We've updated our Privacy and Cookies Policy
We've made some important changes to our Privacy and Cookies Policy and we want you to know what this means for you and your data.
King Charles Coronation: What carriage will be used?
Image source, Getty Images
The King will travel to his coronation in a more comfortable, relatively modern, horse-drawn carriage - featuring electric windows and air-con.
A different, more traditional - but more uncomfortable - coach will be used for his journey back to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony.
Called the Gold State Coach, this historic carriage has been used in every coronation since the 1830s.
The newer Diamond Jubilee State Coach was last seen in 2019, and has only been in use for the past ten years.
The carriage procession will be one of the spectacular sights of the coronation on 6 May.
It will head out from the gates of Buckingham Palace carrying the royal couple and other members of the Royal Family, and then travel to Westminster Abbey where the coronation service will begin at 11:00 am.
What do we know about the two carriages?
Image source, PA Media
Gold State Coach
It is a remarkable piece of craftsmanship, with elaborate carvings under a thin layer of gold and panels covered in paintings - described as "a rolling work of art".
The 91热爆's Royal correspondent Sean Coughlan has called the carriages "basically crowns on wheels", with "an explosion of gold and glass and polish".
Recalling her coronation in 1953, Queen Elizabeth had described the ride in the 18th-Century gold state coach as "horrible" and "not very comfortable".
Even further back in history William IV, crowned in 1831, described his trip in the carriage as like being on a ship "in a rough sea".
Diamond Jubilee State Coach
It was built in Australia with air conditioning, electric windows and up-to-date hydraulic suspension, making the ride much smoother than it would have been otherwise.
Although it looks traditional from the outside, it's made of aluminium, rather than the more traditional material of wood.
But it does incorporate pieces of wood from historic ships and buildings, including HMS Victory, the Mary Rose, Balmoral Castle, Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.
Another way tradition being kept alive is through Martin Oates, who will be the carriage's brakeman on coronation day.
He follows his great-grandfather who took part in the carriage procession for the coronation of George VI, his grandfather who was there for the coronation of Elizabeth II and his father for the late Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977.