The United Kingdom's 1902 State Landau is a horse-drawn carriage with a flexible leather roof which drops in two exact halves, back and front.
It is a postilion landau, drawn by six horses under the control of three postilions, with no provision for a coachman. It is normally used with the top lowered, giving spectators a better view of passengers than provided by closed coaches and other vehicles; a closed coach is used if the weather is unsuitable, rather than raising the top.
The 1902 State Landau is owned by the United Kingdom and set aside for the monarch's use within Britain.
This carriage carries the monarch in processions at times of national celebration, and official reception of a visiting head of state. [1]
In the past, the monarch has provided the landau to carry the heir apparent and his bride after their marriage. [2]
The largest and most splendid horse-drawn carriage—not coach—used by the sovereign, it was built by Hooper in 1902 for the Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra and given extra interior space. [3]
If rain threatens, the Irish State Coach replaces it. [4] The 1762 Gold State Coach, sometimes referred to as the coronation coach, is the primary transport for high ceremonial events directly relating to the reigning monarch, but is uncomfortable for passengers for several reasons. During a 2018 interview, Queen Elizabeth II summed-up the ride to her coronation in the coach as "horrible." [5] [6]
This description was published in 1903 by Walter Gilbey, founder and chairman of the London Cart Horse Parade Society and president of the Royal Agricultural Society.
... new State landau built by Messrs Hooper for King Edward VII and first used by him on the day of his coronation procession through London.
This magnificent example of the coachbuilders' art is over 18 feet long. The body is hung upon C springs by strong braces covered with ornamentally stitched morocco; each brace is joined with a massive gilt buckle with oak leaf and crown device. Between the hind springs is a rumble for two footmen; there is no driving seat as the carriage is intended to be drawn only by horses ridden postillion. The panels are painted in purple lake considerably brighter than is usual in order to secure greater effect; marking the contours of the body and the outlines of the rumble are mouldings in wood carved and gilt, the design being one of over-lapping oak leaves.
The door panels, back and front panels, bear the Royal Arms with crown, supporters, mantle, motto, helmet and garter. On the lower quarter panel is the collar of the Order of the Garter, encircling its star and surmounted by the Tudor crown. Springing in a slow graceful curve from the under part of the body over the forecarriage is a "splasher" of crimson patent leather. Ornamental brass lamps are carried in brackets at each of the four corners of the body.
As regards the interior of this beautiful carriage it is upholstered in crimson satin and laces which were woven in Spitalfields; the hood is lined with silk, as better adapted than satin for folding. The rumble is covered with crimson leather. It is to be observed that with the exception of the pine and mahogany used for the panels, English-grown wood and English-made materials only have been used throughout.
While less ornate than the wonderful "gold coach" designed by Sir Wm Chambers and Cipriani in 1761, the new State landau, in its build, proportions, and adornment, is probably the most graceful and regal vehicle ever built. [7]
The Royal Mews is a mews, or collection of equestrian stables, of the British royal family. In London these stables and stable-hands' quarters have occupied two main sites in turn, being located at first on the north side of Charing Cross, and then within the grounds of Buckingham Palace.
The coronation of the monarch of the United Kingdom is an initiation ceremony in which they are formally invested with regalia and crowned at Westminster Abbey. It corresponds to the coronations that formerly took place in other European monarchies, which have all abandoned coronations in favour of inauguration or enthronement ceremonies. A coronation is a symbolic formality and does not signify the official beginning of the monarch's reign; de jure and de facto their reign commences from the moment of the preceding monarch's death or abdication, maintaining legal continuity of the monarchy.
Landau is a carriage design with a folding fabric top consisting of two sections supported by external elliptical springs.
The Irish State Coach is an enclosed, four-horse-drawn carriage used by the British Royal Family. It is the traditional horse-drawn coach in which the British monarch travels from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster to formally open the new legislative session of the UK Parliament.
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. It was built for George III's coronation in 1761, but was not ready in time; it was completed in 1762.
The Scottish State Coach is an enclosed, four-horse-drawn carriage used by the British Royal Family.
