Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee Coach: 5 Facts to Know

Platinum JubileeQueen Elizabeth’s Jubilee Coach: 5 Facts to KnowHer majesty won’t be riding in the Gold State Coach during her Platinum Jubilee Pageant, but it will be on display

By Rachel Davies

June 3, 2022

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email

The Gold State Coach passing Big Ben during a rehearsal for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.Photo: Dominic Lipinski - PA Images/Getty Images

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email

This Sunday, June 5th, the infamous Gold State Coach will grace the streets of London for the first time in 20 years. The jubilee coach will be an important part of the weekend-long celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne. For decades, the gilded carriage has stood as the main attraction for tourists and local visitors alike at the Buckingham Palace Royal Mews, but on Sunday the world will be able to glimpse it in its truest state—in motion, that is.

As it leads the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, onlookers will notice that the Gold State Coach is not carrying passengers, but rather it’s flaunting new windows through which footage of the Queen on Coronation Day back in 1953 is on display. Ahead of the pageant, we’ve rounded up the rich history of the glitzy ride.

The Gold State Coach is 260 years old

Per the Royal Collection Trust, the Gold State Coach was commissioned in 1760 for King George III’s coronation and wedding day, both of which would take place in 1761, though its construction wasn’t completed in time. Instead the carriage would first be used when King George III ventured to the Opening of Parliament on November 25, 1762.

It’s been used at every coronation in the past 200 years

Queen Elizabeth II riding to her coronation in the Gold State coach on June 2, 1953.

Photo: Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

Even if the carriage wasn’t ready for the coronation it was originally commissioned for, it has had plenty of time to make up for it. Beginning with the 1821 coronation of King George IV (the son of King George III) the coach has been used in the crowning of each monarch, according to BBC News.

Each design element is deeply symbolic

A closeup look at the painted panels that adorn the Gold State Coach.

Photo: Dominic Lipinski - Pool / Getty Images

As would only be fitting for a carriage made for momentous occasions, each element of the vehicle is symbolic. Though it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all that gold, if you look a little closer you’ll notice that the roof features a crown held up by three cherubs, who represent England, Ireland, and Scotland per Wales Online, and at each wheel, a Triton figure that is reportedly meant to spread “the news of good government.” The painted panels feature Roman gods and goddesses meant to symbolize various human skills.

It’s famously uncomfortable to ride in

Perhaps unsurprisingly for something crafted over 260 years ago, the Gold State Coach doesn’t exactly meet modern comfort standards. During an interview for BBC One’s 2018 documentary The Coronation, the Queen herself stated that the riding experience is “horrible, it’s not meant for traveling at all… not very comfortable.” Several other royals have expressed their dislike of the ride, including King William IV who likened the ride to “tossing in a rough sea” and Queen Victoria who was put off by the “distressing oscillation,” as reported by The Telegraph.

It’s extremely heavy

It’s easy to imagine that the complex sculptures situated over each axel are responsible for much of the heft.

Photo: DOMINIC LIPINSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Even with eight horses pulling the Gold State Coach, the carriage can only move at a walking pace when in operation due to its enormous weight. As the Royal Collection Trust documents, the carriage is made of giltwood (solid wood painted with gold leaf), and per BBC News, it rides on iron wheels that were rubberized following World War II. 

ExploreadQueen Elizabeth IIcelebrity