Public urged to take opportunity to have Westminster Abbey to themselves

Westminster Abbey is calling on people who have never been inside the church and only seen it on television to visit for the first time.

The gothic Abbey in central London has been the scene of some of the most memorable royal occasions, from the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to the coronation of the Queen and the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.

It was also where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex carried out their final official public duty before quitting as senior royals – and where Kate was accused of snubbing Meghan during the service, according to a new royal biography.

Members of the public are being urged to explore the Abbey at a unique time in history, when there are fewer crowds and they will almost have the church to themselves.

26% of those who responded to a Twitter poll by the Abbey when asked “When were you last here?” said they had only ever seen the church on television.

Nearly 30% said they had visited in the last five to 10 years, and 39% in the last two years – 5% had visited on a school trip.

The Abbey, which is set to lose £12 million in revenue this year and could make some of its staff redundant as a result of the pandemic, has 30% off ticket prices on Wednesday evenings to tempt people back in to London, with an adult ticket costing £12 for the mid week slot.

The church was shut for four months because of the coronavirus outbreak.