Photo: Grahamedown for Wikimedia commons/PA (Composite)
On May 6, 2023, at 11 o'clock sharp, one of modern history's most prestigious and spectacular moments will officially kick off: the Coronation of King Charles in London, UK. The entire weekend is dedicated to the event, amounting to a public spectacle estimated to cost over £250 million ($311.9 million).
To the rest of the world, this kind of display of wealth combined with support for the monarchy is unfamiliar at best and weird at worst. But for most Brits, being able to witness a coronation procession is a once-in-a-lifetime event they don't plan to miss or, for that matter, not enjoy. And the Royal Family is doing their best to make sure the occasion will be a memorable one, even with still-Prince Charles' promises of "downsizing" on financial and environmental considerations.
At the very least, Charles and Camilla's carbon footprint will be reduced on this special day because they're choosing to go traditional with their choice of transportation. The Royal duo are both breaking with tradition and honoring it – an apparent contradiction that we'll explain shortly – by opting to use two different state coaches on the short 2 km (1.3-mile) trip from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. And they're both gilded, massive, heavily ornate, and rich examples of the British monarchy, both in the good and bad sense. They don't have too much horsepower, but they make up for that with plenty of sparkle.
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach (2014)
Obviously, when you're a Royal head, and you attend an event of such magnitude and historical importance, you can't show up on your bike or in some car the peasants would drive. If the Royal British Family loves anything, it's tradition, a thing that's been held against it with recent revelations of how they treated Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan.
Photo: Grahamedown / Wikimedia commons
But we're not here to discuss politics – nor do we want to, given how fabulous and outrageous these two rides are. For the Coronation, Charles has decided to use two different coaches for reasons he didn't disclose to the media. Previous monarchs used the Gold State Coach for the entire procession, and that's a tradition that goes back centuries. Charles is shaking it up by choosing the Diamond coach for his journey to Westminster.
Completed in Australia in 2010 but only delivered to London in 2014, it's the work of the Queen's former manager of royal coaches and personal coachman Jim Frecklington. This was his second coach built for the Queen, but it wasn't an official State Coach when he began working with it. Instead, he imagined it as a tribute to the history and legacy of the British Empire and a labor of love. He ended up self-financing a significant part of the project, though he also received funding from the state of Australia and the Royal Family.
The Diamond Coach was used for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, hence its name. It's a work of art that combines the old with the new, packaged in an aluminum body wrapped in gilded wood. Measuring over 5 meters (16.4 feet) in length and tipping the scales at 3.3+ tons, it will be drawn by six Windsor Grey horses, with the future King and Queen sitting in the back.
Photo: Foreign and Commonwealth Office / Wikimedia commons
The Diamond Coach has hydraulic suspension and air-con, heating, and lights, so it's quite modern despite its regal and antiquated appearance. Frecklington designed it with an eye for comfort, but he outdid himself in the number of incredible details integrated throughout.
For example, pieces of wood from over 100 historical places, ships, and buildings are scattered throughout. There's a piece of the door from 10 Downing Street, wood from Henry VIII's Mary Rose ship, and pieces from Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, and St. Paul's Cathedral. There's also one of Sir Edmund Hillary's ladders used to climb Everest, a piece of a Dambusters Lancaster bomber, cloth formerly belonging to Florence Nightingale, and articles related to Shakespeare, Charles Darwin, and Sir Isaac Newton. The lamps are crystal from Edinburgh, and the two door handles are from a jeweler in New Zealand, decorated with 130 sapphires and 24 diamonds. And that's just the tip of the (gilded) iceberg that is this State Coach.
Gold State Coach (1762)
The Gold State Coach isn't just the second-oldest working coach in the country but a much more elaborate and luxurious affair than the Diamond one. It was last seen at Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 and was used for the first time in 1762, when King George III rode in it to the State Opening of Parliament.
Photo: PA
It's even bigger than the other one at 7 meters (22.9 feet) long and 3.6 meters (11.8 feet) tall and weighs over 4.4 tons. Because of its weight, it takes eight Windsor Grey horses to pull it at a walking pace.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will use this one on their way back to Buckingham Palace as part of a larger (and much slower) procession that is called The Coronation Procession. It's made with giltwood, so it's covered with a layer of gold and has satin and velvet upholstery. It's an eyesore for those not into this type of styling or lacking the time to take in all the details, which include painted panels of Roman gods, goddesses, cherubs, and lions.
One reason Charles opted not to use the Gold Coach on the way to the Coronation might have to do with how uncomfortable it is – though royalists suggest nostalgia got him to include the Diamond Coach in the event. The Gold Coach rides on rubber-clad wheels, but they do little in terms of making the journey bearable. Because it’s suspended on leather straps, it sways strongly sideways, prompting comparisons to being on a ship at sea in the middle of a violent storm.
Photo: Steve F-E-Cameron / Wikimedia commons
The Gold Coach also lacks the trappings of modern life, which should hardly surprise anyone. During Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953, staff reportedly had to use water bottles to protect the young Queen from the unusually cold and wet weather. So much pomp, so little functionality.
Then again, events like the Coronation are about something other than functionality or comfort. At least King Charles is willing to make a few changes and concessions for his own comfort while still looking like a boss.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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