Front Royal Va closes roads as royal visit preparations intensify
Front Royal Va was closing roads and posting no-parking signs on Wednesday as crews made final preparations for King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s visit. Workers had been battling rain since 3:00 a.m. to put the finishing touches in place. The town was bracing for a Thursday crowd looking for a glimpse of the couple.
Front Royal Va streets
The changes were visible across the area by Wednesday, with road closures and no-parking signs already in place. Security was expected to be on high alert, with checkpoints and protection throughout the area.
That put ordinary movement in the center of the visit’s planning. A resident who goes to work, runs errands, or parks near Main Street had to deal with restrictions before the royals even arrived.
Larry Urgo on the visit
Larry Urgo, a lifelong Front Royal resident and owner of AllClaimsPro, said the announcement had already stirred talk around town. He said he had heard “grumblings and rumors floating around” before the visit was made public.
“I was talking with some of my workers. There had been some grumblings and rumors floating around, but I think the Secret Service and some of the other agencies have been around and have done a really good job at keeping it under wraps,” Urgo said.
He also tied the royal stop to local memory. “As somebody who’s lived here for a while, walking around and talking with other business owners, we always hear about the days when Bing Crosby came through Front Royal and how cool of an event that was and so it’s pretty cool to partake in our own right with a very influential and famous person coming through our main street,” he said.
Bing Crosby in April 1950
Urgo pointed to Bing Crosby’s visit to Front Royal in April 1950 as the kind of event people still talk about. This time, the comparison was carrying practical consequences too: street closures, parking limits and a police and security presence designed to hold the town together while visitors arrived.
Thursday was expected to bring the heaviest foot traffic, with visitors hoping to get a glance of the couple. For anyone heading into the center of town, the immediate reality was simple: plan around the restrictions already in place before the visit began.
