Westminster Abbey is the final resting place of 30 kings and queens starting with King Edward the Confessor whose magnificent shrine stands just behind the High Altar. Henry III, who built the church you see today, is buried near him.

The area immediately surrounding and in front of the High Altar at Westminster Abbey is the final resting place of several significant English monarchs. Most notably, King Edward the Confessor, the abbey's patron saint and re-founder, is entombed in a magnificent shrine situated just behind the altar. On the floor directly in front of the altar, beneath the intricate 13th-century Cosmati mosaic pavement, lies the burial vault of King Henry III, who was responsible for rebuilding the abbey in the Gothic style we see today. Additionally, King Edward VI, the boy king and son of Henry VIII, is buried directly in front of the High Altar. To the sides of the altar area, you will also find the tombs of King Edward I and his wife Eleanor of Castile, as well as the tomb of Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of Henry VIII. This sacred space, known as the Sanctuary, serves as the spiritual heart of the abbey and has been the site of every coronation since 1066.