Preparing for the End

BATTLING CANCER, KING CHARLES III PREPARES FOR THE INEVITABLE AND LOOKS TO HIS LEGACY - AFTER WAITING MORE THAN 70 YEARS TO WEAR THE CROWN.

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ITS code name is “Operation Menai Bridge.” Named after a suspension bridge in Wales — a nod to King Charles III’s longtime role as the Prince of Wales — it’s a minute-by-minute plan that will begin to unfurl the moment of the 75-year-old’s death. First the prime minister of the United Kingdom will be informed, followed by key personnel, setting the plan into motion. What will follow is the official announcement of his demise, the period of official mourning and the details of his state funeral. “The business of planning his funeral has already begun,” says an insider. “Unpleasant as it seems.”

In fact, as viewers of The Crown have seen, the monarch’s funeral prep begins almost as soon as he ascends the throne. But with Charles battling cancer, insiders tell Star the monumental task — Charles’ mother Queen Elizabeth II’s 2022 death involved 10 days of events and 100 heads of state and thousands of military personnel — has become more urgent. “The palace is giving the impression that Charles is on the mend, but he’s still very sick,” says an insider. “Still, he’s the king and palace officials are practical enough to know death is a possibility.”