Gold State Coach

The coach weighs and is metres long and 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 buckles. The interior is lined with velvet and satin. The sculptor 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 tritons, 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. The carvings give the Gold Coach the air of a triumphant chariot, reflecting Britain's powerful position in the world at the time. == Horses and attendants ==

The Gold State Coach is so heavy it is only pulled at a walk, 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 grooms (one next to each horse, and one walking behind the coach), six footmen who walk beside the body of the coach, and four Yeoman of the Guard carrying their long partisans. The grooms may help handle the horses if the animals become unruly, and they carry crooked walking-sticks to hold up the traces that may become slack when the coach is taking a corner. The coach's brakes are operated by the grooms. == Use ==

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. As the coach is suspended from long leather thoroughbraces, it sways back and forth, and from side to side. The coach also lacks the more modern comforts of other royal coaches which have electric windows, heating, and hydraulic stabilizers. Most monarchs have expressed displeasure in riding the Gold State Coach. In the words of King 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 Edward VII's Coronation in 1902 to give the public a clearer view of the monarch. 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. It was brought back as part of a pageant for her 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. 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. Gallery File:Attributed to John Wootton (c. 1682-1764) - George III's Procession to the Houses of Parliament - RCIN 402002 - Royal Collection.jpg|''George III's procession to the Houses of Parliament'' in the Gold State Coach, c. 1762–64; attributed to John Wootton File:The Gold State Coach to Westminster.jpg|King George V and Queen Mary opening their first Parliament, 6 February 1911, and travelling to Westminster in the Gold State Coach File:Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022 - Platinum Pageant (52124643341).jpg|Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Pageant, Buckingham Palace, June 2022 File:Coronation of Charles III and Camilla - Coronation Procession (01).jpg|The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, May 2023 File:Coronation of Charles III and Camilla - Coronation Procession (02).jpg|King Charles III and Queen Camilla == See also ==