Clearly, King Charles III is not a Luddite!
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach looks traditional, but is actually modern, with air conditioning, electric windows and up-to-date suspension.
“It’s made of aluminium, which is quite unusual, because most of them are made of wood, and it’s also got hydraulic suspension, meaning that the ride is incredibly comfortable,” says Sally Goodsir, curator at the Royal Collection Trust.
We wouldn’t want excessive vibration to upset the Royal Ears, now would we?
Not sure why the air-con, I didn’t think Royals sweated… it just isn’t done, old chap!
A true hybrid. Horse and battery.
Why should the coronation coach be a royal PITA?
Especially for the locale where that carriage is used. It never gets warm enough for A/C there. I suppose on a sunny day it might get a little stuffy in there, but certainly not warm enough that lowering those electric windows wouldn’t make it comfortable.
That’s what I thought, until a visit to an un-airconditioned London hotel during a heat wave made for extremely uncomfortable nights.
I strongly suspect that those windows–as well as the aluminum body of the coach–are bullet-proof, or as nearly bullet-proof as possible. I really doubt that MI-5 would allow the monarch to ride in a carriage or car that wasn’t bullet-proof.
Bright sun, an enclosed coach, and all the formal clothing they will wear might make the AC a welcome addition. The coach builder also has to plan for any eventuality. Temperatures in Europe can be quite high even though on average it might seem that AC isn’t necessary.
Here, here old chap, it’s an aluminium body, aluminum is only for the colonies … lol …
Every time that I return to Europe, I see more and more of these “split” A/C systems on older buildings. Window units aren’t sized for most of the older windows there, and it seems that these split systems are becoming the norm in many areas.
Obviously, they are much more common in the Southern part of the continent, but even in The UK, A/C is becoming much more common-place.
