National Mourning Guidance on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The Government has now published the following guidance: The Demise of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: National Mourning Guidance. 

The guidance includes advice for museums, galleries, and entertainment events, as well as about websites and social media, which you or your organisation and your board/governing body may find useful.  

The guidance states that: 

“Mourning is very personal and we anticipate individuals, families, communities and organisations may want to mark Her Majesty’s demise in their own way. There is no expectation on the public or organisations to observe specific behaviours during the mourning period.

Public services will continue as usual, although there may be some changes to service availability on the day of the State Funeral.”

And goes on to share information in these areas:

Major events, entertainment and sport

There is no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures, or close entertainment venues during the National Mourning period. This is at the discretion of individual organisations. As a mark of respect, organisations might wish to consider cancelling or postponing events or closing venues on the day of the State Funeral. They are under no obligation to do so and this is entirely at the discretion of individual organisations.

If sporting fixtures or events are planned for the day of the State Funeral, organisations may want to adjust the event timings so they do not clash with the timings of the funeral service and associated processions. As a mark of respect, and in keeping with the tone of National Mourning, organisers may wish to hold a period of silence and/or play the National Anthem at the start of events or sporting fixtures, and players may wish to wear black armbands.

Websites and social media

Online communication channels can also be used to reflect the demise of Her Majesty and participate in the period of National Mourning. Organisations can acknowledge the mourning period by making changes to the homepage of their website, for example, with the use of black edging or black banners.

Organisations and individuals may also wish to share their memories of Her Majesty online. There is no set way to mark the passing of Her Majesty on social media. Organisations may wish to review their planned content for the period.

Any changes to websites or social media pages should take into consideration accessibility requirements for visually impaired users.

Public museums and galleries

Public museums, galleries or similar venues are not obliged to close during the National Mourning period. Organisations may choose to close on the day of the State Funeral, however there is no obligation to do so and this is at the discretion of individual organisations. As with other organisations, these institutions may wish to display or share images of previous Royal visits, particularly if they are one of Her Majesty’s patronages.

At the Arts Council

Following advice from Government, I can confirm our day-to-day work will continue, including making funding decisions and communicating these directly with applicants. However, during the mourning period, we will not be making any announcements or sharing any communications outside of our business-as-usual activity. 

The Royal Family have also published an online condolence book which you may wish to contribute to or share with your colleagues. 

Read our statement on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II