Back Gold State Coach German Gold State Coach Spanish Kuldne riigitõld Estonian Gold State Coach French Gold State Coach Italian ゴールド・ステート・コーチ Japanese Златна церемонијална кочија Macedonian Gouden Koets (Verenigd Koninkrijk) Dutch Złota Karoca Polish Gold State Coach Portuguese
The Gold State Coach is an enclosed, eight-horse-drawn carriage used by the British royal family. Commissioned in 1760 by Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings for King George III, and designed by Sir William Chambers, it was built in the London workshops of Samuel Butler. It was commissioned for £7,562 (£3.54 million = US$4.188 million in 2022, adjusted for inflation).[1][2] It was built for George III's coronation in 1761, but was not ready in time;[3] it was completed in 1762.
This state coach has been used at the coronation of every British monarch since William IV.[4] The coach's great age, weight, and lack of manoeuvrability have limited its use to grand state occasions such as coronations and the jubilees of a monarch. Until the Second World War, the coach was the monarch's usual transport to and from Parliament at the State Opening.
It was last used at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on 6 May 2023. When not in use the coach is housed at the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace, where it is kept on view for the public.
Over 260 years old, it is made of wood covered in gold leaf. The interior is lined with velvet and silk. It is 29 feet long, almost 12 foot tall, and weighs 4 tons.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BBC News 2002was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Value of 1760 British pounds today | UK Inflation Calculator".
- ^ Bates, Stephen (6 May 2023). "Nothing but drizzle was permitted to rain on this parade. So why did Charles look so glum?". The Guardian.
- ^ "The Gold State Coach". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
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