The Platinum Jubilee Pageant was the penultimate and possibly the peak occasion of Queen Elizabeth's heritage Platinum Jubilee. It was headed by a giant, golden item that was breathtaking in its magnificence. As it made its way gradually down its wall, drawn by eight horses, fans cheered and crowded around to take pictures with their smartphones as the event progressed. It was impossible to mistake the identity of the thing; it was the Gold State Coach.
The coach was the last one in use for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002, and now it features an unusual touch of a holographic of the Queen from the coronation in 1953. The monarchy has owned the Gold State Coach for nearly 260 years, and it is a stately and antique thing. (For those who need a history lesson, the Windsors – or the current line of monarchs who all descend directly from Queen Victoria – weren't even on the throne three centuries ago, making this genuinely a one-of-a-kind heirloom.)
It's about twenty-six feet long and weighs about 8,000 pounds, and it was designed in 1760 for George III. According to the British Collection Trust, two tritons at the front honour major British naval victories during the time. Three cherubs guard the carriage's top, representing the protector spirits of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The carriage's exterior is covered in fruits of peace, which served as a homage to the love of arts and science of the period, as well as Giovanni Cipriani's painted panels. Velvet and satin are used throughout the interior.
The carriage was originally used by King George during the State Opening of Parliament on November 25, 1762. It is exclusively used on the most solemn of royal occasions, as its grandeur suggests: every succeeding monarch has carried in it to their coronation, notably Queen Elizabeth in 1953. A simulation of the queen wearing the empire state tiara was projected into the panes for all to see as a homage to that historic voyage.
On the day of the coronation, which took place in 1953, there were roughly three million people present in the streets of London. It was the first time in history that the BBC was going to reveal the coronation ceremony to even more than twenty million viewers across the world. Journalists gathered from all over the world to report on the celebrations building up to the coronation. After a lengthy discussion inside the British Cabinet, during which Prime Minister Winston Churchill voiced his opposition to the concept, Queen Elizabeth urged that the ceremony be filmed and broadcast on television. Despite Churchill's opposition, the event was filmed.
It is a wonderful moment for a piece of pageantry that is rarely seen in public, and it is one that won't be seen again until the next anniversary or coronation.
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