Advice and guidance following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 8 September 2022

Advice for arts and culture organisations in Wales – as at 1200 9 September 2022

Introduction

This document offers advice and guidance for artists and organisations in Wales following the announcement of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II shortly after 6pm Thursday 8 September 2022.

Most people in Wales and the wider the UK have known Queen Elizabeth as the UK Head of State all their lives. Following the death of Her Majesty there are particular processes and procedures that have already been planned for by the Royal Family, the Wales and UK Governments and the BBC.

But for arts and culture organisations, there are no prescribed formal processes, procedures or rules to follow. It is for you and your organisation to decide on the most appropriate actions to take, given that this is likely to be determined by:

· public mood and opinion in your locality and amongst the communities you serve

· your role in the community and, possibly as a publicly funded organisation,

· your connection to HM Queen Elizabeth II (ie, whether you are operating under Royal Charter) or had direct links with Her Majesty.

Hearing the news

A mourning period has been announced which is likely to be 12-13 days. This will come to an end on the day of the state funeral of Her Majesty. In the period leading up until then, there is likely to be a lying-in-state in Westminster Hall.

The funeral will take place in Westminster Abbey, and the day is likely to be a public holiday. For further details, please see the likely time-table for the period of mourning outlined below.

Reviewing planned activities – are they still appropriate?
 
Following the 8th September announcement, it is important to review any planned communications and activities in the light of what has happened to make sure they still feel appropriate. Do they feel respectful to the memory of the Queen or might they be perceived to offend or feel out of synch with the mood of the community, the nation and the wider UK? This might include for example:

· parties, receptions and other planned celebratory occasions
· specific arts and cultural events (for example, we understand that the BBC may postpone scheduled comedy programmes during a period of mourning). We suggest that you take into account the financial and organisational implications of cancellation of events (staffing, ticket refunds etc)
· automated communications – scheduled tweets, emails or updates

 

The following activities might form part of the planned response:
· a more detailed statement from your organisation. If you had direct links with Her Majesty, this could even be in the form of a broadcast interview and if so consider who should be the spokesperson for your organisation (Chair, CEO, Artistic Director, Director of Communications)? Ensure that appropriate clothing is on hand in your venue for them to wear.
· a book of condolence, hosted in the foyer or entrance to your venue, so that your organisation offers the chance for the community to come together. Alternatively, you may wish to direct people to the https://www.royal.uk/send-message-condolence website, where the official book of condolence is being collated.
· tributes to the person on your website or social media channels; either through a statement, an image gallery, a short film referencing that person’s involvement or impact on your work 
· if your venue has a flag, then flying it at half-mast (the suitable time period would be from the moment of announcement to the funeral)
· deciding whether or not your venue should be open or closed following the announcement and on the day of the funeral (which in this case will be a bank holiday)
· enabling people to reflect together (perhaps by welcoming people into your venue to watch the funeral, which will be televised.

It is important to stress that there are very few formal rules to follow. It is up to you to consider and formulate an appropriate response, given your organisation, your audience and your community.

You may find the following links helpful:

Further information on the time-table outlined below is available from royal.uk

Further information is available from the Welsh Government website – https://gov.wales/demise-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii-national-mourning-guidance


Appendix - Possible Scheduling for the period of official mourning (provided by Newsdirect) – please also make reference to the website Royal.uk for updates or changes

