Westminster Abbey will waive £25 entry fee tomorrow to invite visitors to pay their respects to the Queen free of charge after state funeral
- The abbey’s usual £25 entry fee for adults has been waived on Thursday
- It will allow attendees the opportunity for ‘private prayer and reflection’
- Visitors are invited to light candles and a prayer is said for the Queen every hour
- The Queen’s funeral: All the latest Royal Family news and coverage
Westminster Abbey is inviting visitors to pay their respects free of charge after it hosted the Queen’s state funeral.
The abbey’s usual £25 entry fee for adults has been waived on Thursday to allow attendees the opportunity for ‘private prayer and reflection’.
Visitors are invited to light candles for reflection, and a prayer is said for the Queen every hour.
People wanting to see the abbey on these days do not need to book, but parts of the building will be closed and guided tours will not be on offer.
The abbey’s usual £25 entry fee for adults has been waived on Thursday to allow attendees the opportunity for ‘private prayer and reflection’
Paula Parziale, 70, from Boston in the US, travelled to Westminster Abbey on Wednesday morning. Her trip to London was planned two years ago, but was suspended during the pandemic.
She said: ‘We just thought we’d see where the Queen was and respect her.
‘I think I’ll cry, because (when I was) a little girl she was the Queen. Even from the (United) States she was still the Queen, and princesses and all those things you think about as a young girl. I’m getting teary eyed now, you know?’
Inside the abbey, where the coffin rested during the funeral service, is a framed picture of the Queen dressed in pink, along with a lit candle.
Paula Parziale, 70, from Boston in the US, travelled to Westminster Abbey on Wednesday morning. Her trip to London was planned two years ago, but was suspended during the pandemic
Where the queue formed outside the abbey, a sign says ‘Private prayer, reflection and services only. During this time there is no charge to visit’.
Esteban Celis, 25, from Guatemala, visited on Wednesday morning.
He said: ‘Casually I booked a vacation to London like three, four months ago, I didn’t know that all of this was going to happen.
‘I feel like I am a part of history now and I want to see where the Queen was. Now I have a lot of interest in the UK’s history.
‘I really didn’t know this was going to happen. But for me, it was very interesting to see how Londoners and how all the people love so much the Queen. So it’s been an incredible experience.’
The abbey will be open from 9.30am to 3.30pm on Wednesday and Thursday.
It is open as normal for tourist visiting on Friday when standard entry rates will resume.
Esteban Celis, 25, from Guatemala, visited on Wednesday morning. He said: ‘Casually I booked a vacation to London like three, four months ago, I didn’t know that all of this was going to happen’
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