Go tell the bees....

UK: Royal bees informed of Elizabeth II's death

17h17 , the 12th september 2022

By Clément Legros

The bees that inhabit the gardens of Buckingham Palace and Clarence House were informed on Friday by the Royal Palace's official beekeeper of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, in accordance with an ancient custom.

Royaume-Uni : les abeilles royales informées de la mort d'Elizabeth II

The bees at Buckingham Palace and Clarence House were told on Friday that their regent, Queen Elizabeth II, had died. (SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)

The royal bees that inhabit the gardens of Buckingham Palace and Clarence House were informed on Friday of the loss of their monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and the coronation of her successor, King Charles III. A tradition carried on by the beekeeper in charge of the seven royal hives to prevent honey production from dwindling. "It's a tradition when someone dies to go to the hives and say a little prayer," John Chapple, the official beekeeper at the royal palace, told MailOnline. The ritual is underpinned by an old superstition that failure to tell the tenants of the royal hives about the change of ownership would lead them to stop producing honey, leave the hive or even die. "The person who dies is the master or mistress of the hives, it's an important member of the family who disappears and you don't become more important than the queen, do you?

A black ribbon

Wrapping a black ribbon around the homes of the tens of thousands of bees that populate the royal gardens at this time, John Chapple wanted to reassure the bees. "You knock on every hive and say, 'The mistress is dead, but don't go in. Your master will be a good master for you." He then enjoined the bees to be good to their new master, Charles III, himself known for his love of plants.

Keeping the bees informed of important events in the life of their guardian is a traditional custom in many European countries, practised mainly in England. The royal hives, two at Clarence House and five at Buckingham Palace, can house up to a million bees at the peak of summer. But at this time, their population decreases and the hives are on average populated by only 20,000 workers, who will also have to mourn the one who has been their longest-serving regent and, by extension, their longest-serving mistress.