Queen Elizabeth II dies: Monarch's body could pass through Doncaster ahead of funeral

Buckingham Palace confirmed the death of Her Majesty late this afternoon. She is succeeded by her son, King Charles III.

Elaborate plans for what happens in the event of Her Majesty's death have been drawn up for many years.

Previous plans have said that if she were to pass away at her Highland retreat in Scotland, then her body would be brought back to London along the East Coast Main Line - with thousands of people expected to gather at Doncaster to pay their respects as the train passes through.

In an article in 2017, The Guardian said: "The most elaborate plans are for what happens if she passes away at Balmoral, where she spends three months of the year.

"The coffin will be carried up the Royal Mile to St Giles’s Cathedral, for a service of reception, before being put on board the Royal Train at Edinburgh Waverley station for a sad progress down the East Coast Main Line.

"Crowds are expected at level crossings and on station platforms the length of the country – from Musselburgh and Thirsk in the north, to Peterborough and Hatfield in the south – to throw flowers on the passing train.

"Another locomotive will follow behind, to clear debris from the tracks."

Because The Queen's death is such a significant event, a plan has already been meticulously laid out for what will happen now the monarch has passed away.

There’s a secret code word for when the Queen dies - and the code word forms a central part as it will be used to inform the prime minister of the news.

According to the newspaper, the leader of the time – Liz Truss, who only became Prime Minister on Tuesday - will be woken from their sleep if necessary and told by civil servants that ‘London Bridge is down’.

The prime minister will know this means Queen Elizabeth II has passed away and that a series of events will follow in what has been called Operation London Bridge.

Notifying foreign governments will form a key part of the first tasks and will be handled by the Foreign Office – who will tell 15 governments outside the UK.

The message will then be passed to the 36 other nations in the Commonwealth for who the Queen was still a figurehead.

A newsflash was posted by the Press Association to inform the world’s media simultaneously.

Meanwhile, blue lights begin flashing at commercial radio stations which alerted DJs to switch to the news and play ‘inoffensive music’ in the meantime.

Newscasters on TV screens will also wear black attire with news likely to dominate most channels for weeks.

Officially, Britain will enter a period of mourning for 12 days.

Prince Charles becomes King Charles III. The words to the National Anthem and new postage stamps and currency will be minted and printed to reflect his ascension to the throne.

Before being buried, the Queen’s body will ‘lie in state’ in public viewing in Westminster Hall open for 23 hours a day until the funeral.

The funeral will take place 12 days after the Queen’s death.

The state funeral will begin by her coffin being taken to Westminster Abbey by gun carriage, where it will be led by Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

Following the funeral, the Queen’s body could be laid to rest in a number of places.

Many speculate she could be buried at her properties in either Balmoral or Sandringham.

While other reports suggest she would be buried in a plot next to her father King George VI at the St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.