Dear Travel Partner,
Following the news of the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II we at ASA remain respectful of the coming days of mourning whilst we continue to manage the bookings already in destination, those arriving in the near future and your enquiries beyond.
Details are still emerging on the timeline for “Operation London Bridge” the official procedure in the event of the Queen’s death, but without doubt this will impact on a range of tourism services over the next 10 days or more. Those Royal sites particularly will play a key part in ceremonial procedures.
We will have major disruption on the roads at the time of the lying in state in Edinburgh & London as well as the state funeral itself in London followed by the procession to Windsor when HM The Queen will be laid to rest in St George Chapel at Windsor Castle on the 19th September.
We are conscious of those clients already in destination and those arriving over the next two weeks and will pre-empt where possible any potential disruption and relay this back to your relevant operational team / sales person.
Despite the sombre occasion our priority remains to ensure your guests have a memorable, if not poignant, stay in the UK and should they wish, be part of this historical mourning & transitional period.
It would be sensible to assume that all attractions will be closed on the 19th September, the day of the State funeral and a national holiday, however this is the list of those that have officially notified us so far. Our reservations teams will be contacting you directly with any changes on affected bookings.
At the time of writing we have been informed of the following closures:
Windsor Castle – closed until further notice
Buckingham Palace State Rooms – closed until further notice
Royal Mews – closed until further notice
Queens Gallery (London & Edinburgh) – closed until further notice
Palace of Holyrood – closed until further notice
Hillsborough Castle – closed until further notice due to ceremonial importance
St Pauls Cathedral – remains closed until 20th September
Westminster Abbey – remains closed until 28th September
Edinburgh Castle – currently closed until further notice, at least until 14th September possibly up to 19th September inclusive – more details TBA
ALL Merlin’s UK attractions – closed 19th September
ALL Historical Scotland Sites – closed 19th September
Hampton Court – closed 19th September
Kensington Palace – closed 19th September
Tower of London – closed 19th September
Royal Botanic Kew Gardens – closed 19th September
Royal Yacht Britannia – closed 19th September
Wembley Stadium tours – closed 19th September
Warner Bross – closed 19th September
Based on the above EVAN EVANS TOURS have already released the following current changes / cancellations to tours with more updates expected:
Buckingham Palace & Windsor Tour – will not operate 12th or 15th September
Royal Windsor Tour – will not operate 12th or 15th September
Crown Jewels of London Tour + cruise – with St Pauls closed as above the tour will have an exterior visit only and spend more time at the Tower of London
Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Bath – Tours continue to operate until further notice. Where the tour booked includes entrance to Windsor Castle and the castle is scheduled to be closed, a partial refund for the cost of the ticket will be offered or the entire tour may be cancelled free of charge. A walking tour of Windsor is still available.
Windsor Castle Stonehenge & Oxford – tours continue to operate until further notice. Where the tour booked includes entrance to Windsor Castle and the castle is scheduled to be closed, a partial refund for the cost of the ticket will be offered or the entire tour may be cancelled free of charge. A walking tour of Windsor is still available.
Mercat Tours – All tours will be suspended until the 15th September.
City Sightseeing Inverness – No tours operating on Monday 19th September
International Friends London – No tours operating on Monday 19th September
Tootbus London – A number of roads in central London will be closed for at least a period of 10 days.
All tours will be on diversion, and some bus stops will be closed.
