ROYAL VISIT: All the details for The Queen’s visit to Lancaster

Excitement is building as Her Majesty visits the city for the first time in 16 years tomorrow, Friday.

Crowds are expected to gather in their hundreds to give The Queen a warm Lancastrian welcome.

Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to arrive by royal train at Lancaster Railway Station and will then visit The Duchy of Lancaster, which owns Lancaster Castle.

It will be the first time the head of the British Monarchy has visited the Castle since it closed as a prison in 2011.

After the ceremony the Queen will go inside the castle to view a Shakespeare performance of Richard II and meet invited guests.

Those wishing to watch the visit should be in the area in front of the Castle by 10am on May 29.

Meeting House Lane will be closed during the visit on Friday from 6am-2pm.

Barriers will be erected along the route from the station to the Castle.

Crowds have been told to arrive as early as possible and to allow plenty of time to plan their journeys.

Police will be carrying out rolling road closures along King Street, Penny Street and Thurnham Street to allow the Royal party to pass safely by car.

Any roads adjoining the A6 will be closed during the rolling closure.

Motorists are advised to use alternative modes of transport if possible.

Lancaster City Council and Lancashire Police are aiming to have the roads reopened as soon as possible.

Closures have been programmed to run until 2pm to ensure that barriers and other measures can be safely removed.

Businesses on the route should expect the pavements in front of their premises to be extremely busy.

Businesses both on and off the route should reschedule planned deliveries for Saturday.

Supt Peter Lawson from Lancashire Police said: “It is a real privilege to have this event in Lancaster and a significant amount of planning and preparation has taken place to ensure it is a memorable day for everyone.

“We do anticipate some traffic disruption on the day but we are working with local authorities to ensure businesses and the public likely to be affected are warned.

“Road closures are necessary to ensure the safety of the crowds expected to attend the event.” On her last visit to Lancaster in July 1999 the Queen toured Lancaster Priory before unveiling the Eric Morecambe statue.