Following yesterday’s announcement of the death of Her Majesty The Queen, we would like to confirm some of the arrangements which have been put in place for the period of national mourning. The period of National Mourning will continue until the end of the day of the State Funeral, which will be confirmed by government in due course.
In particular, the public should note that the Council is cancelling all of its events and public-facing meetings (including the meeting of Full Council and public meetings across the islands) which had been scheduled for dates within the period of mourning.
Books of Condolence
Books of Condolence are now in place in the parish churches on St Agnes, Bryher, Tresco and St Martin’s and are accessible at any time during the mourning period.
The condolence book located in the parish church on St Mary’s is accessible between 9am and 6pm everyday throughout this period. You can also access a condolence book in the Old Wesleyan Chapel between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
There is also an online condolence book, which you can add a message to at the following link: https://www.royal.uk/send-message-condolence
Floral tributes
Floral tributes may be left outside the Old Wesleyan Chapel at any time during the period of mourning.
Proclamations and flag raising
His Majesty The King will be proclaimed at the Accession Council at 10am tomorrow (Saturday, 10 September 2022) in the State Apartments of St James's Palace, London.
Following this, a proclamation will be made locally. Arrangements for the date, time and location of this proclamation will be confirmed shortly.
In recognition of the new Sovereign, flags will be flown at full-mast from the time of the Principal Proclamation at St James's Palace until one hour after the Proclamations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, after which flags will return to half-mast in mourning for the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
Memorial Services
We will provide an update on memorial services to be held on the islands as soon as arrangements have been confirmed.
Impacts on Council services, meetings and events
As a mark of respect, the Council is cancelling all public meetings and events for the duration of the national period of mourning.
This means that Full Council on Thursday, 15 September has been cancelled, along with all of the public meetings we had scheduled between 12 and 14 September.
The Emergency Services Day scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday, 10 September) has also been cancelled.
Government guidance allows for our services to run as normal, however this may not be the case on the day of the funeral. We will update the public about arrangements for this day as soon as they have been confirmed.
National guidance and official statements relating to the death of Her Majesty The Queen can be found on the government website and will be updated regularly over the coming days.
More information about Her Majesty The Queen’s life and reign can be found on The Royal Family website.
Please continue to check the sources linked to above and our website for the latest updates.