by Alex David
celebrate Britain’s victories against France during the 720
Seven Years’ War (1754-1763), the coach was first used by George III in November 1762 for the State Opening of Parliament. A true work of art of monumental
proportions, the Gold State Coach is 24 feet long, 8 feet wide and 13 feet high, and weighs over 4 tons. Its wood is sculpted and gilded, and includes many marine
decorations that were meant to symbolize Britain’s new dominance of the sea following the Seven Years’ War.
Three cherubic figures on the roof symbolizing the spirits of England, Scotland and Ireland are sculpted holding a crown, sceptre and sword of state. The Coach requires 8
horses to pull it, all of which are always dressed in the
‘No. 1 State Harness’, an 18th century royal harness made of Morocco leather and gilt brass that is only used with the Gold State Coach. The weight of the Coach is such that it can only travel at walking speed, and 30-40 yards are needed to bring it to a complete stop when in full motion. Differently from all other ceremonial coaches, only the Monarch can ride in the Gold State Coach
(accompanied by other members of the Royal Family if so desired). It has been used by monarchs at every
coronation since 1821, and until the Second World War it was used occasionally to travel to the State Opening of Parliament. Queen Elizabeth II also used it during the processions for her Silver Jubilee in 1977 and Golden Jubilee in 2002. Despite its glorious appearance the Gold State Coach is known to be a particularly rough ride.
William IV compared it to a ship tossing in the rough seas, and George VI described his coronation procession as the 721
worst ride of his life. The coach however was completely overhauled for the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.
The Irish State Coach
The first Irish State Coach was built in Dublin in 1803-04
and was bought by Queen Victoria during a visit to the city in 1852. It was one of Victoria’s favourite coaches and was also used by Edward VII, however it burned
down in 1911 while being refurbished in London with only part of the ironwork surviving. The present coach was re-built in 1911 and was completely restored in 1988-89 based on original designs. Its roof’s gilded decorations, dating back from Queen Victoria’s later reign, are unique: besides English roses, Scottish thistles and Irish shamrocks the decorations also include small palms, symbolizing Victoria’s title of Empress of India.
From 1946 to 2013 this was the coach routinely used to convey the monarch to and from the State Opening of Parliament, after which it was replaced by the newer and grander Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
The Scottish State Coach
One of the oldest coaches in the collection, this carriage was initially built in 1830 for Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, one of the sons of King George III, who used it at the coronation of his brother William IV in 1831.
After many years of family use it was sold to William 722
Keppel, Earl of Albermarle—an ancestor of Camilla,
Duchess of Cornwall—who converted it to a simple
landau. The Keppel family then returned it to the Royal Family in 1920 as a gift to Queen Mary, Prince Adolphus’
granddaughter. Queen Elizabeth II had the coach rebuilt and modified in 1968-69 when it was decorated with
Scottish emblems including the Scottish Royal Coat of Arms, the badge of the Order of the Thistle, and a copy of the Crown of Scotland upon the coach’s roof. The new coach was first used by the Queen in Edinburgh in 1969
and has been used on many state and royal occasions since, including the Silver Jubilee of 1977 and Prince William’s wedding in 2011. The coach has larger glass windows than other coaches and a glass roof, allowing more light into the interior and a better view of the riders for onlookers.
The Glass Coach
This carriage was built in 1881 and was bought by the monarchy in 1911 to use at George V’s coronation that year. Since then it has become associated with royal weddings, particularly with driving royal brides to the church. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon first used it in this way in 1923 for her wedding to the Duke of York (later King George VI), and it was later used at the weddings of Princess Alexandra in 1963, Princess Anne in 1973, Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981, and Sarah, Duchess of York in 1986. Queen Elizabeth II however used the coach to only 723
ride back from Westminster Abbey in 1947 after her
marriage to Prince Philip, using instead the Irish State Coach for the inward ride. It is known to be a very comfortable coach with excellent suspensions, so it is often used at royal events to transport members of the Royal Family or dignitaries.
The Alexandra State Coach
Considered by experts to be one of the finest coaches ever built, the Alexandra State coach was bought in 1893
for Alexandra of Denmark, Princess of Wales, later Queen Alexandra, from whom it takes its name. She and her husband, King Edward VII, used the coach often in
London both before and after they became King and
Queen in 1901. After Edward VII’s death in 1910 the coach was used by Alexandra as Queen Dowager until her death in 1925. Its decorations are said to include as many as 67 painted and sculpted crowns, and perhaps for that reason the coach has been used exclusively since 1962 to convey the Imperial State Crown to the Palace of
Westminster for the annual State Opening of Parliament, together with the Cap of Maintenance and the Sword of State. On those occasions a special cushioned table with an overhead spotlight is used to show off the Crown during its procession to and from Westminster.
724
The 1902 State Landau
The most frequently used of the State Coaches, the 1902
State Landau (that is, a luxury open carriage) was built for King Edward VII’s coronation in that year, though owing to the King’s ill health during the coronation ceremonies he only used it for the first time in October during a visit to the City of London. It is lavishly decorated with gold leaf and crimson satin lining, and painted in a lighter shade of maroon than the other coaches. It has been the coach of choice during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign to welcome foreign Heads of State to Britain during State Visits, and is frequently used as such in London, Windsor, and Edinburgh (weather permitting as it is an open
coach). The Landau has also played a prominent part during famous royal occasions: it was used by the Queen during royal processions for her Silver Jubilee in 1977 and Diamond Jubilee in 2012, and was also used to carry royal newlyweds back to Buckingham Palace after the
weddings of Prince Charles (1981), Prince Andrew (1986) and Prince William (2011).
