While Australians slept on the night of September 8, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully surrounded by her family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She was the longest-ever reigning monarch, serving 70 years on the throne.
In the past, major events in the lives of the British royal family have been marked with a public holiday or bank holiday in Commonwealth countries. So, will there be a day of national mourning in Australia?
According to leaked plans of the Queen’s funeral arrangements, known as ‘Operation London Bridge', there will be an official day of mourning. The plans, leaked by Politico last year, suggest the funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey in London in ten days, and a commonwealth-wide two-minute silence will be held at noon Greenwich Meantime, 9pm AEST. It has now been officially confirmed that the funeral will take place on September 19.
However, Australia's official ‘day of mourning’ will take place on September 22, and a national public holiday has been announced to coincide with this.
There may also be another day off to mark the coronation of the Queen's successor, His Majesty King Charles III. While there will already be detailed plans in place for the coronation, it will not be a hurried ceremony and will almost certainly take place early next year.