Why in news? 

Britain’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, died on September 8 at the age of 96. Her death at her Scottish estate, Balmoral Castle, was announced by Buckingham Palace

‘Operation Unicorn’

• Plans for the Queen’s death and the accession of Charles, 73, to the British throne are code named Operation London Bridge and Operation Spring Tide
• The plans provide details from the “London bridge is down” code used to convey news of the monarch’s passing to the Prime Minister, to design changes to government websites to mark the occasion.
• If the Queen dies in Balmoral — as she has — another set of steps called ‘Operation Unicorn’ is triggered, according to a 2021 report from Politico.Her body, as per this protocol, is to be brought to London by train or by plane and will be received by Ms. Truss in London.
• The funeral, is expected to be held on the tenth day following the Queen’s death.

About the Queen

• The Queen was the titular head of 14 Commonwealth countries, including Australia and New Zealand. Barbados became a Republic last November after nearly 400 years of colonial rule.

Longest-serving monarch

• In 2015, she overtook her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria’s reign of 63 years, seven months and two days to become the longest-serving monarch in British history.