Fans of the living soap opera that is the British Royal Family are gearing up for what might be for many people, a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Following the death of the Queen last year, her son Prince Charles became King Charles, and on May 6 he’ll be crowned in London’s Westminster Abbey.
Presidents and prime ministers come and go, but there hasn’t been a coronation ceremony in Britain since 1953, so it’s a big deal, at least culturally. And London – and most of the rest of the UK, who’ll be watching on TV – will come to a standstill while Britain rolls out a visual spectacle that’s equal parts incredible and absurd.
Traditionally, the most incredible and absurd feature of the whole show is the Gold State Coach, which has been used in every coronation since the 1830s. It’s the one you’ve probably seen pictures of, the one that looks like a pumpkin coach Disney prop but is very much the real deal. It dates back to 1760, features gilding on almost every surface, measures 29 ft (8.8 m) long, and weighs over 8,500 lbs (3,900 kg).
Related: UK’s King Charles Runs His Aston Martin DB6 On Cheese And Wine
It’s also, according to the few people who have ridden inside, hideously uncomfortable. William IV, who reigned from 1830-37, described traveling inside the coach as like being on board a ship “tossing in a rough sea”. And King George VI, boss between 1936 and 1952, said it was “one of the most uncomfortable rides I have ever had in my life,” leading him to add rubber to the iron-bound wooden wheels. That mod doesn’t sound like it did much good though, because his daughter, the recently departed Queen Elizabeth II, said her coronation journey was “horrible.”
So Charles and his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, will ride to Westminster Abbey in an entirely different coach. The Diamond Jubilee State Coach is nowhere near as ornate, but to the casual observer it looks like it’s probably from a similar era to the Gold State Coach, and probably equally uncomfortable. However it was built in Australia in 2010, shipped to the UK in 2014, and first used in the State Opening of Parliament that year.
At 18 ft (5.5 m) long and 6,060 lbs (2,750 kg) it’s much smaller than the Gold State Coach and way more comfortable. Scratch beneath the pseudo-1800s skin and you’ll find modern tech like an aluminum chassis, electric windows, heating, and hydraulic suspension. It’s not hard to see why Charles might have opted to make the switch, but hardcore Royalists needn’t get disheartened. While Charles and Camilla will make the trip from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for the coronation in the high-tech Aussie coach, they’ll be coming back via a long route in the Gold State Coach.
With only eight real horsepower at his disposal, and thousands of people lining the streets desperate to catch a glimpse of the new head of state, Charles will only be traveling at walking speed. But as The Sun reports, his $12.5 million (£10 m) car collection contains plenty of much faster vehicles, including at least two Aston Martins, a Range Rover, and a pair of custom Bentley limousines he inherited from his mother.