For the second year in a row, King Charles III is breaking royal tradition by riding in a carriage rather than on horseback during this year’s Trooping the Colour, The Times reported. This year’s event, which celebrates the official birthday of the British sovereign, will take place on Saturday, June 14. Traditionally, the reigning monarch leads the procession from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade on horseback.
Although the 76-year-old monarch is an accomplished equestrian and rode for years in the parade (for his mother’s celebrations and then his own), his ongoing cancer treatment prompted a return to the carriage alongside Queen Camilla last year—an adjustment to protocol that will continue this year. It’s a decision made with the King’s comfort and safety in mind as he continues weekly treatments following a cancer diagnosis in early 2024. The couple will instead be riding in the Scottish State Coach, which has a long and storied history within the British royal household.
King Charles III inside the Scottish State Coach for last year’s Trooping the Colour.
Originally commissioned in 1830 by Prince Adolphus, the Duke of Cambridge—brother to King William IV and grandfather to the future Queen Mary—the coach was first designed as an enclosed glass ‘town’ coach, according to the Royal Household. It remained in the Duke’s family for several years before being sold to William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle, who converted it into a semi-state landau, a roofless carriage with front and rear seats facing each other. In 1920, the coach was given to the Royal Family for Queen Mary.
Nearly five decades later, in 1968–69, the Scottish State Coach underwent another extensive restoration to return it to its original enclosed form. The new design includes large glass windows and a unique transparent roof, allowing onlookers an unusually clear view inside and flooding the interior with natural light.
Unlike other royal carriages, which bear the Royal Arms of England and the insignia of the Order of the Garter, the Scottish State Coach is emblazoned with the Royal Arms of Scotland and the insignia of the Order of the Thistle—a nod to its heritage.
Queen Elizabeth II debuted the updated carriage during the opening of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh on May 20, 1969. More recently, the coach appeared in 2016 during the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations at the Windsor Horse Show. Coachman Natalie Ozanne called it “a big favourite,” the royal website reported, noting that “it has a glass ceiling, so crowds higher up, people positioned higher up—which there will be a lot of in Windsor—can see in.”
During its Windsor appearance, the carriage was pulled by four Windsor Grey horses and two additional horses served as outriders. The Windsor Greys have long played a ceremonial role in royal events, dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria.
Rachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publication’s feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.
