Royal and viceregal transport in Canada

Last updated

A carriage used to transport the Duke, and Duchess of Cambridge during the 2011 royal tour of Canada Royal Visit, Charlottetown, PEI, July 4, 2011 (5901979442).jpg
A carriage used to transport the Duke, and Duchess of Cambridge during the 2011 royal tour of Canada

Royal and viceroyal transport in Canada have included a variety of vehicles generally used for royal tours in Canada, and viceregal official and ceremonial duties in both the provincial and the federal spheres. The technology employed has mirrored the development of transportation since the late 17th century, [1] when the first members of the Royal Family ventured from Great Britain to British North America. As the Canadian Royal Family is not predominantly resident in the country, those that belong to it have generally always had to make a trans-Atlantic crossing before switching to alternate over-land, water, or air transportation once in Canada.

Contents

Royal favour

As different forms of transportation developed in the 19th and 20th centuries, members of the Royal Family, like the general public, used them all. For instance, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), during the first true royal tour of Canada, which he undertook in 1860, was keen to try all the different forms of conveyance available, including steam ship and locomotive. His grandson, Edward, Prince of Wales, favoured American cars and became the first member of the Royal Family to pilot an airplane and, though his brother, King George VI, was predictable and sedate in his choice of transport, George's wife, Queen Elizabeth, tried everything from golf carts to helicopters. [2] Similarly, Queen Elizabeth II has travelled in the state landau, a stagecoach, and monorail, the latter at her own personal request when touring Expo 67. [3]

Air

An RCAF CC-150 Polaris at Yellowknife Airport transporting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Airbus CC-150 Polaris at Yellowknife Airport.jpg
An RCAF CC-150 Polaris at Yellowknife Airport transporting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

The Royal Family has been mostly transported since the 1960s aboard the Canadian Royal Flight, originally using a CC-137 Husky, and currently using a customized CC-150 Polaris flown by crews of 437 Transport Squadron, based at 8 Wing, Trenton, Ontario. 437 Squadron is part of the Air Transport Group, who, along with 412 Squadron in Ottawa, are charged with flying the Royal Family, the governor general, and other VIPs. Members of the Royal Family will also occasionally use commercial aircraft, such as when Queen Elizabeth II used a British Airways Concorde. Air Command helicopters and other aircraft are used where needed for shorter flights during segments of visits.

Land

Carriage and automobile

The Canadian state landau was originally purchased by Governor General the Earl Grey from the Governor-General of Australia, where the carriage had been built during the 1890s (made by Ewing Brothers Carriage Builders in Melbourne, Australia, from hand-carved wood and wrought-iron), and it was gifted by Lord Grey to the Crown in right of Canada in 1911. [4] Except for a period during the Second World War, the landau has been used for ceremonial processions through Ottawa by the governor general or members of the royal family, typically between the royal residence of Rideau Hall and Parliament Hill. [3] The landau has been maintained by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police since 1911.[ citation needed ][ dubious – discuss ]

Members of the royal family have also used a landau owned by the Woodbine Entertainment Group (formerly the Ontario Jockey Club), which was imported from the United Kingdom by E.P. Taylor in the 1960s. It has been used during the Queen's Plate at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. [5]

Motorcade transporting Elizabeth II during her 2010 royal tour. The sovereign's car bears a red licence plate with a gold St. Edward's Crown. Motorcade Winnipeg Queen Elizabeth II.jpg
Motorcade transporting Elizabeth II during her 2010 royal tour. The sovereign's car bears a red licence plate with a gold St. Edward's Crown.

Cars have been employed frequently to transport members of the royal family and governors general around localized areas of Canada. In 1926, in anticipation of the 1927 royal tour of Canada undertaken by Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII and then Duke of Windsor) and his brother Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first state cars of Canada (two McLaughlin-Buick seven-passenger open touring cars) were constructed for their use by General Motors Canada. [6] [7] [8] McLaughlin Motor Car Company was a Canadian automobile company that produced cars under the marque McLaughlin, later branded McLaughlin-Buick, which was purchased in 1918 by General Motors and became its Canadian subsidiary, General Motors Canada. [9] Two McLaughlin-Buick Phaetons were built for the 1939 royal tour of Canada. One of these later carried Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, during their 1986 visit to Canada. [10] [11] [12] Elizabeth II's car bore a licence plate with a gold St. Edward's Crown on a red field. [13]

