Source Reveals The Funeral Shutdowns In The UK Are Not What The Royal Family Really Wants
As the United Kingdom prepares for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on Monday, September 19, many companies are making plans of their own. While there were well-documented plans of what was to occur following the death of the queen, they mainly focused on how the royals would announce the death, the funeral procession, and events surrounding the new King Charles III, per Politico. Travel was expected to be a challenge following the queen's death, but shutting down businesses was not part of the royal plan. Still, many businesses have taken it upon themselves to honor the queen by halting services.
Many companies announced that they would be putting things on pause on the day of the queen's funeral. Some of the more bizarre ones include British Cycling, which asked all cyclists to avoid riding bikes on September 19, and Holiday Villages, which asked their guests to leave on the day of the funeral and return the following day so staff could watch the funeral without tending to guests.
Both of these announcements were later withdrawn following backlash, per Yahoo! News. Beyond this, even more companies have announced shutdowns – but is the royal family behind them?
The royal family wants little disruption to UK businesses during the funeral
As companies announce shutdowns amid Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, many are left wondering if the royal family is behind them. According to Yahoo! News, the sudden national holiday has left many companies shutting down with little notice. Supermarkets like Tesco and Aldi have announced closures on September 19, as have retailers like Primark and Ikea. Even Mcdonald's has announced that all of their Britain-based restaurants will close. One of the biggest disruptions is the announcement by the National Health Service (NHS), which has canceled doctor's appointments and surgeries scheduled for the day of the funeral.
But while many may be quick to blame the royal family, a royal source has revealed that this is not what they want. "While we appreciate people wanting to commemorate the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth appropriately and respectfully, it is up to individual organisations to decide how they do that, balancing it with the need to cause minimum disruption to others," this source told the Daily Mail. "There have been no blanket instructions from the Royal Household for cancellations of events, services or transport links."