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The Edinburghs

The Earl of Wessex cancels visit to St Paul’s Cathedral after woman’s tragic death

The Earl of Wessex has cancelled his Wednesday afternoon engagement at St Paul’s Cathedral after a woman fell from the dome and died this morning.

Prince Edward was due to attend a Seafarers UK King George’s Fund for Sailors Centenary Service at the cathedral. The event has been cancelled out of respect for the deceased.

It is understood that a tourist died after falling more than 100 feet from inside of the dome at the top of the building.

The woman fell from the Whispering Gallery to the Cathedral in front of other panicked visitors.

Police are not treating the incident as suspicious, and first aiders attempted to save the woman’s life but her injuries were too great.

In a statement, St Paul’s said: “The Cathedral is deeply saddened at the death of a visitor on the morning of Wednesday 11 October 2017.

“Although robust procedures for emergency situations are in place at St Paul’s and today’s response bore that out, it does not lessen the shock we feel as a close community, especially for those of us who witnessed and responded to this incident. 

“We hold also in our thoughts those visitors within the Cathedral at the time.

“We think and pray especially at this time for the woman who died, and for all those who were close to her and who loved and cared for her.”

Photograph by Chris Boland – www.chrisboland.com