Central Windsor roads close 9am to 3pm on Monday and Tuesday, four car parks shut and a no-fly zone runs 7am to midnight on Tuesday for the Sultan of Oman's state visit.

Roads around Windsor Castle will close from 9am to 3pm on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 October for the state visit of the Sultan of Oman. Four town-centre car parks will shut for most of both days.

On Tuesday, flying anything over the town will be a criminal offence. The permanent no-fly zone around the castle will be extended from 7am until midnight. Thames Valley Police says anyone who breaks it “is likely to be arrested”.

The King and Queen will host Sultan Haitham bin Tarik at Windsor Castle from Tuesday 20 to Thursday 22 October. It is the first state visit by a Sultan of Oman since March 1982, according to the Royal Household’s announcement.

Which roads close

The Royal Borough’s state visit page says closures and parking suspensions are expected between 9am and 3pm on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 October on:

  • Castle Hill
  • the B470: River Street, Thames Avenue, Datchet Road, King Edward VII Avenue and Windsor Road
  • Barry Avenue
  • Thames Street
  • High Street
  • Park Street
  • Sheet Street
  • St Alban’s Street

Some pavements and crossing points will also close from time to time between 9.30am and 12.30pm on both days, for the procession through the town centre. Traffic may be held for short spells on other Windsor roads for military movements. Bus services may change at short notice.

The council gives no diversion routes. It warns that all of it is subject to change and asks people to check its page again nearer the time.

Car parks closed

These four car parks will be shut from 7am to 5pm on both days:

Car park Normally run by
Home Park Crown Estate
King Edward VII Avenue Crown Estate
Romney Lock Crown Estate
River Street Royal Borough

The council says every other car park stays open as normal. Victoria Street, Alexandra Gardens and Alma Road are not on the list. Their prices are on our parking in Windsor page. The council is asking people to use public transport where they can.

The no-fly zone on Tuesday

There is a restricted airspace zone around Windsor Castle all year round. Thames Valley Police said on 12 October that it will be extended on Tuesday 20 October, from 7am until midnight, working with the Civil Aviation Authority (Thames Valley Police).

The formal restriction is set out in a NATS briefing sheet, 127/2026, published on 30 September. It bans all types of aircraft from flying below 2,500 feet over an area around Windsor and the western edge of London’s controlled airspace. The sheet gives the times in UTC, 6am to 11pm, which is 7am to midnight in British Summer Time. Flights in and out of Heathrow under air traffic control are exempt.

In practice, that means no drones over Windsor on Tuesday. Chief Superintendent Adrian Hall, of the force’s Joint Operations Unit, said: “We will be taking a strong stance in enforcing the restrictions; anyone who breaches them will be committing a criminal offence under the Air Navigation Order and is likely to be arrested.”

The force says anyone with a legitimate reason to fly must apply through NATS at least seven days in advance. For Tuesday, that window has already closed.

What else to expect

The force says it is sending officers with specialist skills to Windsor. They include:

  • search teams
  • the Mounted Section
  • Roads Policing
  • armed units
  • neighbourhood officers and Project Servator teams, who will be talking to the public

It will also use the town’s CCTV network and Hostile Vehicle Mitigation barriers. “Many measures you will see and others you will not,” Ch Supt Hall said. The police ask people to report anything suspicious to an officer, online or on 101, and to call 999 in an emergency.

The government is paying for the visit, the council says.

What it means for you

  • Driving into central Windsor on Monday or Tuesday: avoid the castle area between 9am and 3pm. Park at Victoria Street, Alexandra Gardens or Alma Road, or come by train.
  • Running a shop or restaurant in the centre: trade waste must be off the roadside by 7am on both days, because roads close early. The council says businesses open as usual.
  • Flying a drone: do not fly anywhere near Windsor on Tuesday between 7am and midnight.
  • Catching a train: the bigger rail problem comes the week after: Windsor & Eton Riverside has no trains from 26 to 30 October, and our roadworks and travel page has the details.
  • Getting updates on the day: Thames Valley Police posts on its Windsor and Maidenhead policing pages on Facebook and X.

Sources