Royal Train Rides: Fill & Download for Free

What is the history of the royal train that the Duke and Duchess recently used for their 3-day tour of England?The first-ever Royal Train was a dedicated carriage built for the royal family in 1840, with the Dowager Queen Adelaide, the widow of William IV, becoming the first to ride in it.Queen Victoria was finally persuaded to travel by rail in 1842. By 1869, she had commissioned a set of private carriages, decorated in luxurious blue silk and 23-carat gold like a palace on wheels.The current Royal Train in which the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelled into came into service in 1977 to mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.Over the years it's been updated, with protections to defend against machine-gun fire, rockets, and bombs. In addition to beefing up the safety of the train, the Queen, Prince Philip, and Prince Charles all had input on the design.The Royal Train has 9 cars and used to be pulled by 2 Royal Class 47 locomotives named Prince William and Prince Henry respectively. But they were retired in 2004.The train is currently pulled by a pair of Class 67 locomotives: 67005 (The Queen’s Messenger) and 67006 (Royal Sovereign). Both locomotives are run on environmentally friendly bio-fuel made from waste vegetable oil.The Queen toured Britain on the train for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.Normally only the most senior royals, that is, the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh before he retired, and the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall travel in it. But Prince William has travelled in it alongside his father a few times and The Duchess of Sussex has travelled in it in 2018 with the Queen.What is the furnishing like inside?The interior of the Royal Train is more functional than palatial and its furnishings are outdated. The interior design is according to the Queen’s taste. The 9 cars are:No 2903: The Queen's lounge, bedroom and bathroom.It’s a “75ft long air-conditioned and electrically heated saloon carriage which contains a bedroom with a single bed, a sitting room, a desk for working on the go, dining quarters – and bathroom complete with a full-sized bath.”No 2904: The Duke of Edinburgh's lounge, bedroom and bathroom.“Similar to that of the Queen but this one has a kitchen, green curtains, matching chair cushions and a brown carpet.”“Scottish landscapes and Victorian prints of earlier rail journeys hang in both saloons.”No 2923: The Prince of Wales's saloonNo 2922: The Prince of Wales's sleeping carPrince Charles “has his own lounge car with a bedroom, bathroom and study with a small writing desk and a blue and white floral patterned sofa which matches the curtain fabric.”No 2916: Royal Family dining car with a kitchenNo 2915: Royal Household sleeping carNo 2917: Royal Household dining car with a kitchenNo 2920: Royal Household couchette, diesel generator & brake vanNo 2921: Royal Household couchette, kitchen & brake van“The other carriages include dining cars, a general-purpose saloon for senior staff with sleeping quarters, a sleeping car for junior staff with bunk beds and a carriage for escort staff and maintenance workers.”

From what I’ve read neither Princes Harry nor William, nor Duchess Catherine or Meghan have ridden the Royal Train, and yes, Duchess Meghan is scheduled to take an overnight train ride with the Queen later this month.I’m not quite sure why the others have not ridden the train? Perhaps the Queen thinks William and Catherine will have plenty of time to do so when they reign (or when Prince Charles is King)?I’m sure this is all very exciting for Meghan. And I do think the Queen has always has a soft spot in her wide open heart for Prince Harry. He lost his mum so young, he didn’t perform as well as William in school, he couldn’t find his reason or purpose in his life for a long time and he also found it difficult to find a woman willing to share his life and be in the spotlight for ever.I think the Queen remembers a little sister left behind. Princess Margaret did not make a love match and she should have. The Queen married for love, but she did not let her sister have the same joy, and I think down the road, the Queen regretted that decision so very much (though the world was different in those long ago days).I think Queen Elizabeth wants a happy wife for Harry, and Meghan will be in the spotlight until Prince George and Princess Charlotte start stealing a little bit of it themselves (when they are beautiful and sixteen, perhaps?). So the Queen is making sure Harry’s wife is welcomed. This American who is dipping her feet (in stockings from now on, please) in the royals’ way of life, and she wants to make Meghan feel welcomed and appreciated and loved.

The protection of the US president is insanely more elaborate and expensive. He travels everywhere with a huge entourage including ambulances, armored cars with self-defense features and guards armed with submachine guns. He flies in a dedicated special plane containing an operating theater and everything necessary to fight a nuclear war from the air.The Prime Minister typically is accompanied by three or four police officers when walking on foot. Winston Churchill only had one. Churchill used to enjoy trying to give him the slip. He or she typically rides in a convoy of three or four cars, but certainly nothing like the giant motorcade the president always has.The Queen takes short flights in RAF aircraft that are available as necessary but are not dedicated entirely to her. For longer trips, she charters a plane from British Airways. She can also request that a royal train be assembled from the rolling stock dedicated to her use. She is protected by the Royal Protection Force of the Metropolitan police, but they aren’t nearly as obtrusive as Secret Service agents.Because the Queen does not make policy, there’s no sense in assassinating her and only one person has ever even pretended to try. A teenager fired six blanks at her while she was riding a horse in a parade. She just calmed the horse and rode on.