British Monarchy and its influence upon governmental institutions
CARS
The Queen's State and private motor cars are housed
in the Royal Mews. For official duties - providing transport for State and
other visitors as well as The Queen herself - there are nine State limousines,
consisting of one Bentley, five Rolls-Royces and three Daimlers. They are
painted in Royal maroon livery and the Bentley and Rolls-Royces uniquely do not
have registration number plates. Other vehicles include a number of Vauxhall
Sintra 'people carriers'.
The most recent State car, which is used for most of
The Queen's engagements, is a State Bentley presented to The Queen to mark her
Golden Jubilee in 2002. The one-off model, conceived by a Bentley-led
consortium of British motor industry manufacturers and suppliers, is the first
Bentley to be used for State occasions. It was designed with input from The
Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and Her Majesty's Head Chauffeur.
In technical terms, the car has a monocoque
construction, enabling greater use to be made of the vehicle's interior
space. This means the transmission tunnel now runs underneath the floor,
without encroaching on the cabin and has enabled the stylists to work with a
lowered roofline whilst preserving the required interior height. The rear
doors have been redesigned enabling The Queen to stand up straight before
stepping down to the ground. The rear seats are upholstered in Hield Lambswool
Sateen cloth whilst all remaining upholstery is in light grey Connolly
hide. Carpets are pale blue in the rear and dark blue in the front.
A Rolls-Royce Phantom VI was presented to The
Queen in 1978 for her Silver Jubilee by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and
Traders. The oldest car in the fleet is the Phantom IV, built in 1950, 5.76
litre with a straight eight engine and a Mulliner body. There is also a 1987
Phantom VI and two identical Phantom V models built in the early 1960s. The
1978 Phantom VI and the two Phantom V models have a removable exterior roof
covering, which exposes an inner lining of perspex, giving a clear view of
passengers.
All the cars have fittings for the shield bearing the
Royal Coat of Arms and the Royal Standard. The Queen has her own mascot for use
on official cars. Designed for her by the artist Edward Seago in the form of St
George on a horse poised victorious over a slain dragon, it is made of silver
and can be transferred from car to car as necessary. The Duke of Edinburgh's
mascot, a heraldic lion wearing a crown, is adapted from his arms.
For her private use The Queen drives a Daimler Jaguar
saloon or a Vauxhall estate (like every other qualified driver, The Queen holds
a driving licence). The Duke of Edinburgh has a Range Rover and, for short
journeys round London, uses a Metrocab. The private cars are painted Edinburgh
green.
A number of Royal Mews vehicles have now been converted
to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) - a more environmentally friendly fuel
than petrol or diesel. Converted vehicles include one of the Rolls-Royce
Phantom IVs, a Daimler and The Duke of Edinburgh's Metrocab.
CARRIAGES
Housed in the Royal Mews is
the collection of historic carriages and coaches, most of which are still in
use to convey members of the Royal family in State ceremonial processions or on
other royal occasions.
The oldest coach is the Gold State Coach, first used
by George III when he opened Parliament in 1762 and used for every coronation
since George IV's in 1821. As its name implies, it is gilded all over and the
exterior is decorated with painted panels. It weighs four tons and requires
eight horses to pull it.
The coach now used by The Queen at the State Opening
of Parliament is known as the Irish State Coach because the original was built
in 1851 by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, who was also a coachbuilder. Although
extensively damaged by fire in 1911, the existing coach was completely restored
in 1989 by the Royal Mews carriage restorers, who stripped the coach to the
bare wood and applied twenty coats of paint, including gilding and varnishing.
The exterior is blue and black with gilt decoration and the interior is covered
in blue damask. It is normally driven from the box seat using four horses.
Other coaches include the Scottish State Coach (built
in 1830 and used for Scottish and English processions), Queen Alexandra's State
Coach (used to convey the Imperial State Crown to Parliament for the State
Opening), the 1902 State Landau, the Australian State Coach (presented to The
Queen in 1988 by the Australian people to mark Australia's bicentenary), the
Glass Coach (built in 1881 and used for royal weddings) and the State and Semi-State
Landaus (used in State processions).
In addition there are two barouches, broughams (which
every day carry messengers on their official rounds in London), Queen
Victoria's Ivory-Mounted Phaeton (used by The Queen since 1987 for her Birthday
Parade) as well as a number of other carriages. In all, there are over 100
coaches and carriages in the Royal Collection.
All the carriages and coaches are maintained by
craftsmen in the Royal Mews department and some of the coaches and carriages
can be viewed on days when the Royal Mews is open to the public.
THE ROYAL TRAIN
Modern Royal Train vehicles came into operation in
1977 with the introduction of four new saloons to mark The Queen's Silver
Jubilee. This continued a service which originated on 13 June, 1842, when the
engine Phlegethon, pulling the royal saloon and six other carriages,
transported Queen Victoria from Slough to Paddington. The journey took 25
minutes.
