Australian coach maker Mr Frecklington has been ushered with the responsibility of delivering the carriage that will ferry King Charles from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for the crowning ceremony.
There is just one month left for the Royal Coronation, and the Australian carriage will have a significant part to play in the entire ceremony. It must be mentioned that the outside of the carriage is made of aluminium, which gives it lightweight characteristics.
On May 6, King Charles will be crowned, following the recent demise of Queen Elizabeth II. This diamond jubilee state coach carrying the King will be refurbished by Jim ‘WJ’ Frecklington, as it is not a brand new coach. Previously the aluminium coach was used during the opening of the state parliament in June 2014.
The coach maker was primarily allotted $250,000 to construct this particular carriage under John Howard’s regime. Mr Frecklington was a previous employee of the royal household who tended the Queen’s show horses. He built the special aluminium coach in his workshop located near Sydney’s northern ocean shores.
He had begun constructing the aluminium carriage just after the Sydney Olympics in 2000, and the work was accomplished by 2012 to honour the 60th anniversary of the deceased Queen’s reign.
The use of aluminium has significantly reduced the weight of the carriage to three tonnes with an estimated length of five metres. Six sturdy horses are required to successfully roll its wheels.
The Royal Collection Trust exclaimed that Mr Frecklington’s coach displays “craftsmanship and modern technology”.
The coach remains bound to the ground with the help of six hydraulic stabilisers, while the exterior is made of aluminium, making the construction comparatively light. The inside of the carriage is fascinating since it has been comprised of wooden panels donated from 100 sites and enterprises around Britain.
The Royal Collection Trust stated: “The seat handrails are from the royal yacht Britannia, and the window frames and interior panels include material from Caernarfon Castle; Canterbury Cathedral; the Mary Rose (Henry VIII’s flagship); 10 Downing Street; and the Antarctic bases of Captain Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton.”
“The gilded crown on the top of the coach, carved from oak from HMS Victory, can hold a camera to film journeys,” the Trust notified.
When King Charles returns to his home ground, he will be using Britain’s “grandest” coach since the Gold State Coach is a part of history and is 260 years old. The aluminium coach has been a witness to every coronation held at the palace since William IV.
“It features magnificently painted panels of Roman gods and goddesses, rich gilded sculptures including three cherubs on the roof representing England, Scotland and Ireland, and four massive triton figures above each wheel,” the Royal Collection Trust added.
On May 6, the aluminium carriage will make its way through Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square, crossing Whitehall and Parliament Street, before ending its quest at Westminster Abbey for the 11 am ceremony. The same route will be followed when the coach returns to Buckingham Palace.
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