King Charles III in Cardiff for first Wales visit as monarchon September 16, 2022 at 10:46 am

Crowds have gathered across Cardiff ahead of King Charles III’s first official visit to Wales as monarch.

He and the Queen Consort will attend a prayer and reflection service for the Queen at the city’s Llandaff Cathedral.

As part of the royal couple’s final visit to the UK’s four nations, they will attend an event at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay.

The King will then greet members of the public in the grounds of Cardiff Castle.

More than 2,000 people were inside the castle at the weekend for the King’s proclamation ceremony, while hundreds more lined the streets outside.

But many more are expected in the capital’s streets on Friday to catch a glimpse of the new monarch.

Gloria Hayman lives near Llandaff Cathedral and is standing behind her garden gate to welcome the King.

“It’s too much up there because I’m so short, I won’t be able to see him,” she said.

“I’m waiting for King Charles and I’m so excited. I’m going to wave and blow kisses at Camilla.”

Spectators have been gathering at the cathedral since 03:30 BST, including Jude from Cardiff.

“I just want to pay my respects to the late Queen,” she said. It feels like the right thing to do.”

The Windsors from Flintshire in north Wales were on the 04:22 train to Cardiff this morning to see the royals after the children’s headteacher gave them time off school.

“It’s a part of history, and I wanted to bring the boys to be a part of that because it won’t happen again,” said Claire, who has travelled with her twin sons Jack and Andrew.

“It’s a sad occasion. King Charles has waited his whole life for this, but it’s still really sad. I hope he will be a good King, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Queenie – named after late the Queen Elizabeth II – is outside Llandaff Cathedral with mum Jane Thomas waiting to see the new King.

“I feel very excited because I get to meet with the King,” said the eight-year-old from Tongwynlais.

“Everyone in school calls me the queen. I’m gonna be happy when I see the King. I’ll remember this day for ever.”

Mum Jane has been a “huge fan of the royals all my life” following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother.

“When my daughter came along there was only one choice,” said Jane. “She loves her name.

“It’s such an important moment in history. We wanted to come and see the King and pay our respects.”

Cardiff council said people should expect very long queues, with entry to the castle grounds on a first-come, first-served basis.

People have also been invited to line the route as the King approaches the castle and to leave flowers on the lawn on either side of City Hall’s main entrance.

The King is a familiar face this side of Offa’s Dyke, having visited regularly in his former role as the Prince of Wales.

In fact, it will be his second visit to the Senedd in less than a year. In October 2021, he opened the new term of the Welsh Parliament, along with Camilla – now the new Queen Consort – and the Queen.

There have been arrests of protesters at royal events in Edinburgh and Oxford recently and protesters, including former Plaid Cymru politician Bethan Sayed, are planning a “silent protest” in Cardiff.

They intend to hold up banners at the King’s proclamation at Cardiff Castle.

“We must discuss the future of Wales and what we want that to look like,” said Mrs Sayed.

“Support for independence is on the rise, in two weeks a march and rally for independence will be held on the very streets that the new king will travel on.”

Mr Drakeford said people had a right to protest but any demonstrations would be a “footnote” to the main proceedings.

He also stressed he had confidence in the police to deal with protests in a “proportionate” way, amid questions about the handling of demonstrators in other parts of the UK.

“It should recognise the rights that people have,” he said.

While exact timings have not been given, the King and Queen Consort are due to arrive at Llandaff Cathedral on Friday morning for a service in memory of the Queen.

Among the invited guests is Lady Tanni Grey-Thompson who said the royal visit was a chance for the country to “come together”.

“Today is about looking back at the life of her majesty in terms of service and devotion but also looking forward to the future,” she told BBC Radio Wales.

“We have a new king and perhaps a new way of doing things. It’s a chance for society to think about what we want from our monarchy.”

There is an extensive list of road closures around the city with some in Llandaff lasting more than two days.

High Street, Heol Fair and Cathedral Green will be shut to cars until Saturday.

In the city centre, roads including North Road, Kingsway, Duke Street, Castle Street, Westgate Street and Wood Street will either be fully or partially closed until 18:00 on Friday.

Further closures could be brought in along Lloyd George Avenue, depending on crowds.

Cardiff council warned car parks would be extremely busy and many closed – especially those in Llandaff.

People have been asked to walk or use public transport, although services are expected to be busy.

The nearest railway stations to Llandaff Cathedral are Waungron Park and Fairwater, but passengers travelling to Llandaff from Cardiff Central are advised to use the bus.

In the city centre, bus routes will be diverted and the St Mary Street taxi rank will be closed until 18:00.