D+0 – Friday September 9

  • The King and Queen return to London – HM Charles III and Queen Consort, Camilla will stay at Balmoral overnight on Thursday but return to London on Friday.
  • Audience with the PM – King Charles’ first audience as monarch with UK Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to happen as soon as practically possible.
  • Confirming funeral plans – King Charles will meet the Earl Marshal – the Duke of Norfolk – who is in charge of the accession and the Queen’s funeral, to approve the carefully choreographed schedule for the coming days.
  • Public holiday – The UK Government will also announce that the funeral day will be a public holiday in the form of a Day of National Mourning.
  • Flags – Union flags on royal buildings will fly at half-mast. The Royal Standard never flies half-mast. It represents the Sovereign and the United Kingdom and is a symbol of the continuation of the monarchy. If the new King is in residence at a royal palace or castle, the Royal Standard will fly there full-mast as is the tradition. The Union flag does not fly there at the same time. The Union flag will also be flying half-mast over the Houses of Parliament. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is in charge of arrangements for lowering flags on UK government buildings.
  • Bells and gun salutes – Bells will toll at Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and Windsor Castle, and gun salutes – one round for every year of the Queen’s life – will be fired in Hyde Park and at other stations.  Churches are being encouraged to toll muffled bells for one hour from noon on Friday.
  • Floodlighting – floodlighting at royal residences will be turned off.
  • Service at St Paul’s Cathedral – The Prime Minister and senior ministers will attend a public service of remembrance at St Paul’s in Central London.

 D+1 – Saturday September 10

  • At 10am on the day after the Queen’s death, the Accession Council usually meets at St James’s Palace in London to formally proclaim Charles as the new sovereign.
  • First, the Privy Council gathers without the King to proclaim the new monarch and arrange business relating to the proclamation.
  • Then Charles holds his first Privy Council, accompanied by Camilla – the new Queen – and William, who are also Privy Counsellors, and makes his personal declaration and oath.
  • The first public proclamation of the new sovereign is read in the open air from the Friary Court balcony at St James’s Palace by the Garter King of Arms.
  • Proclamations are made around the city and across the country.
  • Union flags go back up to full-mast at 1pm and remain there for 24 hours to coincide with the proclamations before returning to half-mast.
  • Charles will also hold an audience with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

D+2 – Sunday September 11

  • The Queen’s coffin is expected to be taken by road to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
  • Proclamations will be read in the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland devolved legislatures in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

 D+3 – Monday September 12

  • Procession is expected along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral. Service and the Vigil of the Princes by members of the Royal Family.
  • The public may get the chance to file past the Queen’s coffin in St Giles’.
  • The House of Commons and the House of Lords are expected to come together in Westminster for a Motion of Condolence, which the King could attend.
  • After leaving England and visiting Scotland, Charles will at some stage travel to Wales and Northern Ireland – known as Operation Spring Tide.

 D+4 – Tuesday September 13

  • The coffin is expected to be flown to London. Other reports suggest travel could be on the Royal Train. It is then expected to be at rest at Buckingham Palace.
  • A rehearsal for the procession of the coffin from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster takes place.

 D+5 – Wednesday September 14

  • The Queen’s lying in state is expected to begin in Westminster Hall – Operation Marquee – following a ceremonial procession through London. It will last four full days.
  • The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a short service following the coffin’s arrival.
  • Hundreds of thousands of people will file past the coffin on its catafalque and pay their respects, just as they did for the Queen Mother’s lying in state in 2002.
  • The management of the queues outside is Operation Feather.
  • During the COVID crisis, plans included the possibility of the introduction of timed ticketing for those wanting to attend.
  • Senior royals are also expected to pay their own moving tribute, standing guard at some stage around the coffin – the tradition known as the Vigil of the Princes.

 D+6 – Thursday September 15

  • Lying in state continues and a rehearsal is likely to take place for the state funeral procession.

 D+7 – Friday September 16 – Sunday September 18

  • Lying in state continues, ending on D+9. Heads of state begin to arrive for the funeral.

 D+10 – Monday September 19

  • The Queen’s state funeral is expected take place at Westminster Abbey in central London.
  • The original plans are for the Queen’s coffin to process on a gun carriage to the abbey, pulled by naval ratings – sailors – using ropes rather than horses.
  • Senior members of the family are expected to poignantly follow behind – just like they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh.
  • The military will line the streets and also join the procession.
  • Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and key figures from public life will be invited to gather in the abbey, which can hold a congregation of 2,000.
  • The service will be televised, and a national two minutes’ silence is expected to be held.
  • The same day as the funeral, the Queen’s coffin will be taken to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for a televised committal service.
  • Later in the evening, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the royal family.
  • The Queen’s final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex to the main chapel – where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.
  • Philip’s coffin will move from the Royal Vault to the memorial chapel to join the Queen’s.