Inquiring readers, Patty Saffran from Brandy Parfums has followed up her lovely post on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee schedule with a report on the magnificent Household Cavalry Horse Escort. You are treated to a sneak preview of an article that will be published in the July issue of Horse Directory Magazine. Accompanying this post is the layout of her article . You might also be interested in a piece she wrote for us about the horses in Georgette Heyer’s novels. Thank you, Patty, for keeping us in the loop and updating us on these wonderful horses.
First page of the article. Click on image to view the photos in more detail.
The three-month-long elaborate celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee continued with the Household Cavalry in the spotlight on June 5, 2012. The Queen was first driven by car to St. Paul’s Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving. In the Cathedral, the Household Calvary State Trumpeters, wearing gold state dress, greeted the Queen by playing the powerful fanfares for which they are well-known. Upon leaving the cathedral, the Queen walked past an honor guard from branches of the military. Captain Alex Owen of the Household Calvary Mounted Regiment (HCMR) wrote, We had a six man step lining party outside the cathedral from HCMR. They were commanded by Captain Roly Spiller [Adjutant-HCMR] who was in overall command of the Tri-service step liners.
Mercury and his drummer, CoH Kent, ready to plod on down to Westminster.
The Queen was next driven to the Lord Mayor’s residence, Mansion House, for a reception and then on to the Palace of Westminster for a special luncheon. The event that all horse enthusiasts were waiting for came next. The Queen along with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall stepped into the 1902 State Landau pulled by six Windsor Grey horses from the Royal Mews. (This landau which was built for King Edward VII’s Coronation was in the news last year when it carried Prince William and his bride, Catherine, to Buckingham Palace after the royal wedding.) As the Duke of Edinburgh was in the hospital, the number of landaus was abbreviated to two instead of three. One other state landau pulled by two Cleveland Bays, also from the Royal Mews, followed the Queen with the heirs the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. Originally many more carriages were to be included, but a decision was made to simplify this procession. This determination unfortunately reduced the number of beautiful ceremonial horses, a main element of the pageantry. Some wondered why the Queen chose not to use the ornate Gold State Coach built in 1762 for George III, which would have been more spectacular. The Gold State Coach was the Queen’s coach of choice for the 2002 Golden Jubilee. One opinion offered is that the Gold State Coach, built so long ago, has no shock absorbers and the Queen has a bad back (a common complaint from many who ride frequently.) The other reason given is that the Thames flotilla celebrating the Queen’s 60 year reign was so elaborate on June 3rd that they did not want to overdo the parade to the Buckingham Palace with too much splendor. Yet another reason a landau was used, and not an enclosed ornate coach, is that more people would see the Queen in the open State Landau. It is a pity that a more ornate coach was not used such as the Irish State Coach that the Queen rode in on May 9th to open Parliament this year. A larger procession of carriages would have made horse lovers and all other spectators enjoy the spectacle even more.
All disappointment about not having a grand procession of carriages disappeared when preceding the Queen’s landau and Sovereign’s Escort, the double Household Cavalry Mounted Band made up of 53 musicians and horses appeared on the parade route. In case readers are wondering, the band was not part of the royal wedding last year.
Military bands from various regiments had already marched down the Mall and positioned themselves along the route. The Irish Guards played near Buckingham Palace for the crowd near the Palace Gates.
Led by heavy horses Achilles and Mercury with their enormous double-sided silver drums and banners and with their riders in ultimate festive attire, the entire Household Calvary Mounted Band passed the thousands of cheering spectators lining the parade route. Achilles of the Life Guards and Mercury of the Blues and Royals had waxed handlebar moustaches. While on parade, the drum horses assume the rank of Major (!) (A fantastic Munnings painting that pays homage to the beauty of the drum horse was on display at the Kentucky Horse Park’s 2002 exhibition “All the Queen’s Horses”.)
The Queen’s landau and Sovereign’s Escort
Of particular interest to American horsemen, the Queen’s horses including the Royal Mews horses and race horses are trained according to Monty Robert’s methods (The Man who Listens to Horses). He has also been a consultant to the Household Cavalry and has started drum horses for them.
Captain Alex Owen of the Household Calvary’s Blues and Royals Squadron wrote to me that the horses on parade have a sense of the importance of the occasion and appear to walk with pride. Captain Owen also wrote that the riders may seem to be expert horsemen, but most learned to ride only recently as part of their military training. Many will be rotated back to Afghanistan after their participation in ceremonial duties.
Those who think perfect horse manoeuvres for the Jubilee came easily should realize that many rehearsals and much time was spent to make everything run smoothly. Leading up to the event, Captain Roly Spiller, Adjutant of the Household Calvary Mounted Regiment (HCMR) said, “He had Early Morning Rehearsal for the Queen’s Birthday Parade and were out early again for the Jubilee rehearsal on Friday (stables at 0330 hrs and 0230 hrs respectively!), having already been out early in the morning for further internal rehearsals, so it was a long week.”
Second page of the article, somewhat cropped.
