Archaeologists have found the first tomb of England's King Edward the Confessor hidden in Westminster Abbey.

For almost 1,000 years the tomb has been hidden below the famous High Altar, focus of royal events like the funeral of Princess Diana and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The surprise find came as experts used radar to study the construction of the rare 13th-century mosaic pavement in front of the altar.

Consultant archaeologist Dr Warwick Rodwell said the discovery was "of historical interest unparalleled anywhere else".

They also found under-floor chambers containing a series of royal tombs dating from the 13th century.

These include the temporary resting places of King Henry II and Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I Longshanks, before they were moved to elaborate tombs elsewhere in the abbey.

Dr Rodwell and expert Erica Utsi used high-frequency radar to look down to a depth of 20 inches below the Italian Cosmati pavement.

But the pavement was deeper in places and they had to look down further.

"Little did we expect that, lying beneath, we would find chambers, vaults and foundations dating back to the very founding of the Abbey, over a millennium ago."

Patron saint of England

Deeply religious, Edward the Confessor built the Abbey during his reign from 1042 to 1066. His marriage was childless, as he took a vow of celibacy.

Reported to heal people by touching them, he was named patron saint of England until 1415, when Saint George replaced him.

The king's body was moved twice from its first crypt below the abbey floor.

After Edward was canonised in 1163, Henry II ordered his remains to be buried in a shrine in front of the altar.

When Henry III rebuilt the abbey in 1269, he put up the main shrine behind the altar, where Edward still lies a few feet from his first resting place.

"The mystery around the location of his crypt has been running for many years," said Dr Rodwell. "We have never been able to locate the original tomb of Edward until now.

"The Victorians tried to find out more about what tombs were under here, but they simply did not have the technology to do it."

No historical record

The examination, part of a larger conservation programme, was the first survey of the floor area. No historical record exists of the crypts below.

Further studies are being carried out to learn more about the purpose, history and content of the main crypt and surrounding graves.

The team will also do a photogrametric survey of its location, comparing the radar results with a detailed floor plan.

The Abbey's receiver general, David Burden, added: "It's fascinating that, beneath this very famous altar, seen by millions around the world as the location at the heart of Royal and State occasions, there have always been these ancient graves that could well be holding many more secrets about life - and death - 1,000 years ago."