In accordance with a centuries-old custom, the royal beekeeper informed the bees of Buckingham Palace and Clarence House of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
According to an interview Chapple gave to MailOnline, he also told the bees that King Charles III is their new master and instructed them to serve him with respect.
According to the publication, he initially traveled to Clarence House, the residence of the Prince of Wales, before proceeding to Buckingham Palace, the royal palace, to perform the ceremony on Friday.
The Queen passed away on Thursday, and Charles III was formally declared king the following Saturday.
MailOnline stated that the process entails tapping on each hive and alerting the bees of the death of their caretaker and their successor in a quiet voice. The royal beekeeper stated that there are five hives at Buckingham Palace and two at Clarence House.
Chapple, who also manages beehives at the palace of the Archbishop of Canterbury, told MailOnline that he fashioned black ribbons into bows and draped them over the beehives in accordance with custom.
“When someone dies, it is customary to visit the hives, say a prayer, and tie a black ribbon around the hive,” Chapple explained from the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
He said, “The deceased is the master or mistress of the hives, an important member of the family, and it doesn’t get much more important than the Queen.”
European tradition dating back hundreds of years in which bees are told of significant milestones in their owners’ lives.
According to the 1901 book “New England Legends and Folklore,” there was a “very old superstition” that bees must be informed of the death of their master or mistress, or else misfortune will occur. According to the book, failure to perform the ceremony was supposed to result in the bees abandoning their hives, failing to produce honey, or dying.
According to “The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland,” the custom of “telling the bees” was widespread in England, portions of Wales, and Ireland throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
