Amid Queen Elizabeth II's passing, so many things changed at lightspeed. As King Charles III prepared to make a televised address after his mother's death - and his immediate accession of the throne - many aspects of royal life were already shifting.
Fans following the news of the late Queen's seemingly sudden illness were shocked when heading to social media to see what was happening, and seeing that titles were already being rewritten and history was changing before their eyes.
It turns out, there's an intricate plan in place in the event that the British monarch passes away, and that includes social media management.
According to royal guidelines, there are some specific title changes that happen immediately upon a monarch's passing, while others are more formal and must be given versus inherited.
But fans who were skimming social media as the announcement came that Queen Elizabeth had passed noticed that some changes were near-immediate. For example, though it's understood that Camilla would become Queen Consort as soon as Charles acceded to the throne, social media titles and profiles were switched within hours of the late Queen's passing.
Related: Camilla Parker Bowles Reportedly Breaks With The Royal Family Over This Major Controversy
Eagle-eyed fans noticed right away, for example, that Camilla Parker Bowles' Instagram account (ostensibly not managed by the Queen Consort herself) shifted quickly. The Instagram account @duchessofcornwallsreadingroom had a description that elaborated on the fact that the account was the Duchess of Cornwall's The Reading Room account, where she had some involvement in helping followers to "discover new books each season."
View this post on Instagram
Mere hours after Queen Elizabeth's passing, the description on the account now reads "Join HM The Queen Consort in The Reading Room..." Clearly, the change was inevitable - though there's no word on whether the account's handle will change - but in the modern age, these title changes happened at lightspeed.
Yet that's exactly the point, apparently. It turns out there was a specific plan in place to address the Queen's passing, and it's called Operation London Bridge.
While social media is one very visible way fans of the royal family were able to see what was changing, NPR notes that the British government's "intricate protocol" is called Operation London Bridge.
The plans were apparently leaked in fall of 2021, and although some changes may have been made since, it's clear that much of the plan was being carried out immediately after the news broke that the Queen had passed.
Related: How Much Is Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall Worth?
Operation London Bridge is outlined in an almost itinerary-like fashion, with Day Zero marking the day that the monarch's passing was announced. The royal household notified the public of the Queen's passing, and her son immediately becomes King Charles III and Camilla the Queen Consort.
View this post on Instagram
The London Bridge protocol also includes a nod to the internet; the royal family posted a Book of Condolence on the website, and of course, other social media changes took place then as well. It follows that there's some more detailed protocol regarding title changes on social media, because an important shift happened.
After the Queen's passing, because Charles became King and Camilla Queen Consort, that means the couple is no longer the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
View this post on Instagram
Now, William and Kate are Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge; another subtle social media change that happened immediately.
Related: Harry Travels To Scotland To See Ailing Queen Elizabeth, But Meghan Refuses To Go
Some title changes will take time, however; per guidelines, Harry and Meghan will remain Duke and Duchess of Sussex unless Charles issues another title, according to various sources. Of course, since they were booed and called "fake royals," it doesn't seem that Britain is very friendly toward the two.
William, however, may take his father's formal title, Prince of Wales, which would make his wife Princess of Wales.
Because Queen Elizabeth II was Britain's longest-reigning monarch, the NY Times recalled, times have surely changed since her coronation. Elizabeth II took the throne in 1953, and her coronation was the first to be broadcast on TV.
She was also, of course, the first British monarch to have social media during her reign. While tradition still reigns in England, Operation London Bridge clearly included plenty of modern adjustments like internet websites, social media taglines, and other means of information sharing.
Because of that plan, people all over the world knew about the Queen's passing as soon as the government determined it should be publicized - and mourning for the beloved monarch began immediately.