Why is the Cosmati pavement so special you have to wear socks to walk on it?

Watch: Tourists allowed to walk on site of King's coronation - in socks

Members of the public will be allowed to stand in the exact spot where King Charles III will be crowned - on one potentially smelly condition.

The King's coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday 6 May, but, in the weeks that follow, visitors will be permitted to stand in his shoes.

Well, not quite his shoes.

The King's coronation will take place on the Abbey's famed Cosmati pavement, one of the country's greatest medieval art treasures, which is usually roped off to the public.

But for the second half of May and all of June and July, visitors will be able to walk on the pavement - as long as they wear only socks.

What is the Cosmati pavement?

The 24ft 10in square pavement was commissioned by Henry III and completed in 1268 as a glittering adornment to his Abbey.

A cryptic inscription even predicts the end of the world, claiming it would last 19,683 years, with a riddle adding together the life spans of different animals including dogs, horses, men, stags, ravens, eagles and whales.

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It is considered the best surviving example outside Italy of a rare type of mosaic stonework known as Cosmati, named after the Italian family who perfected the technique.

What part does it play in coronations?

The intricate 13th-century mosaic floor – at the heart of the Abbey’s coronation theatre – has been the site of the crowning of kings and queens for more than 700 years.

It was covered over with carpet at many previous coronations, including Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1953 and George VI’s in 1937, but for the King’s, it will remain uncovered, the Abbey said.

The pavement was hidden under carpet and away from public view for 150 years from the 1870s until it was unveiled after a two-year programme of conservation work in 2010.

The late Queen was depicted standing on the spot where she was crowned in Australian-born artist Ralph Heimans’ portrait for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

When is the Cosmati pavement open to the public?

Visitors to Westminster Abbey are to be allowed to stand – in socks – for the first time in the exact spot where the King will be crowned.

Tourists will be kept to small groups of 10 and will be asked to remove their shoes and walk-in socks to help protect the pavement, made of geometric pattens of marble, stone, glass and metal, in the Sacrarium.

The guided Crown and Church visits will begin on 15 May, a week after the coronation.

The tour by Abbey experts will reveal the London abbey’s royal links, tell stories from coronations and allow access to the pavement and explain its history and significance.

A spokesperson for the Abbey said: “It will be the first time in living memory that the Abbey has invited visitors to walk on the Cosmati pavement where the Coronation Chair will be placed for the crowning of HM The King on Saturday 6 May.”

How to book to see the Cosmati pavement

The Crown and Church tours will run until 29 July and cost £15, plus Abbey entry.

However, Westminster Abbey revealed that all the tours to visit the Cosmati pavement sold out at about 9am on Friday, shortly after going on sale.

Watch: Here is what the King's coronation will look like