State visit to the United Kingdom by The President and First Lady of the United States 2025: river closure notice
Published 10 September 2025
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-visit-to-the-united-kingdom-by-the-president-and-first-lady-of-the-united-states-2025-river-closure-notice/state-visit-to-the-united-kingdom-by-the-president-and-first-lady-of-the-united-states-2025-river-closure-notice
When
9am Monday 15 September to 5pm Friday 19 September 2025.
Where
Old Windsor and Romney reaches, Old Windsor Lock to Windsor & Eton Footbridge.
Details
To facilitate the state visit of the President and First Lady of the United States to the United Kingdom, the River Thames will be closed between Old Windsor Lock & Windsor & Eton Footbridge on multiple unspecified occasions during the above dates.
Expect delays of up to 4 hours at any time between these dates. Closures will be lifted as soon as we are able to do so.
No passage of unauthorised vessels within or through the closed area will be possible during times of closure.
All vessels must be navigated in accordance with any instructions given from Environment Agency or police control points or patrol launches.
We apologise for any inconvenience these closures cause and thank you for your patience during this time.
Byelaws
Nothing contained in these directions shall supersede those parts of the Thames Navigation Licensing and General Byelaws 1993 and the UK Merchant Shipping (Distress Signals and Prevention of Collisions) Regulations 1996 as may be relevant. Particular attention should be paid to byelaws 24-42 of the Thames Navigation Licensing and General Byelaws 1993, Steering Sailing and Speed.
And Notice is hereby given, that it is provided by Byelaw 52 of the Thames Navigation Licensing and General Byelaws 1993 that:
The master of any vessel shall except in an emergency not pass any boat-race regatta public procession or gathering for the launch of a vessel or any other event or function which may cause a crowd to assemble on or by the river nor station his vessel thereon in such a manner as would risk obstructing impeding or interfering with such boat-race regatta procession launching event or function or endangering the safety of persons assembling on the river or preventing or interfering with the maintenance of order thereon.
The maximum penalty for breach of the Byelaws is £1,000.
Read our Thames Navigation Licensing and General Byelaws 1993.