The Australian State Coach
This coach was a gift from the people of Australia to Elizabeth II on the occasion of the Australian Bicentenary in 1988, and was first used at the British State Opening of Parliament in November that year. Its design is similar to the Irish State Coach but it is decorated with Australian heraldic symbols and Queen Elizabeth II’s personal flag as 725
Head of the Commonwealth. It was the first coach built by W.J. Frecklington and is one of the most modern of the coaches with electric windows and central heating. It is often used by the Queen to welcome Heads of State during official State Visits, and by other members of the Royal Family on important royal occasions.
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach is one of the most
spectacular ever created. The coach was designed and built by Australian W.J. Frecklington—who previously built the Australian State Coach—to celebrate the
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Finished in 2010, it was originally named State Coach Britannia and only assumed its current name after coming into royal service in 2014. Since then it has replaced the Irish State Coach as the carriage used to convey the monarch to the State Opening of Parliament. The coach is both a remarkable feat of engineering and a luxurious work of art. It is 18ft long, 7ft 2in wide and 10ft
8in high; weighs over 3 tons; and was built with all modern conveniences, including electric windows, hydraulic stabilisers and heating. Much of the exterior wood is gilded with 23.5 carat gold-leaf, its lamps are made of Edinburgh crystal, and the door
handles are decorated with diamonds and sapphires. The coach’s most remarkable feature however are the dozens of historical items incorporated in its body. W.J.
Frecklington wanted to create something special to mark 726
the rare occasion of a sovereign marking a Diamond
Jubilee, and to that end he gathered fragments, mostly made of wood, from historic buildings, churches, ships and artefacts representing over 2,000 years of British history. The majority are stored in the coach’s cabin forming the inner wooden panelling and are carefully marked by small plaques. Among them are items from
Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, Blenheim
Palace, Old London Bridge, 10 Downing Street, Edinburgh Castle, the Mayflower ship, Isaac Newton’s Apple Tree, a Spitfire plane, a button from a soldier’s uniform who served on the Western Front, and Robert Stephenson’s Rocket locomotive. In addition, the sculpted crown on the roof of the coach is made out of wood from HMS
Victory, Horatio Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar, and the finial cross contains a capsule holding gold, frankincense and myrrh, to honour the Christian associations of the monarchy. A compartment within the cabin also stores two microcards containing a copy of the Magna Carta and the Domesday Book.
727
Countries Officially Visited
by Queen Elizabeth II,
1952-2018
Queen Elizabeth II is the most travelled monarch in British history. A list of the countries and territories where the Queen made official visits during her reign follows below. It includes official royal visits made to Commonwealth countries as well as state visits to non-Commonwealth countries. It does not include repeat
visits, so each country is listed only once on the year Elizabeth II first visited. It also does not include visits Elizabeth undertook as Princess before her accession to the throne, nor her stay in Kenya in February 1952 at the time of her accession.
Country
First Visited as Queen
1950s
Bermuda
1953
Jamaica
1953
728
Panama
1953
Fiji
1953
Tonga
1953
New Zealand
1953
Australia
1954
Cocos Islands
1954
Sri Lanka
1954
Yemen (Aden)
1954
Uganda
1954
Libya
1954
Malta
1954
Gibraltar
1954
Norway
1955
Nigeria
1956
Sweden
1956
Portugal
1957
France
1957
Denmark
1957
Canada
1957
USA
1957
The Netherlands
1958
1960s
India
1961
Pakistan
1961
Nepal
1961
Iran
1961
729
Italy
1961
Vatican City
1961
Ghana
1961
Liberia
1961
Sierra Leone
1961
Gambia
1961
Ethiopia
1965
Sudan
1965
West Germany
1965
Barbados
1966
Guyana
1966
Trinidad and Tobago
1966
Grenada
1966
Saint Vincent/Grenadines 1966
Saint Lucia
1966
Dominica
1966
Monserrat
1966
Antigua
1966
St Kitts and Nevis
1966
Anguilla and Barbuda
1966
British Virgin Islands
1966
Turks and Caicos Islands 1966
Bahamas
1966
Belgium
1966
Brazil
1968
Chile
1968
Austria
1969
730
1970s
Turkey
1971
Thailand
1972
Singapore
1972
Malaysia
1972
Brunei
1972
Maldives
1972
Seychelles
1972
Mauritius
1972
Kenya
1972
Yugoslavia
1972
Cook Islands
1974
Norfolk Island
1974
New Hebrides
1974
Solomon Islands
1974
Papua New Guinea
1974
Indonesia
1974
Mexico
1975
Hong Kong
1975
Japan
1975
Finland
1976
Luxembourg
1976
Western Samoa
1977
Kuwait
1979
Bahrain
1979
Saudi Arabia
1979
Qatar
1979
United Arab Emirates
1979
731
Oman
1979
Tanzania
1979
Malawi
1979
Botswana
1979
Zambia
1979
1980s
Switzerland
1980
Tunisia
1980
Algeria
1980
Morocco
1980
Nauru
1982
Kiribati
1982
Tuvalu
1982
Cayman Islands
1983
Bangladesh
1983
Jordan
1984
Belize
1985
China
1986
Spain
1988
1990s
Iceland
1990
Namibia
1991
Zimbabwe
1991
732
*Germany
1992
Hungary
1993
Russia
