Tue Feb 09 2010
State and local officials say they're in the dark about the queen of England's visit to the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Jodi Whitaker, spokeswoman for Gov. Ernie Fletcher, said she was unaware of the details of the queen's visit. A spokeswoman for the Transportation Cabinet said he didn't know if the queen would travel on Interstate 64 or how it would affect traffic if she did.
Lt. Phil Crumpton, public information officer for the Kentucky State Police, said KSP is assisting the Secret Service. He did not know specific details of her visit.
A Secret Service official in Washington, D.C., said specific details not related to the public generally are not released.
"We usually as a matter of policy do not discuss roads that are going to be closed," said Darrin Blackford, a spokesman for the Secret Service. He added that it would not be released where the queen plans to stay while in Kentucky.
"I don't know anything about it," said Deron Rambo, director of Frankfort/Franklin County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. He said security would be handled by federal agencies.
According to the official itinerary, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, duke of Edinburgh, were to visit the historic Virginia cities of Jamestown and Williamsburg today. The trip is an official state visit and will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement.
On Saturday, the royal couple is scheduled to attend the Kentucky Derby.
The next scheduled stop will be at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., on Saturday night. On Sunday, the royalty will visit the White House and attend a garden party.
The queen and the duke of Edinburgh have made three previous state visits in 1957, 1976 and 1991, during the presidencies of Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, respectively.
A number of presidents have visited England, including Presidents John F. Kennedy in 1961, Richard Nixon in 1969, Ronald Reagan in 1982, George H.W. Bush in 1989, Bill Clinton in 2000, and George W. Bush twice, in 2001 and 2003.
State Journal Staff Writer Vince Tweddell also contributed to this report.
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