Gold State Coach

{{Short description|Carriage used by the British royal family}} {{Other uses|Gold coach}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}} {{Use British English|date=May 2017}} {{Infobox artwork | title = | italic title = no | other_language_1 = | other_title_1 = | image = Gold State Coach at the Royal Mews - 006.jpg | image_upright =  | alt = | caption = | completion_date = 1762 | condition = Conserved. In use. | museum = [[Royal Mews]] | city =  | owner = [[The Crown]] | website =  | type = Grande carrosse | artist = {{UBL|Samuel Butler (coachbuilder)|[[Giovanni Battista Cipriani]] (paintings)|[[Joseph Wilton]] (scultures)}} | metric_unit = m | height_imperial = 12 | length_imperial = 25 | imperial_unit = ft | weight = 4 tonnes (8,800 lb) }} The '''Gold State Coach''' is an enclosed, eight-horse-drawn carriage used by the [[British royal family]]. Commissioned in 1760 by [[Francis Rawdon-Hastings]], 1st Marquess of Hastings, for King [[George 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).<ref name="BBC News 2002"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.in2013dollars.com/uk/inflation/1760 | title=Value of 1760 British pounds today | UK Inflation Calculator }}</ref> It was built for [[Coronation of George III and Charlotte|George III's coronation]] in 1761, but was not ready in time;<ref>{{cite news| last=Bates | first=Stephen | title=Nothing but drizzle was permitted to rain on this parade. So why did Charles look so glum? |newspaper=The Guardian | date=6 May 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/06/nothing-but-drizzle-was-permitted-to-rain-on-this-parade-so-why-did-charles-look-so-glum}}</ref> it was completed in 1762.

This [[state coach]] has been used at the [[coronation of the British monarch|coronation of every British monarch]] since [[William IV]] in 1831.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-royal-mews-buckingham-palace/the-gold-state-coach#/|title=The Gold State Coach|work=Royal Collection Trust|accessdate=10 April 2023}}</ref> The coach's great age, weight, and lack of manoeuvrability have limited its use to grand state occasions such as coronations and [[List of jubilees of British monarchs|jubilee celebrations]]. Until the [[Second World War]], the coach was the monarch's usual mode of transport to and from the [[State 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 {{convert|7.5|m|ft}} metres long, {{convert|3.6|m|ft}} tall, and weighs {{convert|4|t|lb}}. It was last used at the [[Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla]] in 2023. When not in use the coach is housed at the [[Royal Mews]] of [[Buckingham Palace]], where it is kept on public display.

== Description ==

The [[coach (carriage)|coach]] weighs {{convert|4|t|lb}} and is {{convert|7.5|m|ft}} metres long and {{convert|3.6|m|ft}} tall. It is [[gilded]] oak and features painted panels by [[Giovanni Battista Cipriani]] and rich gilded sculpture. The body of the coach is slung by braces of [[Morocco leather]] and decorated with gilt [[buckle]]s. The interior is lined with velvet and satin.

The sculptor [[Joseph Wilton|Sir 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 the [[Seven 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 four [[triton (mythology)|triton]]s, 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.<ref>{{cite book |title=Mews Catalogue}}</ref> The carvings give the Gold Coach the air of a triumphant chariot, reflecting Britain's powerful position in the world at the time.

As the coach is suspended from long leather thoroughbraces, it sways back and forth, and from side to side.{{r|BBC News 2002}} The coach also lacks the more modern comforts of other royal coaches which have electric windows, heating, and hydraulic stabilizers.

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Gold State Coach details" heights="170"> Gold State Coach, Royal Mews.jpg|Exhibited in the [[Royal Mews]] at [[Buckingham Palace]] in 2026 Le Royal Mews de Londres-012.JPG|Close up of artwork by [[Giovanni Cipriani]] Gold State Coach rear detail.jpg|Gilded Triton figures (rear) </gallery>

== Horses and attendants ==

[[File:Royal Mews (20174540523).jpg|thumb|The coach's display with [[mannequin]]s shows the elaborate harness and [[livery]] costumes]] The Gold State Coach is so heavy it is only pulled at a walk,<ref name="BBC News 2002">{{cite news|title=Gold coach a 'bumpy ride'|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/1984344.stm|access-date=27 May 2016|work=BBC News|date=4 June 2002}}</ref> by a team of eight [[Windsor Grey]] horses wearing the Red Morocco harness. The coach was originally driven by a [[coachman]], but is now guided by [[postilion]] (riders).