It is perhaps somewhat misleading to talk of 'the
Royal Train' because the modern train consists of carriages drawn from a total
of eight purpose-built saloons, pulled by one of the two Royal Class 47 diesel
locomotives, Prince William or Prince Henry. The exact number and combination
of carriages forming a Royal Train is determined by factors such as which
member of the Royal family is travelling and the time and duration of the
journey. When not pulling the Royal Train, the two locomotives are used for
general duties.
The Royal Train enables members of the Royal family to
travel overnight, at times when the weather is too bad to fly, and to work and
hold meetings during lengthy journeys. It has modern office and communications
facilities. Journeys on the train are always organised so as not to interfere
with scheduled services. (Where appropriate, The Queen and other members of the
Royal family use scheduled services for their official journeys.)
The carriages are a distinctive maroon with red and
black coach lining and a grey roof. The carriages available include the royal
compartments, sleeping, dining and support cars. The Queen's Saloon has a
bedroom, bathroom and a sitting room with an entrance which opens onto the
platform. The Duke of Edinburgh's Saloon has a similar layout plus a kitchen.
Fitted out at the former British Rail's Wolverton Works in Buckinghamshire,
Scottish landscapes by Roy Penny and Victorian prints of earlier rail journeys
hang in both saloons.
A link with the earliest days of railways is displayed
in the Duke of Edinburgh's Saloon: a piece of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's original
broad gauge rail, presented on the 150th anniversary of the Great Western
Railway. (Brunel accompanied Queen Victoria on her inaugural 1842 journey.)
The current Queen's and Duke's Saloons came into
service in 1977, when they were extensively used during the Silver Jubilee
royal tours. They were not, however, new. They began life in 1972 as prototypes
for the standard Inter-City Mark III passenger carriage and were subsequently
fitted out for their royal role at the Wolverton Works. All work on the Royal
Train is normally done at Wolverton.
Railtrack PLC manages the Royal Train and owns the
rolling stock. Day-to-day operations are conducted by another privatised
company, English, Welsh and Scottish Railways. The cost of maintaining and
using the train is met by the Royal Household from the Grant-in-Aid which it
receives from Parliament each year for air and rail travel. In 2000-01 the
total cost of the Royal Train was £596,000; the train made 17 journeys.
A number of former Royal Train carriages are now on
display at the National Railway Museum in York.
ROYAL AIR TRAVEL
The history of Royal flying dates back more than 80
years to 1917, when The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) became the
first member of the Royal family to fly, in France during the First World War.
The Prince went on to become a skilful pilot. From 1930 onwards members of the
Royal family made increasing use of aircraft, largely operating from Hendon in
north London. In 1936, on becoming King Edward VIII, the former Prince of Wales
was the first British Monarch to fly.
Since then many members of the Royal family have
learnt to fly. The Duke of York trained as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot and
flew in operations during the 1982 Falklands Conflict - the first member of the
Royal family to see active service since the Second World War. In an
unblemished flying career spanning more than 40 years The Duke of Edinburgh has
flown more different aircraft types than most pilots. The Prince of Wales, too,
has accumulated many hours flying both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
Royal flying was formalised on 21 July 1936 with the
creation of The King's Flight at Hendon. The new flight operated a single
twin-engine Dragon Rapide, G-ADDD, formerly the king's private aircraft. The
first Captain of the King's Flight was Wing Commander E.H. Fielden (who later
became an Air Vice-Marshal). The Dragon Rapide was replaced in May 1937 by an
Airspeed Envoy III, G-AEXX, the first aircraft purchased specifically for the
Flight. The Second World War saw The King's Flight temporarily disbanded,
although members of the Royal family continued to fly using military aircraft.
In 1946 The King's Flight was reformed, in greater
strength, at RAF Benson with four Vickers Vikings. The following year all were
heavily used during the Royal Tour of South Africa.
After The Queen's accession The King's Flight was
renamed The Queen's Flight. The first helicopter - a Westland Dragonfly - was
acquired in September 1954 and was quickly championed by The Duke of Edinburgh
(who qualified as a helicopter pilot the following year). It was replaced in
1958 by two Westland Whirlwinds. In 1964 Hawker Siddeley Andovers were
introduced for fixed wing flying and saw more than 25 years of service before
being superceded, in the Flight's 50th anniversary year, by the current British
Aerospace 146. In June 1969 the Whirlwinds were replaced by two Westland
Wessex. These served for nearly 30 years, together making more than 10,000
flights and each flying the equivalent of 20 times around the world, before
being replaced on 1 April 1998 by a single Sikorsky S-76.
In 1995, The Queen's Flight was amalgamated with No.
32 Squadron, which was renamed No 32 (The Royal) Squadron. At the same time the
squadron moved from RAF Benson to its current location at RAF Northolt.
