Update 4/9: Prince Philip has died at the age of 99. It is with deep sadness that Her Majesty the Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband," the Palace said in a statement."

Original article For 71 years, Prince Philip was by Queen Elizabeth's side; in 2017, Philip made the decision to retire from his royal duties, which included ending his public appearances. Philip is the longest reigning queen in British history, having made 22,219 solo public appearances since Elizabeth became queen in 1953.

Today, both the Queen and Prince Philip are in their 90s and have specific plans for their passing. Buckingham Palace has two different and strict protocols in place in case the two of them die at any time. Last year, The Guardian (opens in new tab) revealed its plans for when the Queen dies. But what are the protocols in place for when Philip dies?

When the sad day comes, the BBC (opens in new tab) is expected to be the first media outlet to announce the prince's passing. If he died in his sleep, the announcement will likely be made at 8:00 the next morning.

Prince Philip has already requested that people not make a "big deal (opens in new tab)" about his funeral and has said that his body does not need to be laid to rest in Westminster Hall - the Palace of Westminster prepares the hall for such an event This is unusual considering that they always give six hours' notice (opens in new tab).

Philip is, of course, entitled to a grand funeral as Queen's consort. However, according to parliamentary documents (open in new tab), there is no "formal process" for "determining when a state funeral should be held for someone other than the monarch."

Philip's body will not be open to the public (open in new tab) and the funeral will likely be attended only by family, friends, and leaders of Commonwealth countries.

Prince Philip will be buried posthumously in Frogmore Gardens (open in new tab) on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The secluded 35-acre gardens are a hidden gem of the royal family. According to the Telegraph (opens in new tab), it is "where the Queen walks her corgi. Prince Philip even installed the dining room of the royal yacht, Britannia, at Frogmore House.

Frogmore is off-limits to the public and is where Prince Andrew and Prince Edward's children play, and where King George VI and Queen Mother spent their honeymoon in 1923 (opens in new tab). Queen Victoria built a mausoleum here to honor her husband, Lord Albert, who was buried next to her.

Most other members of the British royal family are buried in Westminster Abbey or St. George's Chapel, but Philip probably chose Frogmore Gardens because of its importance to his family.

If the Queen survives Philip, she is expected to enter an eight-day period of grief, during which she will relinquish her duties. This would mean that all state affairs and laws requiring Royal Permission (open in new tab) (Queen's approval) would be put on hold.

Royal Assent is one of the monarch's preliminary powers (open in new tab), which entitles the Crown to veto bills of Parliament. However, it is unlikely that any monarch would veto a bill, as the veto has not been exercised since 1707, when Queen Anne of England vetoed the Scottish Militia Bill (open in new tab). For this reason, there is no rule as to who may give consent (open in new tab) on behalf of the Queen when she is in mourning due to a state of emergency.

It is believed that after the Queen has been off work for eight days, she continues her duties behind closed doors. The United Kingdom will then enter a 30-day official royal mourning period (open in new tab), after which the queen is expected to make a public appearance and return to her responsibilities.

During Queen Victoria's reign as monarch, her husband Prince Albert died suddenly. In mourning, the queen retreated to Balmoral Castle, where she spent the next 40 years overcome with grief. Her long mourning nearly led to the collapse of the British monarchy (opens in new tab). [The order remains the same: Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and finally Prince Harry. As long as Queen Elizabeth is alive and wears the crown, the titles and positions of the members of the Royal Family will remain the same.