Not only will there be a new royal leader of the United Kingdom after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, but things around the country – from the national anthem to money – will change as well.
After the announcement of the monarch's death Thursday, her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, 73, became King Charles III.
Plans had been in motion for the queen's death for years, known as Operation London Bridge, as well as plans to begin the king's reign, known as Operation Spring Tide. But there are still things that will change in coming days, months and possibly years. Here are some things expected to be different in the U.K.:
The national anthem
The national anthem for the U.K. is "God Save the Queen." With Charles on the throne, the name will change to "God Save the King."
All lyrics will stay the same, except mentions of the queen will change to "king." All pronouns in the anthem will also be changed to "he" and "him."
Money
All currency in the UK, known as the pound sterling, features the queen's portrait, which will eventually be replaced with the king's portrait. The Guardian reports about 4.5 billion bank notes are in circulation with the queen's portrait, and it would take at least two years before the king appeared on them.
The queen also appears on some bank notes and coins in Canada and other Commonwealth nations, but the status of new portraits is unclear in those countries.
What experts say about the situation
"It's well within the British government's right to place limits on delegation sizes," said Lewis Lukens, who served served as deputy chief of mission of the U.S. Embassy in London from 2016-2019.
British authorities don't try to determine who gets invited to an event such as a royal funeral, "they let the countries decide who (participates)," Lukens said.
If, for example, Biden and the first lady had not been able to attend and the U.S. decided to send Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the "Brits would be OK with that," Lukens said.
In some cases, the British government might make an exception and allow the U.S. to bring a larger delegation because of the special relationship between the two longtime allies. But not in this case because of “high demand” for seats, Lukens said.
Even if Biden had been allowed to bring ex-presidents with him, Trump probably would not have been invited, political analysts said.
The animosity between the two men is so poisonous – Trump still refuses to accept the results of the 2020 election, while Biden accused Trump and MAGA Republicans in a prime-time address of threatening the very foundations of democracy – that it’s unfathomable that Biden would ask Trump to join him at the queen’s funeral, political analysts said.
"Trump never so much as acknowledged Biden’s win in 2020, and for all sorts of well-documented and well-understood reasons, Trump represents a distinct threat to our own democracy," said William Howell, a political scientist at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. "The honorable thing, right now, is not to bring Trump back into the fold."
Former presidents have historically been called on to represent the country at such events as a way to demonstrate American friendship, goodwill and respect, Engel said. Trump, however, is different, Engel said, noting the former U.S. president's unpo[CENSORED]rity with the British public.
Just 32% of people in the U.K. expressed confidence that Trump would do the right thing regarding world affairs in a Pew Research Center survey in January 2020.
Politics aside, there’s an even more practical reason for Trump to stay away from the queen's funeral, Engel said. “One shouldn't do anything that's going to overshadow the person who died,” he said. “And the (queen’s) funeral is not about the American presidents or American politics. The funeral is about honoring the longest-serving sovereign in British history. If Trump were to go, that's all we will be talking about.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/09/09/changes-uk-queen-elizabeth-iis-death-money/8025370001/