Rail

Railways were a frequently used mode of transportation for royal and vice-royal parties from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries; though, until the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), the viceregal party would have to pass through the United States in order to reach the western parts of Canada. [14] Dedicated carriages were constructed and special trains reserved for official and private trips, but, unlike other vehicles, were never owned by the monarch, either as head of state or in a private capacity; instead, they were built and maintained by the railway companies [15] —the Canadian National Railway (CNR) and the CPR—each always attempting to better the other in terms of luxury and conveniences. [16] Prince Albert Edward was in 1860 the first royal to use a train in Canada; [17] the CPR constructed for his tour two railway cars, one specifically for a sightseeing journey across the Victoria Bridge in Montreal after its opening by the Prince. [18] Then, in the 1880s, Governor General the Marquess of Lorne and his wife, Princess Louise, were supplied with a railway car named Victoria for use in both travelling around the provinces and territories and as a mobile royal and vice-royal residence in parts of the country where amenities were minimal. When it was stopped at Pile o' Bones, which had just been designated the capital of the North-West Territories, it was in this car that the Princess in 1882 named the new community Regina , after her mother, the Queen. [19]

For the 1901 tour of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later King George V and Queen Mary), two railway cars were specially built by the CPR to serve as mobile royal quarters. [20] One, named Cornwall, served as the day car, with a reception room panelled in Circassian walnut with blue and gold Louis XV ornament and fitted with a piano, as well as a dining room painted in a Watteau style, and a boudoir for the Duchess lined in silk. [20] The other car, York, contained the bedrooms, reached through a green-velvet-lined vestibule, the Duke's in grey and crimson and the Duchess' in blue. [20] Altogether the royal train, which always followed the viceregal and ministerial train, [21] consisted of ten cars totalling 730 feet (220 m) in length, [22] the remainder being Canada, with an additional five sleeping cabins; Sandringham, the staff dining car; South Africa, housing the secretaries' offices and medical dispensary; and Australia and India, with further sleeping quarters. [21]

Three years later, the Alexandra was built and used as the primary VIP transport by members of the royal family, governors general, and prime ministers through to the 1920s. It was used, and, in contrast to his opinion of royal trains in Britain, enjoyed by Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), during his months-long tours of Canada; as he said in 1919: "I progressed westward in a magnificent special train provided by the Canadian Pacific Railway. My quarters were in the rear car, which had an observation platform. This last... while providing me with a continuous view of the varied Canadian landscape had however the drawback of making me vulnerable to demands for ad lib speeches from the crowds gathered at every stop." [23] Four years later, the Prince briefly took the controls of the CPR 4-6-2 engine pulling the royal train. [24]

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on the platform of the royal train during the 1939 royal tour of Canada King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on platform of Royal Train - Royal Tour 1939.jpg
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on the platform of the royal train during the 1939 royal tour of Canada

In 1926, two other carriages were built for state use: the Mount Stephen—which was used by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor; Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip; Princess Margaret; and Princess Anne [25] —and the Wentworth—which served as car number 5 (the accommodation for Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King) of the royal train for the 1939 tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. During that journey, the King, somewhat of a railbuff, rode in the engine cab when possible, and at the end of the trip gave his permission for the CPR both to use the prefix royal before the locomotive class' name of Hudson and to display the royal crown on the running boards of these engines. [26] The engines and cars were sold and dispersed in later years; the Mount Stephen and Wentworth today form a part of the CPR's Royal Canadian Pacific train; the Royal Hudson No. 2850 resides at the Canadian Railway Museum; and the car Pacific, purchased by Paul Higgins, the former chairman of Mother Parker's, now sits unused on a spur line in Ajax, Ontario. [27]

Until 1959, royal trains operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the federally-owned Canadian National Railways were used to transport Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, across the country. For them, and all royal parties before them travelling by train, precautions were taken ahead of the locomotive; railway line staff would be placed at platforms and on bridges for crowd control, a scout train would check for problems ahead of the royal train's arrival, and other trains that might be running parallel with the royal train were made to move at a different speed to prevent passengers looking into the royal carriages. [28]

Today, the Royal Canadian Pacific train service operates in Western Canada and was given the 'Royal' designation in 2000.

