After the wedding service at Westminster Abbey the bride and groom and key members of the wedding party are traveling back to Buckingham Palace in a procession of five horse-drawn carriages.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are traveling in the 1902 State Landau. It was specifically built for King Edward VII in 1902 and is the carriage in most general use at the Royal Mews and is usually used by The Queen to meet Foreign Heads of State when they arrive on State Visits to Britain.
The Prince and Princess of Wales used it to travel back from St Paul’s Cathedral after their wedding, as did the Duke and Duchess of York.
The second and third carriages in the procession are Ascot Landaus carrying Prince Harry, the best man, Pippa Middleton, the maid of honour and the bridesmaids.
The fourth carriage is a Semi-State Landau carrying The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
The fifth carriage is another Semi-State Landau carrying The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Mr and Mrs Middleton.
The carriages are all housed at the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace.
The Royal Mews is part of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office and is run by the Crown Equerry. The Royal Mews houses 30 carriage horses and has 38 staff including liveried helpers, coachmen, chauffeurs.
There are two breeds of horses at the Royal Mews, Windsor Greys and Bays (the majority of which are Cleveland Bays).
There are over 100 carriages in the collection, although not all of them are kept at Buckingham Palace.
For the Royal wedding, 14 sides of State Harness will be used with matching appointments for outriders. All the harness requires regular cleaning and polishing which is undertaken by Royal Mews staff in addition to their other duties.