Nowadays, official flying for members of the Royal
family is provided by BAe 146 and Hawker S125 jet aircraft of No. 32 (The
Royal) Squadron, based at RAF Northolt just north west of London, and the
Sikorsky S-76 helicopter operated by the Royal Household from Blackbushe
Aerodrome in Hampshire. In 2000-01, 32 Squadron had two four-engined BAe 146s
(each of which carries 19 to 23 passengers) and five twin-engined HS 125s (each
of which carries seven passengers). The Royal Travel Office based at RAF
Northolt co-ordinates use of the different types of aircraft by members of the
Royal family, ensuring that their use is both appropriate and cost-effective.
In 2000-01, the BAe 146 were used for Royal flying
over 142 flying hours, the HS125 for 149 flying hours and the Sikorsky for 459
flying hours. No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron is primarily a Royal Air Force
communications flying squadron. In fact, Royal flying accounts for less than
20% of the combined tasking of both the BAe 146 and the HS125, which are more
commonly used by senior military officers and Government ministers.
The cost of official royal travel by air is met by the
Royal Travel Grant-in-aid, the annual funding provided by the Department of
Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLGR). In 2000-01, the cost of
official royal travel by 32 Squadron was £1,793,000.
Aircraft of No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron have a
distinctive red, blue and white livery; the Royal Household S-76 is finished in
the red and blue colours of the Brigade of Guards (as were aircraft in the
early days of Royal flying).
Today, the BAe 146 and HS 125 of No 32 (The Royal)
Squadron and the Royal Household's S-76 are used for official duties by The
Queen and, at her discretion, other members of the Royal family, continuing a
tradition begun with a single aircraft more than 60 years ago.
THE ROYAL FAMILY
MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY
In her role as Head of State The Queen is supported
by members of the Royal Family, who carry out a wide range of public and
official duties. The biographies in this section contain information about
various members of the Royal Family, including early life and education,
professional careers, official Royal work, involvement with charities and other
organisations, personal interests and more
HM THE QUEEN
The Queen
was born in London on 21 April 1926, the first child of The Duke and Duchess of
York, subsequently King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Five weeks later she was
christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in the chapel at Buckingham Palace.
The Princess's early years were spent at 145
Piccadilly, the London house taken by her parents shortly after her birth; at
White Lodge in Richmond Park; and at the country homes of her grandparents,
King George V and Queen Mary, and the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. When she
was six years old, her parents took over Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park as
their own country home.
HRH THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth
and Baron Greenwich, was born Prince of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on 10 June
1921; the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece. His paternal family is of Danish
descent - Prince Andrew was the grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark. His
mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, the eldest child of Prince Louis of
Battenberg and sister of Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Prince Louis became a
naturalised British subject in 1868, joined the Royal Navy and rose to become
an Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord in 1914. During the First World War
he changed the family name to Mountbatten and was created Marquess of Milford
Haven. Prince Philip adopted the family name of Mountbatten when he became a
naturalised British subject and renounced his Royal title in 1947.
Prince Louis married one of Queen Victoria's
granddaughters. Thus, The Queen and Prince Philip both have Queen Victoria as a
great-great-grandmother. They are also related through his father's side. His
paternal grandfather, King George I of Greece, was Queen Alexandra's brother.
HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES AND FAMILY
The Prince
of Wales, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of
Edinburgh, is heir apparent to the throne.
The Prince was born at Buckingham Palace on 14
November 1948, and was christened Charles Philip Arthur George.
When, on the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1952, he
became heir apparent, Prince Charles automatically became Duke of Cornwall
under a charter of King Edward III dating back to 1337, which gave that title
to the Sovereign's eldest son. He also became, in the Scottish Peerage, Duke of
Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and
Great Steward of Scotland.
The Prince was created Prince of Wales and Earl of
Chester in 1958. In 1968, The Prince of Wales was installed as a Knight of the
Garter. The Duke of Rothesay (as he is known in Scotland) was appointed a
Knight of the Thistle in 1977. In June 2002 The Prince of Wales was appointed
to the Order of Merit.
HRH THE DUKE OF YORK
The Duke of York was born on 19 February 1960 at
Buckingham Palace. He is the second son and the third child of The Queen and
The Duke of Edinburgh. He was the first child to be born to a reigning
monarch for 103 years. Named Andrew Albert Christian Edward he was known
as Prince Andrew until his marriage, when he was created The Duke of York, Earl
of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh.
TRH THE EARL AND COUNTESS OF WESSEX
The Earl of Wessex is the third son and youngest child
of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. He was born on 10 March 1964 and
christened Edward Antony Richard Louis at Buckingham Palace. He was known as
Prince Edward until his marriage, when he was created The Earl of Wessex and
Viscount Severn; at the same time it was announced that His Royal Highness will
eventually succeed to the title of The Duke of Edinburgh.
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