Two coaches of King Charles III. The gold one has been called “terrible”, the other one has electric windows

The king and queen decided to combine tradition with modernity, which is why they travel in two different carriages before and after the ceremony. One of them has facilities such as air conditioning, heating or electric windows. The second one is 263 years old and has carried seven rulers since 1762.

Coronation of King Charles III. Tradition meets modernity

In appearance, both carriages used during the coronation on May 6 look old-fashioned, but in fact only one of them is a carriage that is hundreds of years old. A newer vehicle was built in 2010 in Australia. To the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II. For this reason, the official name of the British coach is the Diamond Jubilee State Coach. However, it was used for the first time only in 2014. The carriage is 5.5 meters long and weighs 2,750 kilograms. This load is pulled by six horses.

Despite its traditional appearance, it has amenities such as electric windows, air conditioning, heating and even hydraulic suspension. Inside, it is finished with leather, while rich decorations are made of historical elements from e.g. from wooden parts of British ships or fragments of famous buildings, including Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral and Balmoral Castle.

Seven rulers have traveled the Gold State Coach for 263 years

From Westminster Abbey, the crowned king will travel back to Buckingham Palace on the historic Gold State Coach. The carriage was built in 1760, however, it was used for the first time two years later in 1762. Then George III went by carriage to the opening ceremony. For over 190 years, the vehicle has been used at every successive coronation of British monarchs. The first of them was William IV in 1831. Charles III will be the eighth monarch to use the carriage at his coronation.

The carriage is 8.8 meters long and weighs four tons, so it takes eight horses to pull it. Despite the beautiful appearance, including rich decorations in the form of golden sculptures by Sir Joseph Wilton and paintings by Giovanni Battista painted on the sides of the cabin, each successive ruler complained about the inconvenience of the vehicle. The Queen recalled her coronation journey as “terrible” and “not very comfortable”. In turn, the first crowned ruler riding a Gold State Coach compared the distance traveled to staying on a ship “in a stormy sea”. Perhaps for the sake of their convenience and comfort, the newly-wed royal couple decided to travel in an old carriage only one way.