Water

HMY Britannia passes through the Welland Canal during Elizabeth II's 1959 royal tour HMY Britannia Welland Canal 1959 MIKAN 4821456.jpg
HMY Britannia passes through the Welland Canal during Elizabeth II's 1959 royal tour

Up until the middle of the 20th century, ships were frequently used for royal and vice-regal tours of Canada. Members of the Royal Family would voyage from the United Kingdom to the east coast of Canada at Halifax or Saint John, or transit the Saint Lawrence River to Quebec City; from one of these ports they would then embark on a train for overland journey. The ships used were either commercial or military; for their 1939 tour, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth travelled across the Atlantic on the Canadian Pacific ship RMS Empress of Australia for the westbound voyage, and on the RMS Empress of Britain eastbound. [29] [30] The royal yacht HMY Britannia was completed in 1954, and after the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959, could sail into the Great Lakes. This ship was decommissioned in 1997, however, and last sailed in Canadian waters in the summer of 1983, when it carried Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific Railway</span> Class I railroad in Canada and the United States

The Canadian Pacific Railway, also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), was a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway was owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, known until 2023 as Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaughlin Motor Car Company</span> Canadian manufacturer of automobiles

McLaughlin Motor Car Company Limited was a Canadian manufacturer of automobiles headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario. Founded by Robert McLaughlin, it once was the largest carriage manufacturing factory in the British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BC Rail</span> Railway company in British Columbia, Canada

The British Columbia Railway Company, commonly known as BC Rail, is a railway in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal standards of Canada</span> Personal flags of the Canadian royal family

The royal standards of Canada are a set of personal flags used by members of the Canadian royal family to denote the presence of the bearer within any vehicle, building, or area within Canada or when representing Canada abroad. All are based on a banner of the coat of arms of Canada, which are the arms of the Canadian monarch.

A royal train is a set of railway carriages dedicated for the use of the king or other members of a royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial train.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Hudson</span> Canadian steam locomotive series

The Royal Hudsons are a series of semi-streamlined 4-6-4 "Hudson" type steam locomotives formerly owned and operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and built by Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). The engines were built in 1937. In 1939, King George VI allowed the CPR to use the term after Royal Hudson number 2850 transported the royal train across Canada with no need of replacement. These locomotives were in service between 1937 and 1960. Four of them have been preserved. No. 2839 was used to power excursions for the Southern Railway Steam Program between 1979 and 1980. No. 2860 was used for excursion service in British Columbia between 1974 and 1999, then again between 2006 and 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Railway Museum</span> Railway museum in Quebec, Canada

The Canadian Railway Museum, operating under the brand name Exporail in both official languages, is a rail transport museum in Saint-Constant, Quebec, Canada, on Montreal's south shore.

LMS Princess Coronation Class 6233 <i>Duchess of Sutherland</i> Preserved British 4-6-2 locomotive

LMS Princess Coronation Class 46233 Duchess of Sutherland is a steam locomotive built in 1938 for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) at Crewe Works to a design by William Stanier. It is a 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive built as part of the LMS Coronation Class for its express passenger services, including the Royal Scot service from London to Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarchy in Saskatchewan</span> Role of the Canadian monarchy in Saskatchewan

By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, the Canadian monarchy operates in Saskatchewan as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. As such, the Crown within Saskatchewan's jurisdiction is referred to as the Crown in right of Saskatchewan, His Majesty in right of Saskatchewan, or His Majesty the King in right of Saskatchewan. The Constitution Act, 1867, however, leaves many royal duties in Saskatchewan specifically assigned to the sovereign's viceroy, the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, whose direct participation in governance is limited by the conventional stipulations of constitutional monarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarchy in British Columbia</span> Function of the Canadian monarchy in British Columbia

By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, Canada's monarchy operates in British Columbia as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. As such, the Crown within British Columbia's jurisdiction is referred to as the Crown in Right of British Columbia, His Majesty in Right of British Columbia, or the King in Right of British Columbia. The Constitution Act, 1867, however, leaves many royal duties in British Columbia specifically assigned to the sovereign's viceroy, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, whose direct participation in governance is limited by the conventional stipulations of constitutional monarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal tours of Australia</span> Tours of Australia by British royal family members

Since 1867, the British royal family has visited Australia over fifty times, with only six visits before 1954. Elizabeth II is the first and only reigning monarch of Australia to have set foot on Australian soil; she first did so on 3 February 1954, when she was 27 years old. During her sixteen journeys, the Queen visited every Australian state and the two major territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Royal Train</span> Royal train for the use of the British royal family and staff

The British Royal Train is used to convey senior members of the British royal family and associated staff of the Royal Household around the railway network of Great Britain. It is owned, maintained and operated by DB Cargo UK.

