The Day The Queen Died: Minute by Minute

In this ninety-minute documentary, journalists, parliamentarians, historians and royal insiders recount the events of that memorable day. A press pool photographer took the last public images of the Queen on Tuesday 6th September, as the monarch swore in her fifteenth Prime Minister, Liz Truss. It’s widely believed that despite her failing health, the Queen stayed on for as long as she could to fulfil that last official duty, before letting go.

The programme adopts a timeline to trace the day’s events, starting with early morning indications of concern within government circles, to the interruption of Parliamentary proceedings on camera, as well as the significant journeys made to Scotland by the Queen’s immediate family.

The nation held its breath for each new Palace announcement, and when the Queen’s death was announced at 6.30 pm, it was thought that Prince William, his uncles the Princes Andrew and Edward, and the Countess of Wessex, had made it to Balmoral in time to say goodbye. It is well-known now that the Queen died at 3.10 pm, while her close family were still airborne. Her grandson Prince Harry travelled separately, and his arrival was delayed by nearly five hours.

The documentary also examines “London Bridge”, the secret plan drawn up for Queen Elizabeth’s death with her approval and input and rehearsed for decades by officials and broadcasters. Once her life ended, London Bridge was rolled out alongside its companion strategy Operation Unicorn, which provided what would happen in the event of her passing in Scotland.

This is the revealing minute-by-minute story of a momentous day in our history, told by Royal insiders who saw it happen, and by the experts who planned for it, as one monarch’s reign came to an end and our present royal chapter began.

The Day The Queen Died: Minute by Minute, Channel 5, 9 pm