National Mourning Guidance for businesses: What the Government is advising

The advice has stated there is no obligation to suspend business but some companies and organisations may wish to consider closing or postponing events, particularly on the day of the Queen’s funeral.

The advice reads: “There is no obligation on organisations to suspend business during the National Mourning period.

"Depending on the nature and location of their business and the tone of planned events, some businesses may wish to consider closing or postponing events, especially on the day of the State Funeral, however this is at the discretion of individual businesses. Public services will continue as usual, although there may be some changes to service availability. Further guidance on any potential considerations relating to the day of the State Funeral will be issued if needed.”

There is “no obligation” for events or sporting fixtures to be cancelled, or for entertainment venues to be closed, during the period of national mourning, the Government has also said.

The guidance, published by the Cabinet Office, adds: “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.”

Organisations can acknowledge the period of national mourning by adding black edging or banners to their websites, the Government has advised.

The official guidance states: “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.”