Will Liverpool and Everton Premier League fixtures be cancelled following the death of the Queen?

Britain’s longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away aged 96 at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon.

She was surrounded by her children and grand-children at the royal estate in Scotland after concerns grew about her health over the course of the day.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

“The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

The flag at Buckingham Palace has been lowered to half mast.

Following the Queen’s death, her eldest son will lead the country as King Charles III.

Will football fixtures be cancelled when the Queen dies?

The passing of the Queen starts a period of mourning across the United Kingdom, as detailed in a document called ‘Operation London Bridge’ in England and ‘Operation Unicorn’ in Scotland.

As part of that plan, which is set out for the nine days following the monarch’s death, sports fixtures would indeed be postponed, athough it is at the discretion of the ruling body.

The Premier League are yet to make an official statement on the postponement of matches or rescheduling of fixtures. The EFL has cancelled it’s weekend matches.

Liverpool are due to play Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Saturday, while Everton face a trip to Arsenal on Sunday.

Thursday’s European fixtures for Arsenal, West Ham and Manchester United are all going ahead.

The Gunners’ Europa League game against FC Zurich saw a minute’s silence held at half-time following the announcement of the Queen’s death.

Manchester United said both teams will wear black armbands and the flags at Old Trafford will fly at half-mast for the match against Real Sociedad.

Various other events would also be cancelled, while the Stock Exchange would close, and Parliament would hastily reconvene if not in session.

Flags across the country would be put to half mast, and TV and radio stations would broadcast alternative schedules.

What was cancelled in the wake of Princess Diana’s death?

When Princess Diana tragically passed away on Sunday August 31st 1997, a number of events were cancelled or postponed.

From a footballing perspective, a Premier League match between Liverpool and Newcastle United that was due to take place later in the day was called off.

Likewise, all Football League matches that were scheduled to take place on Saturday 6 September were either moved to the previous Friday or the following Sunday as the nation observed the day of Diana’s funeral. There were no Premier League matches scheduled due to international fixtures.

Ten days after Princess Diana’s death, the England national team went ahead with a World Cup qualification fixture against Moldova, with both sides wearing black ribbons as a mark of respect. A minute’s silence was also held prior to kick-off.