Preparations are underway for May 6's coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, including the servicing of the royal carriages that will take the monarchs to and from Westminster Abbey, where the ceremony will take place.
Charles will be the 40th sovereign crowned at the abbey, and his service with Camilla will mark the first coronation of a king and queen consort in 86 years.
While the religious service itself will remain mostly true to the order set out by the late Anglo-Saxon kings, the wider celebrations commemorating the event have been altered to reflect modern Britain. This means that the scenes around London and the wider U.K. will look different from those seen 70 years ago for the coronation of Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
One significant break with tradition will be a change in the carriage processions to and from Westminster Abbey.
While it has been confirmed that Charles and Camilla will use the traditional mode of coronation transportation, the ornate 1762 Gold State Coach, they will use it for only one leg of their journey, which will have a significantly shorter route than in previous years.
The royal couple will use the coach, which has transported every king and queen to their coronation since 1831, but only on their return journey from the abbey. For their journey from Buckingham Palace to the abbey, they will travel in the newest carriage in the collection of the Royal Mews, the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was made to commemorate Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne in 2012.
The reason for the break with the tradition of using the Gold State Coach for both journeys is not known, but it likely has to do with the fact that it is famously uncomfortable because of its underdeveloped suspension technology from 1762.
Several monarchs complained about the coach and its jarring movements, which were made additionally uncomfortable because the passengers were wearing heavy crowns during their journey.
King William IV was the first monarch to use the coach, for his 1831 coronation with his consort, Queen Adelaide. He likened the journey to "a ship tossing in a rough sea," according to the Royal Collection Trust.
Queen Victoria was equally unimpressed by the coach, complaining of its "disturbing oscillations." After the death of Prince Albert, in 1861, she refused to use it again.
King Charles' grandfather, King George VI, attempted to make the ride a little smoother by having the wheels adapted with rubber, after describing his own coronation journey as "one of the most uncomfortable rides I have ever had in my life."
By the time Queen Elizabeth II took her ride in the coach in 1953, things were apparently no more comfortable.
In a 2018 documentary about her coronation, the queen gave a rare interview in which she described the historic coach as "horrible!"
Speaking to broadcaster Alastair Bruce, she said the vehicle was "not meant for traveling in at all. It's just not. It's only sprung on leather [straps]...so not very comfortable."
The carriage measures over 7 meters in length and 3 meters in height and weighs over 4 tonnes, which impedes its ability to gather any speed.
"It can only go at a walking pace," Elizabeth said. "The horses couldn't possibly go any faster. It's so heavy."
The carriage itself is made of gilt wood, with three carved cherubs on its roof representing England, Ireland and Scotland. Four carved Tritons blowing conch shells hold the body of the coach, which is suspended by large leather straps.
The carriage is decorated with painted panels, by Italian artist Giovanni Battista Cipriani, depicting classical scenes.
During Elizabeth's reign, the carriage was used four times: once at her coronation and then for her jubilee celebrations in 1977, 2002 and 2022.
The queen rode in the carriage for the 1977 Silver Jubilee and the 2002 Golden Jubilee. But for the Platinum Jubilee of 2022, the carriage was fitted with screens depicting the monarch on the day of her coronation as it proceeded during the jubilee pageant.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
