8pm, but they aren’t going to tell people in advance’ at the bringing of covid.

Yes hence post saying seniors and those involved would be told. Generic government civil servants aren't told. There was nothing on our websites until after 7.45pm and no emails when I last looked at 9.30. Need to know.

That was my take. ‘Medical supervision’ seemed such an odd term. I thought at the time it just meant it was imminent, but the way the family gathered and the news coverage went all somber and explosively focussed suggests it was quite certain.

Deliberately kept from them? 😂 How exactly?

I work in one of the biggest civil services depts and we all knew she was ill from the alerts on our phones! Unless you work in MI5 or somewhere and can't have your phone at work, they do not have ways of keeping the news from civil servants.

Does he not have internet access at work? I can’t see how a workplace could deliberately hide a huge breaking news story to their employees.

yes, not necessarily told explicitly but you can tell from the actions of certain people in the organisation if you’re close to them (like the comms dept).

I’m not in comms, but we knew what was happening by hints this morning from another govt dept that had been told to bring a black tie to work this am that it was likely and when we saw the wording of the first announcement by the palace at lunchtime we knew to expect news of her passing this eve. We know how it works and we didn’t need to be explicitly told what it all meant.

There are protocols to follow and it’s all a carefully planned process many people in govt have been prepared for forever and a day.