Westminster Abbey

15 Stories

King Charles III Notches a First at Coronation

No other UK monarch has prayed aloud at their own crowning ceremony before

(Newser) - It was an event decades in the making. King Charles III was crowned Saturday in a ceremony rife with pageantry, using a blueprint that "has stayed much the same for more than 1,000 years," notes CNN . After a procession in a golden carriage to Westminster Abbey, the...

'Operation Golden Orb' Has Begun
'Operation
Golden Orb'
Has Begun
May 6, 2023 5:30 AM CDT

'Operation Golden Orb' Has Begun

Coronation of King Charles III, wife Camilla kicks off in London

(Newser) - King Charles III is being crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony built on ancient traditions, at a time when the monarchy faces an uncertain future. More than 2,000 guests, thousands of troops, tens of thousands of spectators, and a smattering of protesters converged in and around the...

Coming Soon: Barefoot Tours of Westminster Abbey

Visitors will be allowed to stand on medieval mosaic floor for first time

(Newser) - Visitors to London's Westminster Abbey will be allowed to stand for the first time on the exact spot where King Charles III will be crowned—though after the coronation. And they will need to make sure they don't have holes in their socks for the shoeless tour, meant...

Palace Announces Mourning Schedule
Palace Sets Date
for Queen's Funeral
the rundown
Sep 10, 2022 12:10 PM CDT

Palace Sets Date for Queen's Funeral

Westminster service will be Sept. 19

(Newser) - Queen Elizabeth's state funeral will take place on Sept. 19, at Westminster Abbey in London, officials announced Saturday. "We will carry out our duty over the coming days with the heaviest of hearts, but also with the firmest of resolve to ensure a fitting farewell to one of...

Queen Gives 'Vote of Support' to Prince Andrew

He escorted Queen ahead of Tuesday's memorial service for Prince Philip

(Newser) - Queen Elizabeth II shrugged off recent health issues to attend a memorial service for her husband, Prince Philip, at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday, entering the cavernous church through a side door to shorten the distance to her seat. The monarch entered the abbey on the arm of her second son,...

Here Are Some Images of Trump in London

He got a smile from the queen

(Newser) - Mixing pageantry and political pugilism, President Trump opened a state visit to Britain on Monday by drawing a smile from Queen Elizabeth II and stepping up a long-running feud with London's anti-Trump mayor before his plane had touched down on English soil. Trump and his wife, Melania, flew by...

Hawking's Family Offers Ticket Lottery for Service

1K members of the public will get tickets

(Newser) - The family of the late British physicist Stephen Hawking has opened a lottery for 1,000 tickets for a service of thanksgiving in his honor at Westminster Abbey. Hawking's ashes are to be interred June 15 at the London church between the graves of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin....

Hawking's Ashes Will Rest Next to a Scientific Great

His ashes will be kept at London's Westminster Abbey

(Newser) - Stephen Hawking's final resting place will be among other famous scientists like Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Hawking's ashes will be interred at London’s Westminster Abbey, next to Newton's grave, at a Thanksgiving ceremony later this year, the Abbey has revealed . The Dean of Westminster...

Workers at Westminster Make Medieval Find Under Pipes

Remains of at least 50 people in abbey thought to be from 11th, 12th centuries

(Newser) - Workers demolishing a section of Westminster Abbey to make room for a new tower stumbled upon something most unexpected (at least in that part of the abbey): the remains of at least 50 people, including the skeleton of a 3-year-old, that archaeologists believe date back to the 11th and 12th...

Vandal Spray Paints Over Queen's Portrait

Men's rights group says one of its members may be responsible

(Newser) - God, it seems, is not interested in saving the Queen's portraiture. Westminster Abbey pulled its painting of Elizabeth II (that's the current queen for you non-royal fans) off the wall today, after a visitor defaced it with turquoise spray paint around lunchtime, the BBC reports. A 41-year-old man...

President Obama Gets Year Wrong on Westminster Abbey Guest Book
 Oops, Obama 
 Gets Year Wrong 
May 24, 2011 5:11 PM CDT

Oops, Obama Gets Year Wrong

President is off by a few at Westminster Abbey

(Newser) - Hey, the man's been traveling a lot: When President Obama signed the guest book at Westminster Abbey today, he wrote that it was a "a great privilege to commemorate our common heritage, and common sacrifice." Then came his name and the date—"24 May 2008."...

London Goes Bonkers
 London Goes Bonkers 
Apr 29, 2011 3:22 AM CDT

London Goes Bonkers

Ecstatic fans, posh guests in breathless anticipation

(Newser) - London morphed into one massive wedding party today as throngs lined the wedding procession route and head-of-state guests from around the world streamed into Westminster for the historic wedding of Britain's Prince William and his Kate. Some people camped out for days in the cold for a prime viewing...

Westminster Abbey Will Block Tweets at Wedding

Royal nuptials will have signal-blocking technology in place

(Newser) - If you happen to be one of the nearly 2,000 invitees to tomorrow's royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, don’t expect to be sending any tweets from Westminster Abbey. To keep guests from spilling intimate details ahead of the nuptials, event organizers will implement a...

Here's Who's Going to the Wedding

Other royals, politicians, celebrities, even normal people

(Newser) - You might not have heard, but Prince William is getting hitched in six short days, and the confirmed guest list is out today. A list of the notables, as per the AP:
  • Foreign royals: Denmark's Queen Margrethe; Norway's King Harald and Queen Sonja; Spain's Queen Sofia; Prince
...

Wills, Kate Set the Date, Place
 Wills, Kate Set the Date, Place 
royal wedding watch
Nov 23, 2010 6:28 AM CST

Wills, Kate Set the Date, Place

Royal couple will wed in April at Westminster Abbey

(Newser) - After a little bit of drama and much speculation, Prince William and Kate Middleton have decided on a wedding date: Friday, April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey. The royal family made the announcement today at St. James' Palace, MSNBC reports. Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Ann, and Prince Andrew all married...

15 Stories