A postilion or postillion is a person who guides a horse-drawn coach or post chaise while mounted on the horse or one of a pair of horses. By contrast, a coachman controls the horses from the vehicle itself.
The Musical Ride of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is a special unit showcasing the equestrian skills performed by 32 cavalry who are regular members of the force. It holds events held in Canada and worldwide to promote the RCMP. The first official ride was held in 1887 in Regina, District of Assiniboia, and was commanded by Inspector William George Matthews.
Windsor Grey is a moniker for the grey horses used by the British monarchy to pull carriages in ceremonial processions such as those for coronations, royal weddings, Trooping the Colour, and the opening of Parliament. They are named for Windsor Castle where they were originally stabled, though today they live at the Royal Mews near Buckingham Palace.
In coachbuilding, a landau is a four-wheeled carriage with a roof that can be let down. It was a luxury carriage. The low shell of the landau provides maximal visibility of the occupants and their clothing, a feature that makes a landau still a popular choice for Lord Mayors in the United Kingdom on ceremonial occasions.
A coach is a large, closed, four-wheeled, passenger-carrying vehicle or carriage usually drawn by two or more horses controlled by a coachman, a postilion, or both. A coach has doors in its sides and a front and a back seat inside. The driver has a raised seat in front of the carriage to allow better vision. It is often called a box, box seat, or coach box. There are many of types of coaches depending on the vehicle's purpose.
The Australian State Coach is an enclosed, six horse-drawn coach used by the British Royal Family. Constructed in 1986-88, it was the first royal state coach to have been built since 1902. It was presented to Queen Elizabeth II of Australia and the United Kingdom in Canberra on 8 May 1988, as the official gift on the occasion of the Australian Bicentennial, and was first used in November of that year by the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament in the UK.
Napoleon and Joséphine were crowned Emperor and Empress of the French on Sunday, December 2, 1804, at Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris. It marked "the instantiation of [the] modern empire" and was a "transparently masterminded piece of modern propaganda".
In the United Kingdom, state funerals are usually reserved for monarchs. The most recent was the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022.
The State Opening of Parliament includes a State Procession, a formal display of the Sovereign, dignified by a sizeable entourage made up of Great Officers of State and members of the Royal Household. The State Procession is now confined to the interior of the Palace of Westminster, but in earlier centuries it followed an outdoor route to and from Westminster Abbey.
The coronation of Victoria as Queen of the United Kingdom took place on Thursday, 28 June 1838, just over a year after she succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom at the age of 18. The ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey after a public procession through the streets from Buckingham Palace, to which the Queen returned later as part of a second procession.
The Lord Mayor of London's State Coach is, along with the King's Gold State Coach and the Speaker's State Coach, one of the three great State Coaches of the United Kingdom. Unlike the other two the Lord Mayor's Coach is used annually at the Lord Mayor's Show, and as such it is deemed to be the oldest ceremonial vehicle in regular use in the world.
Several monarchs have used golden coaches. These horse-drawn coaches were made of wood and covered with gold leaf, a solid golden coach would be very expensive and so heavy that it would be a practical impossibility.
The coronation of George V and his wife, Mary, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Thursday 22 June 1911. This was the second of four such events held during the 20th century and the last to be attended by royal representatives of the great continental European empires.
The coronation of James I and his wife Anne as King and Queen of England and Ireland was held on 25 July 1603 at Westminster Abbey. James had reigned as King James VI of Scotland since 1567. Anne was anointed and consecrated with prayers alluding to Esther, the Wise Virgins, and other Biblical heroines. It was the first coronation to be conducted in English instead of Latin. Because of the 1603 London plague, a planned ceremonial Royal Entry to London was deferred until 15 March 1604.
During a documentary interview in 2018, Queen Elizabeth II reflected on her journey to her Coronation ceremony and said the ride was "horrible", due to the lack of comfort in the coach.
Media related to 1902 State Landau at Wikimedia CommonsRoyal state coaches of the British monarch | ||
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