Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Carriage

The concept is the same: a covered, horse-drawn, four-wheeled carriage. In this case, six. But instead of cruising the arid plains of Arizona, Nevada, Texas or California at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, at full gallop, with windowless doors and consequent dust drifting in and out, this stage coach He does it through the streets of London in the early XNUMXst century, in full comfort.

Inside there are no lean businessmen in search of new horizons, no untidy jeans with revolvers on their waists, no traveling ladies with an impossible little purse in one hand and a folded umbrella in the other. Its cabin has been designed to house to the true jewel in the British crown: Her Majesty Elizabeth II of England.

Nor outside, from above, on a hard front bench, two drivers flanked by two Winchesters shake their reins haranguing their draft horses at a wild gallop. Nothing further for what is British phlegm. Two people guard, from the outside, the royal rear. And ahead, in the odd row of horses, three riders are in charge of directing the royal plans during the journey.

The newly released royal carriage, conceived in Australia as a gift from its government to the ancient mother country, is a small rolling palace upholstered in yellow silk, designed by Jim Frecklington, a dedicated and bankrupt character whose name is engraved on the wheel hub. Quite a deference to his impoverished posterity.

A luxurious rolling museum

Between a detail here, and another there, the project went off the charts. From the initial 165.000 euros donated by the Australian government, it went to the final 3,6 million euros. And Jim had to mortgage even his house to finish it. That is if, after ten years of work, on the day of the premiere, its author was in London on time for the appointment.

It was about witnessing how Queen Elizabeth II, always accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, greeted from within a people dedicated to the cause. And it is that the beginning of the parliamentary course coincided with the final clasp to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, that is, to the international celebration that began in 2012 and that marked the 60th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II to the throne of seven countries.

Hence, although two years late, the new float -the second of the British Royal House in 100 years-, originally called "Britannia", It was renamed the "Diamond Jubilee Carriage." It is not for less: The doors and handles are inserted 280 sapphires and 48 diamonds. But this is just the appetizer of endless details, provided by public and private institutions, that would make more than a museum director envy.

To summarize, it contains a wooden beam and crown from HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson's flagship; wood from the cathedrals of Saint Paul's, Wells and York; a piece of a cannonball fired during the Battle of Waterloo and some fragments of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's warship. More appraisals.

Four hand-made lanterns made by Edinburgh Cristal have been installed around the cabin. The frames and windows of this royal stage were built with materials sourced from Canterbury Cathedral, 10 Downing Street (the residence of the British Prime Minister) and from one of the pole bases used by Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton. And in order not to skimp on details, it also incorporates inside a fragment of the apple tree that, presumably, inspired Newton to formulate the law of gravity.

[su_youtube_advanced https=»yes» url=»https://youtu.be/5DRYzlsf3X4″ width=»700″ rel=»no»]

Concessions to modernity

This is all? Well no. A rolling wonder, weighing three tons, five and a half meters long and three high, it could not be separated from the outside by simple crossbows that would quell the ups and downs of the road. The voluptuous carriage incorporates six gold leaf coated hydraulic stabilizers. And given the importance, solemnity and age of its users, they themselves can operate the interior light, the interior temperature and… the electric windows from the armrest. Only a small video camera that captures everything that happens during the journey is beyond your control.

For now, and after its first and only use, the carriage It will be preserved and guarded by the Royal Collection Trust, the organization that manages the artistic heritage of the British royal house. Quite a responsibility, being the only horse-drawn museum in the world.