King Charles III is due to make his first visit to Wales with the Queen Consort on Friday, 16 September following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The visit, which will take place in Cardiff, will be the couple' third official engagement after attending ceremonies in Belfast and Edinburgh.
As part of the visit, the new King will be visiting Llandaff Cathedral for a remembrance service for Queen Elizabeth II, followed by a motion of condolence at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. A reception service will then take place at Cardiff Castle where the King will hold a private audience with Mark Drakeford and the Presiding Officer of the Senedd, Elin Jones.
Preparations for the event are already underway, with workers out in the Llandaff area preparing it for the visit. The day after the Queen's death a notice was put outside the cathedral announcing that it had closed until further notice in order to prepare for the service. The plan for the day is as follows.
READ MORE: Pictures from across Cardiff show preparations ahead of the King's first visit to Wales
National Service of Remembrance at Llandaff Cathedral
The King and Queen Consort will be greeted at Llandaff Cathedral Cathedral by the Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan. A Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of The Queen will be led by the Dean. The Archbishop will give the address and the First Minister will be called upon to give a reading.
The Bishop of Llandaff and Interfaith leaders will lead the prayers. After the Service has taken place, the King and Queen Consort will undertake a short walkabout on Llandaff Green to meet with school children and members of the local community. Cardiff Council has advised people to plan ahead as parking at Llandaff is expected to be difficult, with several road closures and parking restrictions in place.
Motion of Condolence at the Senedd
The couple will then travel to the Senedd to receive a Motion of Condolence, where they will be greeted by The Llywydd and First Minister. They will then process into the Siambr, (the Senedd's debating chamber), accompanied by the First Minister and party leaders.
The First Minister will stand to propose the Motion of Condolence, the King will stand to reply and the Llywdd will close the session. After the session has taken place, the King and Queen consort will view condolence messages in the Cwrt Area and meet Members of the Youth Parliament. They will greet Senedd Members in the Neuadd and , upon departure, will meet members of the public.
Cardiff Castle
For their third engagement of the day, the King and Queen Consort will head to Cardiff Castle, where the King is expected to receive the First Minister of Wales and the Presiding Officer. The King and the Queen Consort will be met by the First Minister and Llywydd and will then proceed to the Banqueting Hall where they will join guests including representatives of Royal Patronages and Members of Faith Communities at a reception.
Cardiff Council has said that 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 en route 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 the King and Queen Consort as they take part in their final engagement of the day.
Entry to the castle grounds will be on a first come first served basis and those planning to attend are asked to 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, however, the council is advising people to expect very long queues from early in the day and say not everybody will be able to be accommodated into the castle grounds.
"Our 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", the announcement from Cardiff Council said.
Roads have been closed in the area in preparation, with residents on some streets being told that they would have to move their cars as work is carried out. We've compiled a list of all the changes taking place in the city ahead of the visit to Cardiff on Friday. Take a look below to find out more.
Road closures
City Centre
From 6am until 6pm on Friday (September 16), the following roads will be closed:
- North Road between Boulevard de Nantes and Kingsway
- Kingsway from North Road to Duke Street
- Duke Street throughout its length
- Castle Street throughout its length
- Wood Street between Westgate Street and St Mary Street
- St Mary Street from Custom House Street to High Street
- High Street throughout its length.
- Wood Street
- Westgate Street
- Cowbridge Road East between Westgate Street and Cathedral Road but access will be maintained.
As a contingency, if large crowds materialise, then the following road closures may be put in place:
- Lloyd George Avenue throughout its length
- Herbert Street between Lloyd George Avenue and Callaghan Square
- Callaghan Square from Dumbell’s Road to Bute Street
- Full length of St Mary Street until Callaghan Square.
Sophia Gardens
From 6am until 6pm on Friday, (September 16) , the following roads will be closed:
- Sophia Close – service users must use the pay&display can park accessed via Cowbridge Road East
- Limetree Avenue – exit for the campsite will be via Dogo Street
Llandaff (Cathedral)
The following roads are already closed and will not re-open to motor vehicles until Saturday, (September 17)
- High Street
- Heol Fair
- Cathedral Green
Access is currently being controlled into the area for those on foot, or on bike, with alternative parking available for motorists at the pay&display car park and on Fairwater Road. On-site staff are assisting the public and businesses with the road closure arrangements
From Thursday, (September 15) from 8pm until Friday "September 16" at 4pm, the following roads will be closed in their entirety:
- High Street
- Heol Fair
- Cathedral Green
- Heol-y-Pavin (access maintained)
- Bridge Street (access maintained)
If large crowds attend, the following roads will also be closed:
- Cardiff Road from the junction with Llantrisant Road to the junction with Western Avenue
- Fairwater Road to the junction with Pwllmelin Road (access maintained)
Cardiff Bay
The following roads are already closed and will not re-open to motor vehicles until Friday afternoon:
- Harbour drive
- Britannia Quay
Bus diversions
Buses will be diverted while road closures are in place. People are being asked to visit the relevant bus operator's website for more information about your specific bus routes. For Stagecoach services, visit here. For NAT services, visit here. The following diversions are in place for Cardiff Bus. Journeys will start and end at Customhouse Street JL (Southside). Bus stops on St Mary Street will not be in use.
- Baycar, service 6 and CAVC Rider
-
Services 7, 8, 9 and X45: Journeys on routes 7, 8, 9 and X45 from Grangetown will follow their normal route to Penarth Road/Clare Road junction then divert via Penarth Road, Callaghan Square and then St. Mary Street Underpass and Mill Lane to Canal Street (route 7) or Callaghan Square and Bute Street Underpass to Bute Terrace JK for services 8, 9 and X45.
Journeys towards Cardiff Bay/Sports Village on 8, 9 and X45 will follow their normal route as far as Bute Terrace then via Customhouse Street, Central Station (Southside) and Penarth Road to Penarth Road/Clare Road junction then back to normal route. This will mean stops on Clare Road and Tudor Street will not be served. - Services 21, 23, 24 and 35: Journeys on routes 21, 23, 24 and 35 will start and end at Greyfriars Road GN (Southside opp. New Theatre). Towards the city buses will travel via Colum Road and Park Place.
- Service 27: Journeys on route 27 will start and end at Kingsway (temp stop near to the final outbound bus shelter – stop GC).
- Services 44, 45, 49, 50: Journeys on routes 44, 45, 49 and 50 will start and end at Bute Terrace JK. Journeys towards the city centre will follow their normal route to Newport Road then divert via Station Terrace, lower Churchill Way, Bute Terrace, Bute Street underpass, Callaghan Square, Bute Street underpass to Bute Terrace JK. Journeys from the city centre will start from Bute Terrace JK then run via their normal route to St Mellons/Llanrumney. This will mean stops on Castle Street (stop KC) and Westgate Street (Royal Hotel KH) will not be served.
- Service 95: Journeys on route 95 that extend to UHW Heath Hospital will operate via Scott Road and Park Street to Central Square (Wood Street stop JR) and then via Tudor Street, Lower Cathedral Road, Cathedral Road, Cardiff Road, Western Avenue and A48 slip Road into UHW Heath Hospital. Journeys between Cardiff city centre and Barry will not be affected.
- Journeys on routes 1, 2, 4, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 25, 28, 28A, 28B, 30, 32, 51, 52, 53, 57, 58, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 92, 93, 94, 95 (see above for through journeys to/from UHW), 96 and X59 are not affected and will follow their normal route within the city centre. Bus stops on these routes remain unchanged.
- A full list of city centre bus stops for Cardiff Bus services during the road closures can be found here.
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