Ariana Baio
Sep 17, 2022
Video
It has been 70 years since people of the UK have had to recall the traditions and procedures set in place when a monarch dies but following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, people are reminded of the customs used to honor Her Majesty.
Some, like the period of mourning or the new sovereign delivering a speech the day of the predecessor's death are well-known traditions.
Others, like declaring the day of the funeral a Bank Holiday, are not.
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We've compiled a list of 10 real, and fake, traditions used after The Queen dies.
Do you know which of these are real? Take our quiz to find out.
1. Everyone has to wear black
Traditionally, people wear entirely black outfits when mourning the death of a person. So when it comes to the death of a monarch, isn't the public expected to wear black for 12 days?
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Answer: false
Only members of the Royal Family must adhere to traditional mourning clothes, the public does not. Although many newscasters opted for all-black outfits out of respect for Her Majesty.
2. Telling the bees
In the 18th and 19th century some people believed that keeping the bees informed of major life events like deaths or births would bring good fortune to the colony.
It may just be an old saying now but given its root in history do the bees need to be informed of The Queen's death?
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Answer: true
Although it is not required, its tradition that the royal beekeeper inform the bees of The Queen's passing. Royal beekeeper John Chapple told Daily Mail that he placed black ribbons on the hives after telling them.
\u201cRoyal Beekeepers: I regret to inform you, your queen is dead.\n\nRoyal Bees: No, she\u2019s right here actually. She\u2019s fine.\n\nRoyal Beekeepers: Charles is now in charge.\n\nRoyal Bees: What the fuck is a Charles\u201d— Leon Barillaro (@Leon Barillaro) 1662833023
3. No comedy for 12 days
In honour of the late monarch, there is a traditional 12-day mourning period in which several public events may be affected so the public may turn their attention toward The Queen.
Rumors swirled years ago that BBC One would cease all comedy programming for the 12 days following the death of The Queen, but is this true?
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Answer: true
BBC One has suspended comedy shows during the mourning period and moved most of its lineup to rolling coverage of The Queen. Other popular TV shows were moved to BBC Two.
\u201cHas BBC Comedy been suspended?\nHow would be able tell?\u201d— KunoLittlestHeroDogo (@KunoLittlestHeroDogo) 1663007759
4. No other funeral may take place during The Queen's
The Queen's official funeral will be held 19 September which King Charles III declared it a Bank Holiday for the UK.
Plenty of businesses are planning to close on Monday and with all the attention directed at The Queen it seems that other funerals may not be allowed to take place.
Are other funerals halted while The Queen's occurs?
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Answer: false
There is no protocol that insists other funerals may not take place during The Queen's, however, it is up to the individual funeral service business if they are open Monday.
\u201cWoman talking to James O'Brien - her mother's funeral has been cancelled for next Monday. This seems like a step too far for me.\u201d— Duchess Sam Malin and the boy cat Lucy (@Duchess Sam Malin and the boy cat Lucy) 1662977538
5. An ancient stone will be moved
Called the Stone of Destiny, this ancient stone was initially used in Scottish coronations but was seized by the King of England, Edward I in the 13th century.
But as the Scottish and English crowns have merged is's become a historic part of both histories. So is it tradition to break it out after a new heir assumes the throne?
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Answer: true
The Historic Environment Scotland (HES), which manages Edinburgh Castle, announced that the stone will be used in King Charles III's coronation before and then brought back to the castle's Crown Room.
\u201cI was just reading that um...that The Stone of Destiny will be moved to London for King Charles' coronation\u201d— Movie Mindset (@Movie Mindset) 1663096073
6. New money will be printed
Queen Elizabeth II has been prominently features on banknotes for approximately 32 years to reflect her reign.
But now that she's passed one could assume the Bank of England will need to print all money with King Charles III's face on it. Does this mean banknotes with the Queen's face are no longer valid?
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Answer: true
Bank notes with The Queen's face on them will still be considered legal tender but the Bank of England will print money with King Charles's face on it sometime after the period of mourning has ended.
\u201cNo matter your thoughts on the monarchy, it's impossible to deny that a huge part of the UK's identity has gone with the Queen. Just thinking how she'll no longer be on bank notes or stamps is shocking - she was a constant in all our lives. Truly an end of an era, a huge moment\u201d— Andrew Gentry (@Andrew Gentry) 1662668794
7. People must leave flowers outside the Palace
Traditionally when a person dies, friends and family send flowers to the funeral parlor or leave them at their grave site. Things are no different for a monarch.
Thousands of flowers were left outside Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace in memory of The Queen over the last week.
So are citizens of the UK encouraged to leave flowers outside of Buckingham Palace?
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Answer: false
Although the public may leave flowers it is not required.
\u201cThe Prince and Princess of Wales and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet members of the public and view the flowers and messages that have been left outside Windsor Castle in tribute to The Queen.\u201d— The Royal Family (@The Royal Family) 1662835605
8. No alcohol may be served during the mourning period
We already know the period of mourning reflects a series and sombre time to allow the public to pay respects to The Queen.
Alcohol is often used as a celebratory measure. Does this mean pubs and restaurants are prohibited from serving alcohol for the 12 days the country mourns?
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Answer: false.
There are no traditions or rules that prohibit the public from drinking during the period of mourning.
\u201cOut of respect for the dead Queen of England I am going to drink a glass of alcohol\u201d— grodaeu (@grodaeu) 1663101983
9. Sports matches must be cancelled
The UK has been prepared for the Queen's death for years. Operation London Bridge and Operation Unicorn are both well-known procedural lists that indicate what should, and should not, happen after Her Majesty dies.
But last week people were slightly confused to whether sports matches would continue to go on.
Aren't sports matches required to cancel following The Queen's death?
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Answer: false
Although The Football Association chose to cancel matches in honor of The Queen, the government offered no official guidance on whether or not it was required.
\u201cFootball cancelled on Saturday because of the Queen\u201d— HY (@HY) 1662651416
10. UK citizens will be issued new passports
Going from a female monarch to a male monarch means there will be a plethora of small changes needed like making the British National Anthem "God Save the King".
So what about passports that contain the words "Her Majesty"? Are UK citizens now going to be issued new passports to reflect the new monarch's pronouns?
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Answer: true- kind of.
New passports will be printed to reflect King Charles III by saying "His Majesty", however, any passports that are unexpired will remain valid until their expiration date with "Her Majesty".
\u201cSo now that the queen\u2019s gone, I\u2019m pretty sure that means british people\u2019s passports are now invalid. So that means they\u2019re all trapped there on their funky little island and we don\u2019t have to deal with them anymore\u201d— Bree (@Bree) 1662738093
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