- The coronation site of British royals will open to the public for the first time in its 700-year history.
- London's Westminster Abbey will hold special tours from May 15 to its famed Cosmati pavement.
The site where King Charles III will be crowned — and where other British monarchs have been crowned for centuries — will be open to the public to visit come May.
About a week after King Charles' May 6 coronation, London's Westminster Abbey will allow visitors to walk on its revered Cosmati pavement. This has been the coronation site of kings and queens for over 700 years, the church's website announced in a news release.
To protect the mosaic tiles on the 13th-century floor, visitors will be required to remove their shoes and walk with only their socks on.
"It will be the first time in living memory that the Abbey has invited visitors to walk on the Cosmati pavement where the Coronation Chair will be placed for the crowning of HM The King on Saturday 6th May," the news release read.
—Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) April 15, 2021
Scott Craddock, the church's head of visitor experience, said he hopes the tours will give "everyone an opportunity to join in with the celebrations."
The intricate 25-square-foot mosaic piece, made of 80,000 pieces of marble, stone, glass, and metal, was previously cordoned off to the public, and could only be viewed from a distance, the release said.
The tours will take place once daily from May 15 to May 31. Tickets are priced at $18.40.
Representatives for Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.