King Charles and Queen Camilla Ride in Historic Coach Back to Buckingham Palace After Coronation
The newly crowned couple rode in the Gold State Coach, which has been used at every coronation since King William IV's coronation in 1831
King Charles and Queen Camilla have been crowned at their coronation — and they're returning to Buckingham Palace in style.
The royal couple left Westminster Abbey following their crowning ceremony in the Gold State Coach, a historic carriage that was constructed in 1762 and first used by King George III to travel to the State Opening of Parliament that year. The coach, which weighs four tons and was drawn by eight horses on the coronation day, has been used at every coronation since King William IV's crowning ceremony in 1831.
Queen Elizabeth rode in the spectacular carriage to and from her coronation in 1953, and the coach was ceremoniously rolled down the Mall during her Platinum Jubilee pageant in June 2022. Buckingham Palace previously announced that today's team of Windsor Grey steeds are named Icon, Shadow, Milford Haven, Newark, Echo, Knightsbridge, Meg and Tyrone.
Due to its age, the Gold State Coach isn't the most comfortable way to travel. Queen Elizabeth called traveling in the carriage "horrible" while Queen Victoria spoke of its "distressing oscillation," Associated Press reported. William IV, the Sailor King, likened the ride to "being aboard a ship tossing in a rough sea."
Coronation organizer Edward Fitzalan-Howard — otherwise known as Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk — said fans can look forward to a grand parade back to Buckingham Palace.
"After the coronation service itself, they'll return in the Gold State Coach, with an enormous procession with all the pageantry that Britain can muster," the Earl Marshal said in a video shared on Twitter.
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King Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 75, arrived at Westminster Abbey for the crowning ceremony in a different — and much more modern — ride. They traveled in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was commissioned to commemorate Queen Elizabeth's 60th anniversary of acceding the throne in 2012. The carriage was first used at the State Opening of Parliament in June 2014 — and is most likely a much smoother ride than the Gold State Coach. It even has air conditioning, heating and hydraulic suspension!
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King Charles and Queen Camilla's procession from Westminster Abbey back to Buckingham Palace — called the Coronation Procession — is just 1.3 miles, a fraction of the 4.5-mile route Queen Elizabeth made following her crowning ceremony. The 1953 parade ride took 16,000 participants two hours to complete, the Royal Family states.
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