Coronation road closures start TODAY: Streets across London and around Tube and rail stations begin to shut down in preparation for King Charles’ procession as commuters and drivers are warned to check before they travel this week

• Road closures in London begin today from 4pm & 7pm until 9am tomorrow
• Second raft of wider closures from 7pm this Friday until 9pm on Saturday 

Major road closures in Central London will begin this afternoon as preparations intensify and rehearsals continue ahead of King Charles III’s Coronation.

Westminster Bridge, the Victoria Embankment into Upper Thames Street and an area around Waterloo station will all be shut from 4pm today until 9am tomorrow.

This area will widen to cover roads around St James’s Park, Westminster, Waterloo and Charing Cross Tube stations from 7pm this evening – again until 9am tomorrow.

There will then be a further raft of ‘significant’ closures across a wider area from 7pm this Friday which will run until 9pm on Saturday, the day of the ceremony.

With millions of people set to be in London, Network Rail has warned passengers to ‘allow extra time and check live updates’, while the RAC has urged all drivers to ‘check tyres, oil and coolant levels as matters of priority before they hit the road’. 

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport sent letters on April 21 to all residents and businesses who will be affected by road closures over the coming days.

Localised traffic restrictions in the Westminster area have been in force since April 3

Road closures in the Westminster area will be in place for Coronation preparations between today at 4pm (in blue) and today at 7pm (in red) until tomorrow at 9pm (for both)

Road closures in Central London for this Friday from 7pm until late on Saturday – the day before the Coronation and the day itself – cover a much wider area of the capital across 85 roads

Vehicles including cars, buses, coaches, vans, trucks, motorbike and bicycles will not be allowed into the restricted event areas once closures are in place.

Saturday’s timings for the King’s Coronation

Here is a rundown of all the timings so far for the Coronation this Saturday:

• 5am – Pedestrian restrictions in Central London come into effect
• 6am – Viewing areas open along the procession route.
• 7.15-8.30am – Guests for Westminster Abbey begin to arrive at security check points in Victoria Tower Gardens.
• 9am – Congregation to be seated inside the Abbey.
• 9.30-10.45am – Heads of state, overseas government representatives, Government ministers, First Ministers, former PMs, foreign royals and members of the royal family arrive.
• 9.45am – The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry begin to gather ready for the procession from Buckingham Palace.
• 10.20am – The King and Queen Consort’s procession sets off from the Palace.
• 10.53am – The King and Queen Consort arrive at Westminster Abbey.
• 11am – Charles and Camilla enter the Abbey through the Great West Door and the service begins.
• 12pm – The King is crowned. The Archbishop of Canterbury places the St Edward’s Crown on Charles’s head. Trumpets will sound and gun salutes will be fired across the UK.
• 1pm – The service ends and the newly crowned King and Queen begin their coronation procession back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.
• 1.33pm – Charles and Camilla are expected to enter Buckingham Palace through the Centre Arch.
• 1.45pm – The King and Queen Consort receive a royal salute from the military in the Palace gardens
• Around 2.15pm – The King, Queen Consort and members of the royal family appear on the Palace balcony to watch the flypast.

The letter sent by DCMS said the restrictions from today until tomorrow ‘will be implemented to support with essential preparations for the event’.

It added that pedestrian paths will not be affected, but some crossing points may be closed temporarily and cycle paths will be restricted while the closures are in place.

The letter also said that ‘works and activities including the playing of military music may be audible at various times, including overnight’ but added: ‘Every effort will be taken to minimise any disturbance to you.’

The hugely-anticipated ceremony itself is on Saturday, with viewing areas along the procession route opening from 6am before Charles and Camilla set off from Buckingham Palace at 10.20am for the service at Westminster Abbey at 11am.

Localised restrictions have been in force since April 3 but the majority of closures will be from Friday as London tries to cope with the huge influx of visitors.

The event restrictions for the ceremony itself will begin at 7pm this Friday, which DCMS said ‘will be implemented to support with the safe delivery of the event’.

