Following the death of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Government has 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 notes 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.”

The guidance for public museums, galleries, and similar venues states that they are not obliged to close during the National Mourning period. Organisations may choose to close on the day of the State Funeral, but 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.