# Death of the Queen/President **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 24, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747 "2015-08-24T18:13:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/21 "2015-08-24T22:20:13Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > Eisenhower attended the funeral of her father. When George VI died in early 1952, Ike was President of Columbia University, not President of the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/22 "2015-08-24T22:21:03Z")
Yeah, the Queen only does short hops to Europe now and spends the rest of the time going up and down the UK. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/23 "2015-08-24T22:27:21Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > When George VI died in early 1952, Ike was President of Columbia University, not President of the United States. You’re right. I can’t find any sources saying Truman was there. ---
**Author:** ![Grotonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c2a13f/32.png) [@Grotonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grotonian)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/24 "2015-08-24T22:40:59Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > You’re right. I can’t find any sources saying Truman was there. It might in this ten minute video of George VI’s funeral. I watched the first 3 minutes and it’s terrible, but I assume at some point they must show the notables in attendance. > **[NAVAL RECORD OF THE FUNERAL OF KING GEORGE VI ( aka NAVAL GUN CARRIAGE )](https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/206862/)** > > The+Royal+Navy+draw+the+gun+carriage+bearing+the+coffin+of+King+George+VI. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/25 "2015-08-24T22:49:24Z")
Back then most TV (still a small section of the population) and radio programmes were cancelled for several days; I doubt that would happen now. ---
**Author:** ![Grotonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c2a13f/32.png) [@Grotonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grotonian)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/26 "2015-08-24T22:52:52Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > Back then most TV (still a small section of the population) and radio programmes were cancelled for several days; I doubt that would happen now. Also, I was surprised to read that the U.S. House and Senate voted to adjourn “out of regard for the king.” I would support such a move for QEII, but I think it’s more likely the Congress would give her a moment of silence and move on. > **[BBC ON THIS DAY | 6 | 1952: King George VI dies in his sleep](http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/6/newsid_2711000/2711265.stm)** > > His Majesty, King George VI, dies peacefully in his sleep at Sandringham House, aged 56. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/27 "2015-08-24T23:44:34Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > He was infact a British Monarch, not just a _reigning_ one.😉 By the same token 4 US Presidents have died since 1963. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’d say the most recent “big” funeral was Pope John Paul II’s in 2005. He had been Pope for twenty-seven years and was a well-known figure. But even so there wasn’t round-the-clock coverage of his funeral. IIRC there was round the clock coverage of the Papal deathwatch and a few cases of anchors jumping the gun and prematurely announcing his death. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/28 "2015-08-24T23:48:16Z")
There was an article recently about all the planning that is in place for the Queen’s death and how big a deal it would be. Remember that a lot of Commonwealth realms will be changing the image on their currency when it happens - that alone will cost millions. BBC will stop broadcasting its regular schedule for 24x7 coverage of the funeral, the Queens life, etc. So if it happens right before the last Sherlock episode, expect the world to explode :). It will be a BFD. Here is an article (I don’t think its the one I remember): [What Happens When Queen Elizabeth II Dies](http://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-when-queen-elizabeth-ii-dies-2015-3?r=UK&IR=T) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/29 "2015-08-25T00:05:17Z")
> [@The\_Angry\_Badger](#): > > That said, I doubt the Queen would attend the US President’s funeral, even if he died in office; she’s just too old. A Transatlantic flight is too much of a risk for someone of that age. I expect Charles would go in her place (probably with the PM in tow). She doesn’t really do foreign funerals anyways. AFAIK she’s only ever attended one in her life (King Baudouin of Belgium), and London is closer to Brussels than it is to a good chunk of the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/30 "2015-08-25T00:33:26Z")
The BBC _rehearses_ what to do when the Queen dies. (Perhaps not so unusual as newspapers prepare obituaries for any prominent person, just in case.) I remember seeing an interview with a BBC newsreader. As I remember, he said that when he was hired, he was expected to have a black suit tailored and then to keep that suit in the office, just in case. And some people were offended when the [newsreader on the BBC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sissons#BBC) wore a dark red tie (rather than a traditionally black one) when announcing the death of the Queen Mother. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/31 "2015-08-25T00:36:28Z")
