The Irish State Coach is an enclosed, four-horse-drawn

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

used by the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

. It is the traditional horse-drawn

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

in which the British monarch travels from

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

to the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

to formally open the new legislative session of the UK Parliament.

Description

The exterior is blue and black with gilt decoration and the interior is covered in blue

damask Damask (; ) is a woven, Reversible garment, reversible patterned Textile, fabric. Damasks are woven by periodically reversing the action of the warp and weft threads. The pattern is most commonly created with a warp-faced satin weave and the gro ...

. It is normally driven from the box seat using two or four horses (though it can also be

postilion A postilion or postillion is a person who rides a harnessed horse that is pulling a horse-drawn vehicle such as a Coach (carriage), coach, rather than driving from behind as a coachman does. This method is used for pulling wheeled vehicles tha ...

driven with the box seat removed).Photograph
/ref> Along with several other royal

state coach A state coach, also known as a gala coach, is a highly decorative ceremonial Coach (carriage), coach used in Europe by a monarch or head of state on state occasions. A four-wheeled vehicle for four passengers, it may be drawn at a walk by six o ...

es, it is stored in the

Royal Mews 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 ...

, where it can be seen by the public.

History and current use

The original Irish State Coach was built as a speculative venture in 1851 by John Hutton & Sons of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, who held a Royal Warrant as coachbuilders to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. Exhibited at the 1853 Great Industrial Exhibition, it was admired by the Queen, purchased and delivered to the

. From 1861 it became the Queen's

state carriage A state coach, also known as a gala coach, is a highly decorative ceremonial coach used in Europe by a monarch or head of state on state occasions. A four-wheeled vehicle for four passengers, it may be drawn at a walk by six or more horses wit ...

of choice, as she declined to use the

Gold State Coach 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 bui ...

following the death of

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

. Under Edward VII, when use of the Gold Coach resumed, the Irish coach was made available for the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

to use, and decorated with his insignia. Prior to his coronation as George V, the coach was sent for refurbishment to the workshops of Barker & Co. of Notting Hill. Whilst there, in 1911, it was extensively damaged by fire (with only the metal framework left intact); however, Barkers completely reconstructed it to the original design in the space of nineteen weeks, in time for it to be used in the coronation procession. After the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the Irish State Coach (in place of the Gold Coach) came to be used habitually by the monarch at the State Opening of Parliament. It was also used on other occasions, including conveying King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

and Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

(then Princess Elizabeth) to

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

for her wedding to

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

. In 1960 it was modified to enable it to be drawn using

-ridden horses, as an alternative to being driven by a coachman from the box seat. In 1988 the new

Australian State Coach 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 in Canberra on ...

arrived at the mews, which went on to be used in place of the Irish State Coach on some state occasions (especially in cold weather). That same year the opportunity was taken for a complete restoration of the Irish coach to be undertaken by the

carriage restorers (the first time such an extensive restoration had been undertaken in-house); it was completed in time to carry the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to the State Opening of Parliament once again in November 1989. Afterwards, the Irish State Coach and the Australian State Coach continued to be used interchangeably by the Queen for the State Opening of Parliament (as well as on other occasions). In the last decade of her reign, when the Queen regularly used the

Diamond Jubilee State Coach The Diamond Jubilee State Coach (initially known as the State Coach Britannia) is an enclosed, six-horse-drawn carriage that was made to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday, but completion was delayed for nearly eight years. Eventua ...

, the Irish coach was used to carry the

and the

Duchess of Cornwall The Duchess of Cornwall is a title held by the wife of the heir apparent to the British throne. The Duchess of Cornwall is usually also the Princess of Wales, and she uses that title. The current title-holder is Catherine, Princess of Wales, Ca ...

to and from the State Opening. Most recently, it was used by the

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

and

Duchess of Edinburgh Duchess of Edinburgh is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of Edinburgh. There have been five Duchesses of Edinburgh since the title's creation. Following the accession of Charles I ...

, as well as their children

James, Earl of Wessex James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex (born 17 December 2007), styled Viscount Severn from 2007 until 2023, is the younger child and only son of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. He is ...

and

Lady Louise Windsor Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor (born 8 November 2003) is the elder child and only daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. She is the youngest niece of King Charles III. She was b ...

, during the procession from Westminster Abbey to

during the

Coronation of Charles III and Camilla The Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, Camilla, as Monarchy of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth re ...

References

* *

External links

* {{Royal state coaches of the British monarch 1851 establishments in Ireland Monarchy of the United Kingdom Royal carriages Vehicles of the United Kingdom 1851 works Coaches (carriage) Queen Victoria

Description

History and current use

See also

References

External links