Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting Lancaster Castle on Friday 29th May, paying a private visit on Friday 29th May.
As is customary, the visit will add to Lancaster’s regular traffic woes with road closures from an early hour and the discovery of funds to pay for repainting and cleaning of anything our monarch might see on her visit, despite the financial cutbacks.
There will also be disruption to local traffic as a result of M6 Link road works, so you might want to consider leaving your car at home on Friday completely and walking into town – or cycling.
The visit will be the first time the Queen has visited Lancaster since 1999 and marks the 750th Anniversary of the creation of the Duchy of Lancaster Inheritance. In 1265, King Henry III granted land to his son, Edmund, beginning what would become the Duchy of Lancaster.
Although the visit to Lancaster Castle is a private occasion, loyal supporters of our Monarch will be pleased to hear there will be an opportunity to see the Queen on her arrival and departure. Barriers and road closures will be in place along the route to give visitors the best opportunity to pay a warm Lancastrian welcome.
Republicans, however, should be warned that despite a number of outdated laws being repealed over the past few years (such as the 1824 Vagrancy Act for being “an incorrigible rogue”), it remains illegal to advocate overthrowing the Queen.
Although the law has not been used to prosecute anyone since 1879, it means that it is still theoretically possible to imprison for life anybody who even so much as “imagines” overthrowing the Crown or waging war against the Queen. So no waving naughty placards, unless you do it somewhere Her Maj can’t see them. Like Ryelands Park, perhaps.
The Council advises that anyone planning on attending is strongly advised to plan ahead and turn up early, using public transport if possible to minimise the number of cars on the roads.
“Experience from other towns and cities that have hosted Royal visits recently suggest it is likely to be very busy, with thousands of people lining the arrival and departure route,” a spokesperson says.
If you’ve experienced past Royal visits to Lancaster, you’ll no doubt recall what happened then, too, even if most are pleased to see her (unless they’re stuck in traffic…).
A number of road closures will be in place both on the day and the evening before. Diversions will be in place but motorists are advised to use alternative modes of transport if possible.
Police will also be implementing rolling road closures along the route (King Street, Penny Street and Thurnham Street) to allow the Royal party to pass safely. Any roads adjoining the A6 will be closed during the rolling closure.
Those wishing to see the visit in Lancaster should be in the area in front of the Castle by 10.00am.
More information on the visit, details of road closures and advice for residents, visitors and businesses can be found on the City Council web site.
• Download the Royal visit residents leaflet (PDF) or view information booklet for businesses (PDF)
Pervasive personaility cult. Face on all money, stamps, roads – ummm being born in a different wombs convers the most bizarre results.
So one of the richest women in the world came to Lancaster, got off her own train and was driven to the Castle. What kind of example does that set for our obese children? Couldn't they have put her on a Segway? Goodness only knows how much this all cost in terms of policing and preparation. But it seems money is never a concern at all for Royal events.
Watching "Horrible Histories", when Queen Elizabeth I simply turned up at people's houses to live for a while, at their expense, nothing has changed much. The amount spent would probably keep many destitute people in food and warmth for a very long time.
Perhaps the Council would like to post the costs of this shenanigans, and then local business can say how much they made in extra business (against costs on the day)? I'd love to know this Royal Visit if really boosted the local economy.
If it did, then surely this would then totally justify spending money on festivals and other events to bring people into town? You know, the ones we used to have that there was suddenly no money for when the Morecambe Bay Independents were in charge. It's good to see some people still trying.