King Charles III in Cardiff: Preparations begin for new King's first visit to Wales
Preparations are underway in parts of Cardiff as the city gets ready to welcome the new King for the first time.On Friday Charles III will make his first visit to Wales as King, travelling to Cardiff for a service to remember Elizabeth II as well as visiting the Senedd and Cardiff Castle.Workers have been out in force in the Llandaff area of the city since last week preparing the area for the day.Llandaff Cathedral will be the King and Queen Consort's first port of call on their visit to attend a remembrance service.
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.Prayers and a time for reflection will be held in the cathedral in the service on Friday, September 16, for the King and Queen Consort alongside some of Wales' most senior clergy.
The Royal couple will then visit the Senedd to receive a motion of condolence. Preparations are already being made for the visit with council workers out in force in the Llandaff area re-surfacing roads, weeding, and cleaning.
Michelle Palmer and Katy Penny of flower and gift shop Garlands, in Llandaff High Street, have been watching the work take place with council workers taking down old bunting outside the shop that was put up for the Queen's Jubilee. Like many businesses in the street Michelle said on Monday they hadn’t been informed about the plans for Friday as of yet.Despite not being scheduled to work on the day of the visit, however, she says she will still come into the shop. “It’s prompted me to want to come into work because it’s a spectacle. It’s something completely different – I just want to see it. I’m just coming to watch,” she said.“We don’t always get a lot of stuff in Cardiff. It’s obviously very rare for someone from the Royal Family to show up,” Katy added.Michelle said the street had become busier at the weekend with people coming to visit the cathedral following the announcement of the service.“We’re wondering if people will come to buy the flowers,” she said. “Our business will be affected on Friday. A lot of people will be coming in [to the area] so it will be a win-win situation with that. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Geoff Barton-Greenwood, vice-president of the Llandaff Society, said: “The Llandaff Society will do everything it can to facilitate the prestigious visit of the new King.“He’s been here before as the Prince of Wales and the last time the Queen was here was for the Golden Jubilee. I think [the visit] is very, very significant and we’re so delighted it’s happening here in Llandaff which is a 2,000-year-old Christian settlement that, until 1922, was independent of Cardiff.”Cathedral Green resident Jeanette Ryder has lived there for 42 years. She said: “I’m very happy about the visit. There’s an awful lot of work going on – it’s good to see things being done. It will be good to have the potholes done.”The 78-year-old added: “It’s quite nice to have him coming to the village. I guess they feel the whole country needs to be supported and as ex-Prince of Wales he might want Cardiff to be involved.”Jeanette was one resident who was told on Monday morning that she would need to move her car for work to take place in preparation for the visit. A letter dated September 12 was posted through to residents announcing "several road closures" taking place in the lead-up to the service.