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 built in the London workshops of Samuel Butler. It was commissioned for £7,562 (£3.54 m or US$4.19 m in 2022, adjusted for inflation). It was built for George III's coronation in 1761, but was not ready in time; it was completed in 1762.

This state coach has been used at the coronation of every British monarch since William IV in 1831. The coach's great age, weight, and lack of manoeuvrability have limited its use to grand state occasions such as coronations and jubilee celebrations. Until the Second World War, the coach was the monarch's usual mode of transport to and from the State Opening of Parliament.

More than 260 years old, it is made of wood covered in gold leaf. The interior is lined with velvet and silk. It is 7.5 metres (25 ft) metres long, 3.6 metres (12 ft) tall, and weighs 4 tonnes (8,800 lb). It was last used at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023. When not in use the coach is housed at the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace, where it is kept on public display.

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