By Kate Mansey Assistant Editor For The Mail On Sunday
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During the next Coronation, the newly crowned King and Queen Consort will be expected to travel in the Gold Coach.
A team is working to make mechanical repairs to the eight horse-drawn carriage to mark the Platinum Jubilee.
But there will be added benefit to the expenditure because it will make the 240-year-old coach roadworthy for the Coronation.
During the next Coronation, the newly crowned King and Queen Consort will be expected to travel in the Gold Coach
The Georgian-era vehicle, which weighs four tons and is 24 ft long, has not been used since the Queen rode in it to mark her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
It was commissioned by King George III in 1760 and while it cost £7,562 – the equivalent of £1.6 million today – it was built for style, not comfort.
The Queen once described the bone-rattling journey on her 1953 Coronation aged 26 as ‘horrible’.
‘It’s only sprung on leather,’ she said and ‘not very comfortable’.
Palace officials have realised a major overhaul is going to be needed for Charles, 73, and Camilla, 74, who both require back cushions when seated for a long time on official engagements.
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