These road closures will be wider than those for today and tomorrow, covering areas around Green Park and Piccadilly Circus stations.

Cycleway 3 will be closed between Wellington Arch and Birdcage Walk, while pedestrian restrictions within the event footprint will come into effect from as early as 5am on Saturday until no later than 5pm that day.

Plans for the event have been organised by Transport for London, whose chairman is Sadiq Khan, along with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; City of London; Westminster City Council; London Borough of Lambeth; Metropolitan Police; British Transport Police; London Ambulance Service; and London Fire Brigade.

Westminster Abbey shut its doors to visitors following the Anzac Day ceremony attended by Prince William last Tuesday, and is being prepared for the Coronation.

Westminster City Council officials have insisted that access to homes and workplaces will be maintained throughout the road closures.

They said: ‘If challenged, please support the police and stewarding teams on the ground by providing clear information about the property you are trying to access.

‘To assist with this, you and your guests or staff are advised to travel with proof of address, a staff pass or an official invite to your property.’

The council also said: ‘The roads and parks around central London will be affected by significant road closures and parking suspensions on May 5 and 6.’

Preparations for Saturday’s event began in November – with roughly one month of planning going into every hour the military will be on parade.

Westminster Abbey will take centre stage when the King is crowned at midday during the coronation ceremony.

The service will begin at 11am and will continue until 1pm when the newly crowned King and Queen embark on their coronation procession back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.

Union flags along The Mall outside Buckingham Palace yesterday ahead of the Coronation

The view from the media platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial in London yesterday

The view of seating from the media platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial yesterday

Royal fans can tune into the entire spectacle, which will be shown live by the BBC.

Viewers can look out for heads of state, overseas government representatives, Government ministers, first ministers, former prime ministers, foreign royals and members of the royal family among the congregation.

After arriving back at the palace, Charles and Camilla will receive a royal salute from the military in the palace gardens.

This will be followed by a balcony moment when Charles and Camilla will be joined by other members of the royal family to watch a flypast.

Full list: Which roads will be shut in Westminster for King’s Coronation? 

Westminster City Council said parking restrictions will be in place on these roads in preparation for and during the Coronation, on Friday and Saturday. 

Residents with parking permits should by now have received a letter with instructions to make temporary arrangements for their vehicles. The council said any vehicles parked on these roads after 7pm on Friday will be removed.

Abbey Orchard Street

Adam Street

Ambrosden Avenue

Arneway Street

Artillery Row

Ashley Place

Belgrave Square

Berkeley Square

Broadway

Buckingham Gate

Bury Street

Carlisle Place

Carlton Gardens

Carlton House Terrace

Causton Street

Caxton Street

Chadwick Street

Chapel Street

Charles II Street

Cleveland Row

Curzon Street

Dean Bradley Street

Dean Stanley Street

Dean Trench Street

Duke of York Street

Duke Street St James’s

Duncannon Street

Eaton Square

Emery Hill Street

Francis Street

Gayfere Street

Great College Street

Great Peter Street

Great Scotland Yard

Great Smith Street

Greencoat Place

Greencoat Row

Greycoat Place

Grosvenor Crescent

Half Moon Street

Halkin Street

Hide Place

Horseferry Road

Howick Place

John Adam Street

Little College Street

Little Smith Street

Lord North Street

Marsham Street

Matthew Parker Street

Medway Street

Monck Street

Morpeth Terrace

Northumberland Avenue

Old Pye Street

Palace Street

Pall Mall

Perkin’s Rents

Queen Anne’s Gate

Rochester Row

Romney Street

Ryder Street

Smith Square

South Audley Street

Spencer Place

Spring Gardens

St Ann’s Street

St James’s Square

St James’s Street

Stafford Place

Stanhope Gate

Stillington Street

Thirleby Road

Tothill Street

Trafalgar Square

Tufton Street

Upper Belgrave Street

Victoria Embankment

Victoria Square

Waterloo Place

Whitcomb Street

Whitehall Court

Whitehall Place

Willow Place

York Street

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