King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, arrived by helicopter in Wales with members of the armed forces on hand to greet their sovereign and leader. The royal couple’s arrival is marked by a 21-gun salute by reservists from the 104 Regiment Royal Artillery from Cardiff Castle. They will attend a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff Cathedral before paying their respects at the Welsh Parliament and meeting members of the Senedd. Updated at 11.16 BST Important events Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature The queue may be closed for now, but in Cardiff, the queue continues. Crowds have been gathering outside Cardiff Castle since early today in the hope of catching a glimpse of the king and queen consort. This is the busy and exciting scene in Cardiff ahead of the arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla this morning. Thousands of people have gathered in the capital – with queues forming at Cardiff Castle, Lladaff and Shenend 👑 pic.twitter.com/uQYo1LDjkS — WalesOnline 🏴🁧👠 (@WalesOnline) September 16, 2022 The royal couple are expected to attend a reception at the castle after the service at Llandaff Cathedral. Around 2,000 people will be able to gather inside the walls to see Charles and Camilla. Updated at 12.19 BST The sign outside Southwark Park has now been changed to say queuing has been temporarily suspended. Members of the public have been warned not to attempt to join the queue until it resumes. A sign outside Southwark Park in London announces that the queue to see the Queen has stopped. Photo: Luke O’Reilly/PA Officers have so far arrested 34 people as part of the police operation ahead of the Queen’s funeral, police said. The number, recorded this morning, was described as “relatively few” by Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cuddy. He added that no one was arrested for protesting. Scotland Yard has not yet been able to provide a breakdown of the offenses involved. Emily DuganKing Charles arrives for the Welsh National Service of Prayer and Remembrance for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral. Photo: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at Llandaff Cathedral. Photo: Carl Recine/Reuters Members of the public cheer as the king and queen consort arrive in Cardiff. Photo: Andrew Couldridge/ReutersEmily Dugan People are continuing to enter Southwark Park to queue to see the Queen lie in state, despite the Government saying they will have to return later. Entry to the queue to see the Queen lying in state was said to have been cut off for at least six hours after she had been declared at capacity. People queue in front of the Palace of Westminster to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: Markus Schreiber/AP An employee in line said they had not yet been instructed to close the gate and stop more people from joining, according to a PA report. Hundreds of people continue to enter the gate at the park in south-east London. Those who want to see the Queen have been told not to attempt to join her until 4pm on Friday at the earliest. The decision raises the prospect of people queuing up to join the queue. Read the full story: The King and the Queen Consort are inside Llandaff Cathedral to attend a service of prayer and reflection for Queen Elizabeth II. The service will be led by the Dean, with the sequence of the service consisting of English and Welsh content. After the service takes place, the King and Queen Consort will take a short walk around Llandaff Green to meet school children and members of the local community. Reservists from the 104 Regiment Royal Artillery fire a royal gun salute from Cardiff Castle to mark the arrival of King Charles III in Wales. Photo: Ben Birchall/PAA Welsh flag flies at half mast at Cardiff Castle. Photo: Molly Darlington/Reuters The King and Queen arrived at Llandaff Cathedral by car, having arrived in Cardiff by helicopter minutes earlier. King Charles arrives at Llandaff Cathedral. Photo: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters The royal couple are welcomed into the cathedral by the Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan and the Vice-Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan. At the cathedral to welcome Charles and Camilla are the Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford, the Secretary of State for Wales, Sir Robert Buckland, as well as the High Sheriff of South Glamorgan, the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, the Chief Constable of South Wales. and the Dean of Llandaff Cathedral. A service of prayer and reflection on the Queen’s life will then begin, led by the Dean. The Archbishop will give the address and the first minister will be called upon to read. The Bishop of Llandaff and interfaith leaders will lead the prayers. Updated at 11.34 BST A press officer from the government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport was spotted speaking to queue officials, reports PA news agency. Thousands of mourners are still pouring through the gate at Southwark Park, despite an announcement that the queue to see the Queen in state has stopped by 4pm. Asked if the queue has stopped yet, the press officer replied: I’m not sure, I’ll have to go find out. Updated at 11.19 BST The Prime Minister, Liz Truss, arrived at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff to attend a service of prayer and reflection on the Queen’s life. Prime Minister Liz Truss arrives at Llandaff Cathedral. Photo: Frank Augstein/AP Updated at 11.29 BST
King arrives in Wales
The King arrived in Cardiff, the first time he has traveled to Wales since his mother the Queen died last Thursday. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, arrived by helicopter in Wales with members of the armed forces on hand to greet their sovereign and leader. The royal couple’s arrival is marked by a 21-gun salute by reservists from the 104 Regiment Royal Artillery from Cardiff Castle. They will attend a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff Cathedral before paying their respects at the Welsh Parliament and meeting members of the Senedd. Updated at 11.16 BST Stephen Morris Laura Thomas-Walters, 29, a conservation scientist, is the only person in the official protest section outside Llandaff Cathedral. Two protest liaison officers watch her. He said: In the 21st century in a democratic country an unelected head of state has no place. It is an antiquated system of class oppression and class inequality that is particularly heinous in an age when inequality is growing so rapidly. Lots of people this winter will be paying their heating bills, but we’ll be paying millions for a coronation, a funeral, a stamp exchange and Charles won’t pay a penny of inheritance tax. Today is just the day for that. People saying it’s disrespectful is a way to silence dissent. I don’t think the title of Prince of Wales should exist. If it was, it should belong to a Welshman.
