The state hearse carrying the coffin of Elizabeth II arriving at Buckingham Palace.

The state hearse is a vehicle of the Royal Mews used for funerals of the British royal family. Based on a Jaguar XJ model, it was designed by the Royal Household and Jaguar Land Rover with the input of and approval from Elizabeth II and converted by UK-based coachbuilders Premiere Sheet Metal, while Wilcox Limousines created the interior, exterior trim and glazing.[1] It was first used on 13 September 2022 to transport the Queen's coffin from RAF Northolt to London ahead of her lying-in-state

Design

The state hearse was designed by Jaguar Land Rover in collaboration with the Royal Household. Queen Elizabeth II had long favoured Land Rovers as her vehicle of choice.[2] The hearse is based on a Jaguar XJ (X351) saloon.[3][4] Its conversion from the standard model was made by Wilcox Limousines.[5]

The hearse has large side and back windows and a glass roof to maximise the coffin's visibility to onlookers.[6] It also features three internal spotlights along one side of the roof to illuminate the coffin, which is on a raised platform.[2][7] The design of the car is unique.[2] The roof pillars are thinner than in a standard model and the roof is higher.[2]

The hearse has royal claret coloured paint, which matches other vehicles operated by the Royal Mews.[2] It also sports the royal cypher and, when transporting the late monarch, a silver-plated bronze mascot depicting Saint George slaying the dragon.[6][8] Jaguar's "grinner" badge of a jaguar's face is on the front grill and their "leaper" badge of a jumping animal on the rear panel.[8] The Queen approved the final plans for the design of the hearse.[9]

Use

The state hearse was first used on 13 September 2022 to transport the coffin of Elizabeth II from RAF Northolt to Buckingham Palace.[9] It was then used on 19 September 2022 to transport the coffin from London's Wellington Arch to St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle for her committal service.[6]

Predecessors

Previous royal hearses have included a Jaguar XJ used for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and a custom built open top Land Rover Defender for the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Classic Car Buyer, May 2023, p16
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Sarwar, Nadeem (13 September 2022). "The Queen Helped Design This Unique Hearse For Her Final Trip To Buckingham Palace". SlashGear.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  3. ↑ Scott, Victoria (19 September 2022). "Queen Elizabeth II's Final Hearse Is a Jaguar XF She Designed". The Drive. Retrieved 23 September 2022 – via MSN.
  4. 1 2 O'Carroll, Damien (14 September 2022). "The Queen chose her final car personally". Stuff. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  5. ↑ Gastelu, Gary (13 September 2022). "Queen Elizabeth II's hearse is a Jaguar like her mother's". Fox News. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 "Jaguar Land Rover hearse approved by the late Queen Elizabeth II". ITV News. 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  7. ↑ "Bespoke state hearse for Queen who was consulted on the design". The Independent. 13 September 2022. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  8. 1 2 George, Mathew T (14 September 2022). "Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip trusted the same carmaker for their final journeys". The Week. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  9. 1 2 Duncan, Gillian (14 September 2022). "Queen helped to design hearse that drove her coffin to Buckingham Palace". The National. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
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