Lutine Bell to be rung in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III

Lloyds of London is to sound the Lutine Bell to mark the death of the Queen and the reign of Britain’s new King.

A single ring of the historic bell will mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II and start the ceremony at the central London headquarters of the insurance and reinsurance marketplace.

The bell will also be rung twice to acclaim the new King Charles III and will bring Thursday’s ceremony in the underwriting room to an end.

A spokesman said the ceremony – which is open to Lloyd’s passholders, including members of the Lloyd’s market and employees of the Corporation of Lloyd’s – will provide a chance for people to come together to remember the Queen and express support for the new King.

The bell, which is now only rung rarely, was salvaged from HMS Lutine, whose shipwreck in 1799 was one of Lloyd’s largest and most famous claims, cementing its reputation for being able to settle any claim.

The Lloyd’s building, the underwriting room and all global offices will close for the Queen’s state funeral on Monday.

Lloyd’s chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown said: “Our thoughts remain with the royal household at this sad time.

“We were fortunate to host Her Majesty at Lloyd’s on a number of occasions during her reign and all who were there cherish the memory of those visits.

“In recent years we have worked alongside His Majesty King Charles in support of his Sustainable Markets Initiative and look forward to continuing our close association with this important work to create a more sustainable world.”

The union flag at Lloyd’s will fly at half-mast  until after the funeral.

A book of condolence has been placed in the underwriting room.