Visitors to Westminster Abbey will be invited to stand on the exact spot where King Charles will be crowned – in their socks.
Officials at the Abbey said on Friday that a section of the church floor known as the Cosmati pavement where the coronation chair has been placed for some 700 years will be on display during King’s Charles’ coronation.
It had been hidden under carpets for decades because of disrepair.
After the coronation on May 6, the area which is normally roped off to the public, will be open to small “barefoot tours”.
Visitors will be asked to remove their shoes to avoid wear and tear to the now-conserved floor, but will be told to keep their socks on to avoid the floor getting “sticky”.
“Standing on the pavement and feeling that sense of awe of being in the central part of the abbey is a really amazing experience," said Scott Craddock, head of visitor experience at the abbey.
“It will give people the opportunity to feel what it’s like being at that centre stage of the coronation.”
The mosaic of marble, stone, glass and metal, located in front of the abbey’s high altar, was commissioned by Henry III in the 1200s.
It is said to be the best surviving example outside Italy of a rare type of mosaic stonework known as “Cosmati," after the Italian family which created it.
The area was covered by carpet at many previous coronations, including those of Elizabeth II in 1953 and her father, George VI, in 1937.
“It’s a unique piece of art to Westminster Abbey but also to Britain itself – there are no other mosaic pavements like this in the UK,” said Vanessa Simeoni, the abbey’s head conservator.
Experts from the abbey will guide the tours, which will run on some days from May 15 to July 29.