> [@APB](#): > > Actually, it will be the innumerable minor changes to everyday life that will probably generate the most interest. Basic stuff, such as the new banknotes, coins, stamps etc, will create acres of media coverage in Britain for months on end. I think this is an important factor. With all due respect to people like Nelson Mandela or the Duke of Windsor or Diana Spencer, they were private citizens at the time of their deaths. Their deaths did not portent a change in government policies the way the death of a sitting President or a Monarch or a Pope would. When Mandela, for example, died there was no need to discuss who his successor would be - he had already been succeeded years earlier. So the absence of this cuts down on a lot of the media coverage. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/32 "2015-08-25T00:46:29Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > There was an article recently about all the planning that is in place for the Queen’s death and how big a deal it would be. Remember that a lot of Commonwealth realms will be changing the image on their currency when it happens - that alone will cost millions. Hardly. The existing currency will continue to circulate. As it’s replaced in the normal course, the replacement currency will have a new design. But the costs of issuing the new currency would have been borne anyway; the only additional cost will be introducing the new design. It’s not a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/33 "2015-08-25T00:54:11Z")
I just want Elizabeth to last at least until Sept 9th of this year, She will then be the longest reigning British monarch, edging out her g-g-grandmother Victoria. Assuming Charles survives his mother and comes to the throne, he will be the oldest ever at accession. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/34 "2015-08-25T01:15:05Z")
I am from the U.S., and if Elizabeth II leaves us before I do - and that is no sure thing despite the decades she has on me - I will be glued to the tv, in the way I never was for the marriages and funerals of her various relatives. Sure, I’ve seen popes and presidents and the odd royal go to the final reward, but this is _ **Elizabeth** _. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/35 "2015-08-25T01:29:45Z")
> [@j666](#): > > I am from the U.S., and if Elizabeth II leaves us before I do - and that is no sure thing despite the decades she has on me - I will be glued to the tv, in the way I never was for the marriages and funerals of her various relatives. > > Sure, I’ve seen popes and presidents and the odd royal go to the final reward, but this is _ **Elizabeth** _. The majority of British citizens will remember no other monarch. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/36 "2015-08-25T02:02:05Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I just want Elizabeth to last at least until Sept 9th of this year, [**This page**](http://www.academia.edu/3662753/When_will_Queen_Elizabeth_II_have_reigned_for_longer_than_Queen_Victoria) tells of Buckingham Palace figuring it out to the nth degree, including all the leap years in Victoria’s and Elizabeth’s reigns, to the evening of Sept. 9. > [@](#): > > Indeed, dates ranging from September 8th to September 12th could be found in various different sources, including the Guinness Book of Records. However, Buckingham Palace has now completed its own very specific calculations (to the hour!) and have made a fresh claim that they, I am sure, believe will become the official ‘truth’. > > The Palace took into account not only the leap year, as I have done, but also the specific hours of succession (the time of day that Victoria’s uncle died, for example) and the time of Victoria’s death, and have concluded that it is actually the evening of September 9th 2015 when Elizabeth II will become the longest serving monarch. Apparently the palace didn’t or won’t reveal the particular hour. But the Queen Mother lived for more than a century, so I wouldn’t place any bets on the length of the second Elizabethan Age. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/37 "2015-08-25T02:07:47Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > Apparently the palace didn’t or won’t reveal the particular hour. They probably don’t know, since George VI died in his sleep when nobody else was around. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/38 "2015-08-25T02:35:32Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I just want Elizabeth to last at least until Sept 9th of this year, She will then be the longest reigning British monarch, edging out her g-g-grandmother Victoria. Assuming Charles survives his mother and comes to the throne, he will be the oldest ever at accession. It’s really quite remarkable how long Charles has been waiting. King Felipe VI of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands are both two decades younger than him. They each ascended the throne at 46. Charles will be 67 in November and nada. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/39 "2015-08-25T02:46:58Z")
I am the daughter of a 91 year old mother. When I compare Elizabeth II’s mental state with my mother’s I’m astonished at what good shape she is in. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747/40 "2015-08-25T02:50:05Z")
> [@Marion\_Wormer](#): > > I am the daughter of a 91 year old mother. When I compare Elizabeth II’s mental state with my mother’s I’m astonished at what good shape she is in. Liz might be a robot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-of-the-queen-president/728747.md?page=3)