VIP coronation guests won’t be able to relieve themselves for HOURS at Westminster Abbey
Coronation service guests will not be able to have a ‘royal pee’ for at least three hours due to the lack of toilet facilities at Westminster Abbey, MailOnline has learned.
The congregation arrives at Westminster Abbey from 7.15am and they have been told to be seated by 9am.
Toilet facilities in the abbey are ‘very limited’ according to advice to guests, and all will be closed for the duration of the service itself – from 10am to 1am.
Even at that point, after Charles and the other dignitaries have left the abbey, “guests must remain in their places until the ushers direct,” the strict advisory leaflet warns.
A royal source told MailOnline: “It sounds a bit comical along the lines of ‘very British trouble’, but it will certainly be a concern for some guests.”
Coronation service guests will not be able to have a ‘royal pee’ for at least three hours due to the lack of toilet facilities at Westminster Abbey, MailOnline has learned
The abbey’s sanitary facilities are said to be “very limited” and will be closed to all guests, including First Lady Jill Biden, for the duration of the service itself.
A guest in his 80s, who declined to be named, told us, “People, especially those of us of a certain age, are genuinely worried about how long they’ll have to last. With 2,000 people in the abbey, your chances of going to the toilet before 10 am are pretty slim, so you may have to wait several hours.
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Desperate times call for desperate measures, so there is even talk of some taking extreme measures to avoid embarrassment at this most public of events.
“We investigated whether some might consider wearing adult diapers or incontinence pads, just in case,” the guest added.
“Apparently people who attended the last coronation in 1953 were advised not to drink anything from midnight the night before, but that raises another question of dehydration.
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In addition to limited access to amenities, some are concerned about access to refreshments during the long morning.
Lady Glenconner, 90, who was one of the Queen’s Maids of Honor in 1953, recently told the Mail how she almost passed out at a crucial point, having had no food that morning.
She recalled, “There was only one moment when I look back that could have been disastrous: It happened when I thought I was going to pass out.
‘I hadn’t eaten anything that day; my dress was tight, the atmosphere in the abbey was oppressive because of so many sweating bodies.
“There was also a terrible stench of mothballs because the Peers had kept their robes in boxes during the war and had not been sent out.
Even after Charles and the other dignitaries leave the abbey, “guests must remain in their places until the ushers direct,” the strict advisory leaflet warns
In addition to limited access to amenities, some are concerned about access to refreshments during the long morning
‘When I look back at the film images, I am positively green. Just as the inauguration of our new monarch was about to begin, I felt dizzy and began to shake.
Conscious that I didn’t want to faint in front of the entire British Empire, I broke my bottle of smelling salt.
“But although I inhaled the fumes and frantically wiggled my toes to stimulate my circulation, as we were instructed, it had little effect. I still felt bad.’
Help arrived in the form of Black Rod, Lieutenant General Sir Brian Horrocks, standing beside her.
‘When I saw myself wobbling precariously, [he] pinned me to a nearby pillar,” she said.
“I held my ground and managed to save myself from collapsing. Then, I think, the adrenaline took over and I felt a little better.’
Guests for tomorrow’s service are warned that despite their valued invitations, they may still not be able to see the ceremony at all and will be dependent on TV screens.
In a red-framed paragraph, the leaflet advises: ‘Please note: to ensure that as many people as possible can attend the coronation, some guests will be seated in parts of Westminster Abbey, giving them little or no direct access. view of the state of affairs.
“Television screens will be placed in these spaces and guests will still be able to enjoy the historic event.”
Westminster Abbey was contacted for comment.