Dressed in royal [[livery]], there are four postilions, nine walking [[Groom (profession)|groom]]s (one next to each horse, and one walking behind the coach), six [[Footman|footmen]] who walk beside the body of the coach, and four [[Yeoman of the Guard]] carrying their long [[Partisan (weapon)|partisan]]s. The grooms may help handle the horses if the animals become unruly, and they carry crooked walking-sticks to hold up the [[Trace (tack)|traces]] that may become slack when the coach is taking a corner.<ref>[http://members.boardhost.com/coronation/thread/1360109213.html Newspaper clipping from 1953] Seen on 1 August 2014.</ref> The coach's brakes are operated by the grooms.

== History ==

[[File:Attributed to John Wootton (c. 1682-1764) - George III's Procession to the Houses of Parliament - RCIN 402002 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|''George III's procession to the Houses of Parliament'' c. 1762–64; attributed to [[John Wootton]]]] [[File:The Gold State Coach to Westminster.jpg|thumb|King [[George V]] and Queen [[Mary of Teck|Mary]], 6 February 1911]] The Gold State Coach was first used by [[George III]] at the State Opening of Parliament in 1762. In this painting, it emerges from [[St 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 using [[postilion]] riders, [[à la Daumont]]). Because the coach is extremely heavy, eight horses are required to pull it at a walking pace.<ref name="rct">{{cite web |title=George III's Procession to the Houses of Parliament |url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/royal-mews/george-iiis-procession-to-the-houses-of-parliament |website=Royal Collection Trust |access-date=19 November 2025}}</ref>

Most monarchs have expressed displeasure in riding the Gold State Coach. In the words of King [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William 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 before [[Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra|Edward VII's Coronation]] in 1902 to give the public a clearer view of the monarch.<ref name="rct"/> The Coach remained in regular use throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. King [[George VI]] said that his journey from the palace to [[Westminster Abbey]] for his [[Coronation of George VI and Elizabeth|coronation]] was "one of the most uncomfortable rides I have ever had in my life".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Middleton|first1=Christopher|title=Royal Wedding: will married life get off to a bumpy start in the glass coach?|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8481190/Royal-Wedding-will-married-life-get-off-to-a-bumpy-start-in-the-glass-coach.html|accessdate=27 May 2016|work=Telegraph.co.uk|date=28 April 2011}}</ref> 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.<ref name="BBC News 2002"/>

== Modern use ==

Queen [[Elizabeth II]] referred to her [[Coronation of Elizabeth II|coronation]] journey in the coach as "horrible" and "not very comfortable", which is possibly why it was not used for her [[Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Diamond Jubilee]] when she was aged 86, having previously been used for her [[Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Silver]] and [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Golden Jubilee]] celebrations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/07/queen-horrible-coronation-coach-journey-not-comfortable/|title='Not very comfortable': Queen remembers her 'horrible' Coronation coach journey|first=Hannah|last=Furness|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=7 January 2018}}</ref> It was brought back as part of a pageant for her [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Platinum Jubilee]] celebrations with a [[Pepper's ghost]] effect being used to show archive film footage of the young Queen waving to crowds from the coach.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Novak |first1=Matt |title=Was the Queen's Virtual Carriage Ride a Real Hologram? |url=https://gizmodo.com/queen-hologram-3d-peppers-ghost-fake-real-video-photo-e-1849022115 |website=Gizmodo |date=6 June 2022 |access-date=12 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/platinum-jubilee-the-queen-appears-in-hologram-in-gold-state-coach-as-street-pageant-takes-place-in-london-12628157|title=Platinum Jubilee: Queen hologram appears in Gold State Coach during pageant|work=Sky News|date=5 June 2022|accessdate=6 June 2022}}</ref>

King [[Charles III]] rode in the [[Diamond 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.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/kings-coronation-what-is-gold-state-coach-how-much-worth-161138917.html | title=King's coronation: What is the Gold State Coach and how much is it worth? | date=17 April 2023|work=Yahoo News}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="170"> Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022 - Platinum Pageant (52124646254).jpg|Illusion of a younger Queen Elizabeth sitting in the coach, 2022 Gold State Coach, drawn by 8 Windsor Grey horses (52875338268).jpg|The Coronation procession, 2023 King Charles and Queen Camilla in the Gold State Coach 2023.jpg|King Charles III and Queen Camilla, 2023 </gallery>

== See also == * [[List of state coaches]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category}} *[https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-royal-mews-buckingham-palace/the-gold-state-coach#/ "Gold State Coach"]. ''[[Royal Collection Trust]]''. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060922034022/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/06/04/uk.gold.coach/index.html Description from CNN of the Gold State Coach] *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN4-x1NHhEg Audio description of the Gold State Coach at YouTube] from the Royal Collection Trust

[[Category:1762 works]] [[Category:Monarchy of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Works by Scottish people]] [[Category:Royal carriages]] [[Category:Vehicles of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Gold in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:George III]] [[Category:Coronation of Charles III and Camilla]]