<i>Royal Canadian Pacific</i> Luxury passenger excursion train

The Royal Canadian Pacific is a luxury excursion passenger train operated by Mount Stephen Properties, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway and later CPKC Railway. It made its first run on June 7, 2000, after the CPR received the royal designation for the service from Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Railways Royal Train</span> Trains to transport the royal family in Australia

The Victorian Railways' (VR) Royal Trains operated to transport members of the royal family on their numerous tours of Australia on the Victorian rail network. The same carriages were also used for a number of vice-regal trains for the governor-general of Australia and the governor of Victoria. The last Royal Train ran in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian State Coach</span> Horse-drawn carriage used by the British Royal Family

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal tours of Canada</span> Tours of Canada by the Canadian Royal Family

Since 1786, members of the Canadian royal family have visited Canada, either as an official tour, a working tour, a vacation, or a period of military service. The first member to visit was the future King William IV in 1786. In 1939, King George VI became the first reigning monarch to tour the country.

Royal visits to New Zealand by members of the Royal Family have been taking place since 1869. The first member of the Royal Family to visit New Zealand was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh. Subsequently, there have been over 50 visits. The first reigning monarch of New Zealand to visit the country was Elizabeth II in 1953–54. In all, she visited New Zealand on 10 occasions, most recently in 2002.

Lendrum & Hartman Ltd was a major London importer, the sole UK concessionaires of Buick and Cadillac cars from North America between 1919 and 1968. It became the most prestigious car dealership in the country, having sold a Buick in 1935 to the Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VIII the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State and royal cars of the United Kingdom</span> Official royal street vehicles in the UK

The state and royal cars of the United Kingdom are kept at the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace, where a wide range of state road vehicles are kept and maintained. The vehicles also are stored at other royal residences as required.

References

  1. ↑ Pigott 2005, p. 14.
  2. ↑ Pigott 2005 , p. 15
  3. 1 2 Pigott 2005 , p. 16
  4. ↑ Bousfield, Arthur; Toffoli, Gary (2002). Fifty Years the Queen. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 13. ISBN   1-55002-360-8.
  5. ↑ Department of Canadian Heritage. "Additional Information". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "McLaughlin Motor Car Company", Wikipedia, 2021-05-31, retrieved 2021-06-04
  7. ↑ Pigott 2005, p. [ page needed ].
  8. ↑ admin. "1928 MCLAUGHLIN-BUICK ROYAL CAR" . Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  9. ↑ "McLaughlin Motor Car Company", Wikipedia, 2021-05-31, retrieved 2021-06-04
  10. ↑ "McLaughlin Motor Car Company", Wikipedia, 2021-05-31, retrieved 2021-06-04
  11. ↑ Pigott 2005, p. 108.
  12. ↑ "Collector Classics: The final departure of the 1939 McLaughlin Buick Royal Tour Car". Driving. 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  13. ↑ "License plates from royal visits to BC". www.bcpl8s.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  14. ↑ Hubbard 1977, pp.  8–9.
  15. ↑ Pigott 2005 , p. 25
  16. ↑ Pigott 2005 , p. 26
  17. ↑ Pigott 2005 , p. 29
  18. ↑ Pigott 2005 , p. 27
  19. ↑ Archer, John H. (1996). "Regina: A Royal City". Monarchy Canada Magazine. Spring 1996. Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  20. 1 2 3 Pigott 2005 , p. 30
  21. 1 2 Pigott 2005 , p. 31
  22. ↑ Hubbard 1977 , p. 102
  23. ↑ Edward, Prince of Wales (1919), "Diary", in Pigott, Peter (ed.), Royal Transport: An Inside Look at the History of Royal Travel, Toronto: Dundurn Press (published 2005), p. 33, ISBN   978-1-55002-572-9 , retrieved 13 December 2009
  24. ↑ Pigott 2005 , p. 33
  25. ↑ Royal Canadian Pacific. "Heritage > Historical Guests". Canadian Pacific Railway. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  26. ↑ "Significant dates in Canadian railway history". Colin Churcher. 17 March 2006. Archived from the original on 9 August 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2006.
  27. ↑ Lakey, Jack (2 February 2010), "Glorious railway relic sits on track to nowhere in Ajax", Toronto Star, retrieved 2 February 2010
  28. ↑ Pigott 2005 , p. 24
  29. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. "Biography and People > A Real Companion and Friend > Behind the Diary > Politics, Themes, and Events from King's Life > The Royal Tour of 1939". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 30 October 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  30. ↑ "Great Ships: Empress of Britain (II)". Archived from the original on 28 February 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.