More details have been released on the visit of His Majesty The King and The Queen Consort to Cardiff on Friday, September 16.
The public are invited to line the route to welcome the Royal Party as it approaches Cardiff Castle in the afternoon and to wave goodbye as they depart. The motorcade will drive along St Mary Street enroute to the Castle and it is expected large crowds will gather in advance of their arrival.
Members of the public will also be welcomed into the grounds of Cardiff Castle to see Their Majesties as they take part in their final engagement of the day.
Entry to the Castle grounds will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. To ensure that we canadmit people quickly and easily,we ask that you avoid bringing large and non-essential bags which will require searching and could slow down entry.
The opening time for public entry through the Castle’s main gate is yet to be decided, but we are advising people to expect very long queues from early in the day and unfortunately we will not be able to accommodate everyone who would like to come into the Castle grounds.
Once inside the Castle House, Their Majesties will meet representatives from Royal Patronages and members of the Faith Communities. The King will also hold a private audience with the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, and the Llywydd of the Senedd, Elin Jones. It is expected that his visit to Wales’ capital city will end with The King and The Queen Consort greeting members of the public in the Castle grounds before departing.
Before visiting the Castle, His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will be joined by an invited congregation at a morning service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of The Queen at Llandaff Cathedral.
Following the service His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will travel to the Senedd in the afternoon to receive a Motion of Condolence from the First Minister. On leaving the Senedd, Their Majesties hope to greet some members of the public before they depart for Cardiff Castle.
Many members of the public will want to gather to see and welcome the Royal Party arrive in Llandaff, Cardiff Bay and at the Castle and the plans in place are designed to facilitate this as much as possible. The Royal Party’s visit to Cardiff will also be televised for people at home.
Accessibility and opportunities for viewing and parking may be limited, particularly for the Llandaff event where several road closures and parking restrictions have already been put in place, and there is limited space around the Cathedral itself.Significant road closures will also be in place across the city on Friday to facilitate the visit and to keep the public safe.
Advice has been issued to anyone looking to attend any of the three venues to plan ahead and to consider walking or travel by public transport. We believe it will be especially difficult finding any parking space in Llandaff for the visit.
Work is ongoing with the Welsh Government and South Wales Police to manage any congested areas, with significant numbers of stewards drafted in alongside police officers to help keep the public safe.
The advice is to plan ahead, dress for the weather, bring plenty of water, prepare for long periods of standing, expect crowds and watch out for those around you and with you.
Books of Condolence remain open, 9am to 5pm daily, at City Hall in Cardiff. The books will remain open until 5pm on Monday, September 19, the day of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral.
Members of the public are welcome to leave floral tributes on the lawned areas on either side of City Hall’s main entrance. The public are asked to remove and take home any plastic wrapping on the flowers they are placing at City Hall.
