TheGold State Coach is an enclosed, eight-horse-drawn carriage used by theBritish royal family. Commissioned in 1760 byFrancis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, for KingGeorge III, and designed by Sir William Chambers, it was built in the London workshops of Samuel Butler. It was commissioned for £7,562 (£3.54 m or US$4.19 m in 2022, adjusted for inflation).[1][2] It was built forGeorge III's coronation in 1761, but was not ready in time;[3] it was completed in 1762.
Thisstate coach has been used at thecoronation of every British monarch sinceWilliam IV in 1831.[4] The coach's great age, weight, and lack of manoeuvrability have limited its use to grand state occasions such as coronations andjubilee celebrations. Until theSecond World War, the coach was the monarch's usual mode of transport to and from theState Opening of Parliament.
More than 260 years old, it is made of wood covered in gold leaf. The interior is lined with velvet and silk. It is 7.5 metres (25 ft) metres long, 3.6 metres (12 ft) tall, and weighs 4 tonnes (8,800 lb). It was last used at theCoronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023. When not in use the coach is housed at theRoyal Mews ofBuckingham Palace, where it is kept on public display.
Thecoach weighs 4 tonnes (8,800 lb) and is 7.5 metres (25 ft) metres long and 3.6 metres (12 ft) tall. It isgilded oak and features painted panels byGiovanni Battista Cipriani and rich gilded sculpture. The body of the coach is slung by braces ofMorocco leather and decorated with giltbuckles. The interior is lined with velvet and satin.
The sculptorSir Joseph Wilton produced the elaborate carvings on the coach. The roof supports three cherubs representing the union of England, Scotland and Ireland. They carry the Imperial Crown and hold the sword, sceptre and the badge representing Knighthood. The branches of eight gilded palm trees frame the roof. Four corner trees rise from a lion's head and are decorated with symbols of Britain's victory in theSeven Years' War with France. The war was drawing to a close when the coach was built in 1762.
Morocco leather straps support the body of the coach and are held by fourtritons, mythical sea-gods with a man's head and a dolphin's tail. At the front wheels, the tritons seem to be using the straps to pull the coach. They are blowing conchs, trumpet-like shells to herald the arrival of the Monarch of the Ocean. Gilded dolphins hold in place the bar by which the coach is drawn, and the driver's foot board (no longer used) is in the shape of a scallop shell. The two tritons at the back carry imperial symbols, representing Britain's maritime traditions and status as a dominant sea power.[5] The carvings give the Gold Coach the air of a triumphant chariot, reflecting Britain's powerful position in the world at the time.
The Gold State Coach is so heavy it is only pulled at a walk,[1] by a team of eightWindsor Grey horses wearing the Red Morocco harness. The coach was originally driven by acoachman, but is now guided bypostilion (riders).
Dressed in royallivery, there are four postilions, nine walkinggrooms (one next to each horse, and one walking behind the coach), sixfootmen who walk beside the body of the coach, and fourYeoman of the Guard carrying their longpartisans. The grooms may help handle the horses if the animals become unruly, and they carry crooked walking-sticks to hold up thetraces that may become slack when the coach is taking a corner.[6] The coach's brakes are operated by the grooms.
The Gold State Coach was first used byGeorge III at the State Opening of Parliament in 1762. In this painting, it emerges fromSt James's Palace and turns into the Mall. The King sits facing forward, while the coachman controls four pairs of horses from a box seat (which was later removed in favor of usingpostilion riders,à la Daumont). Because the coach is extremely heavy, eight horses are required to pull it at a walking pace.[7]
As the coach is suspended from long leather thoroughbraces, it sways back and forth, and from side to side.[1] The coach also lacks the more modern comforts of other royal coaches which have electric windows, heating, and hydraulic stabilizers.
Most monarchs have expressed displeasure in riding the Gold State Coach. In the words of KingWilliam IV, a former naval officer, being driven in the Gold State Coach was like being on board a ship "tossing in a rough sea".Queen Victoria complained of the "distressing oscillation" of the cabin. She would often refuse to ride in the Gold State Coach. The original box seat was removed beforeEdward VII's Coronation in 1902 to give the public a clearer view of the monarch.[7] The Coach remained in regular use throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. KingGeorge VI said that his journey from the palace toWestminster Abbey for hiscoronation was "one of the most uncomfortable rides I have ever had in my life".[8] He had the coach overhauled after the Second World War and replaced the wheels' iron rims with rubber. That afforded some comfort to the passengers.[1]
QueenElizabeth II referred to hercoronation journey in the coach as "horrible" and "not very comfortable", which is possibly why it was not used for herDiamond Jubilee when she was aged 86, having previously been used for herSilver andGolden Jubilee celebrations.[9] It was brought back as part of a pageant for herPlatinum Jubilee celebrations with aPepper's ghost effect being used to show archive film footage of the young Queen waving to crowds from the coach.[10][11]
KingCharles III rode in theDiamond Jubilee State Coach to his coronation, opting to only use the Gold State Coach on the return to Buckingham Palace due to the poor ride quality.[12]
_-_George_III%2527s_Procession_to_the_Houses_of_Parliament_-_RCIN_402002_-_Royal_Collection.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
