Charles attends prayer service on first visit to Wales as King

Charles has begun his first visit to Wales as King, attending a service of prayer and reflection for the life of the Queen.

He arrived by helicopter with the Queen Consort and then travelled by state limousine in bright sunshine to the service at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff – the final stop in his tour of the four home nations.

A booming gun salute fired from Cardiff Castle was heard across the city centre when the King and the Queen Consort arrived in the Welsh capital.

Cheering school children and members of the public lined the royal couple’s route to the cathedral.

Among the congregation were Prime Minister Liz Truss and leading figures from Wales including First Minister Mark Drakeford and Robert Buckland, Secretary of State for Wales.

Meanwhile, in London, the public queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state is being paused for at least six hours after reaching capacity, the Government said.

Mourners have been warned by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) not to attempt to join the queue at Southwark Park in south-east London until around 4pm on Friday at the earliest.

The call was made as the official estimate for queuing time reached at least 14 hours.

Earlier, it emerged the decision to allow the Duke of Sussex to wear his uniform during a vigil at the Queen’s coffin was made by his father.

Royal sources have said Charles also requested that the Queen’s eight grandchildren be allowed to participate in the vigil – standing in quiet contemplation around their grandmother for 15 minutes as a mark of respect – something they were all keen to undertake.

Published: 16/09/2022 by Radio NewsHub