Prince Harry and Meghan Markle choose Ascot Landau carriage for procession through Windsor
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen an Ascot Landau carriage for the procession through Windsor following their wedding ceremony.
The carriage will be pulled by four Windsor Grey horses and accompanied by two outriders as it travels through Windsor town and along the Long Walk.
The carriage, built in 1883, is one of five Ascot Landaus in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace.
They are commonly used for the Queen’s procession during Royal Ascot and official visits, and it is a carriage that Prince Harry is very familiar with.
Two Ascot Landaus featured in the Carriage Procession for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in 2011, carrying best man Prince Harry, maid of honour Pippa Matthews (then Middleton), bridesmaids and pageboys from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace.
Colonel Toby Browne, The Crown Equerry of the Royal Household, said: “They are very happy with the selection. They were given the option of open because obviously being in May we hope for good weather and this is a wonderful carriage to go in.
“It gives great visibility for those passengers and for those actually watching because they sit up quite high so they can see what’s going on.
“He was best man at his brother’s wedding so he rode in one of these with the bridesmaids and pages as part of the procession following the wedding.
"But he’s also been in the Queen’s procession at the Royal Meeting at Ascot so he has ridden in these quite regularly.”
Colonel Browne will be on hand on the 19th May to assist the couple into the carriage and to ensure they are settled before it moves off.
The Windsor Grey horses have played an important role in the ceremonial life of the Royal Family.
Philip Barnard-Brown, Senior Coachman to the Queen, will ride Milford Haven for the procession and describes him as a “special horse”.
He said: “He normally has a lead position because he’s a very quiet horse and you’ll naturally try and put your quietest horses in the lead.
“Because it’s going to be a very busy day and very noisy, we always choose our safest, most reliable horses. We tend to go for the older horses that have been around and done it before and we know are reliable.”
Milford Haven will be joined by his stablemates Storm,Tyrone, Plymouth, Sir Basil and Londonderry.
In the event of severely wet weather, the couple will travel in the covered Scottish State Coach.
Built in 1830, the coach has large glass windows and transparent panels in the roof to allow good visibility.
State cars from The Royal Mews will also be used in the wedding to transport members of the Royal Family, the bride and bridal party.