From Westminster, the Sovereign’s Escort of four divisions of 116 men and horses of the Household Calvary escorted the Queen up Whitehall, through the Admiralty Arch and down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. This was a longer route, which meant many more people could see the procession than the usual shorter route through the Horse Guards Parade to the Mall. Captain Roly Spiller wrote ,”Today (June 4th ) has been our final day of preparations for the Jubilee Procession tomorrow. We have been practicing for the Stair-Lining Party outside St Paul’s Cathedral this morning, as well as exercising the horses to ensure they are not too fresh for tomorrow’s parade. Unusually, we will be coming through Admiralty Arch, rather than Horse Guards, so I hope it will be a really impressive sight coming down the Mall.”
Drum Horses Achilles and Mercury and the Household Calvary Mounted Band
The Horse Guards Parade was the staging ground for the King’s Troop Gun Salute. Captain Roly Spiller of the HCMR wrote, As it turns out, the noise bowl [the bleachers at Buckingham Palace] was manageable, as the horses were more concerned about the Gun Salute that the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery was firing from Horse Guards. However, with some determined riding, everyone kept the Escort moving. All in all, we were pleased (and relieved!) with how it went.”
The King’s Troop of 53 horses and 71 troops that form the Queen’s Saluting Battery included six teams of six horses to position gun carriages with thirteen pounder state saluting guns from WWI. The Troops fired a sixty gun salute honoring the Queen in the Horse Guards Parade, which was what concerned the Household Calvary passing nearby. The King’s Troop were originally created by the Queen’s father, King George VI, in 1947 to honor the role of the horse in pre-mechanized warfare.
Among those Household Calvary horses in the procession to Buckingham Palace was a troop favorite, Thomas. He is one of the oldest horses in the regiment. At 24, he is due to retire to the farm of one of the farriers right after the festivities. Thomas is well-liked among the Troopers because he rewards those who give him treats with a sloppy kiss.
The Queen escorted by the Commanding Officer on the rear right wheel.
Another favorite horse in the HCMR Blues and Royals Squadron who also participated in the procession is six-year-old Llamrei (pronounced Clam-Rye). He is named after King Arthur’s charger. Around the stable, Llamrei is affectionately called Sausage. Captain Owen wrote, “Llamrei joined the regiment in November. When he was only recently broke and after four months of training to carry the state kit, Llamrei has now started to earn his keep by helping the soldiers muck out in the mornings with a broom between his teeth.”
The popular drum horse Digger missed the procession this time. He was at the Defence Animal Centre in Leicestershire which trains animals and runs courses on animal handling for the military.
The beauty of the perfectly groomed Royal Mews, King’s Troops and Household Calvary horses in high gloss tack, and riders wearing gleaming brass and colorful uniforms made a superb display for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee that millions will never forget.
Note to readers: A new book with beautiful photographs has just been published: “Uniquely British-Behind the Scenes with the Household Cavalry” by Christopher Joll, Edited by Lt. Col Dan E Hughes HCMR Commanding Officer. Tricorn Books, UK 29 Pounds Sterling. Available in the USA from about July 18, 2012 at http://www.amazon.com
All proceeds from this book go to the Household Calvary Central Charitable Fund for HCR and HCMR veterans and their families, and for the regimental horses. More about this charity can be found at http://www.operationalcasualtiesfund.co.uk
Click on image.
What is the relevance of this to Jane Austen’s world?
Christopher, as always, thank you for stopping by. My blog sometimes jumps off the Jane Austen’s World track with articles that contain some interest to my readers. In this instance, George III, whose gold state coach was not used, but is mentioned in this article, lived during Jane Austen’s era. The tentative association to the Prince Regent’s papa, combined with my interests (it is my blog, after all), prompts me to publish these wonderful pieces from Patty. In addition, contributions from writers like Patty, Tony, and Paul, provide me with the means to keep this blog going during busy periods in my work life. I am so thankful for their help.
Christopher J Squire. The whole article is oozing the Georgian period. Buckingham Palace was gradually developed from a country house by George III and Queen Charlotte,. All their fourteen children were born there.
Although St James’s Palace was the official royal residence in London, just down The Mall on the left from Buckingham House as it was, by 1826 George IV turned into an official palace. Many of the interiors from Carlton House were transferred there.
The State Coach, shown in one of the pictures, was built by Samuel Butler in 1762 and used as the Coronation Coach by George IV and for all coronations since. The uniforms of the Household Cavalry are georgian.
The Mall, the road shown leading from Buckingham palace, was designed by Nash the great Georgian architect.
The thing is we don’t demolish things in this country just because they are old. We preserve and cherish our history. If you ever come over here Christopher you will soon learn we are a great mix of ancient and modern. England is a a fantastic layer cake of History going back 2000years and far more.
You really can’t get more georgian ( jane Aiusten period ) in what is displayed in those pictures above and what is being written about in that article.
“EAT YOUR HEART OUT CHRIS ME LAD!!!!”
As I was born a Yorkshireman and have lived for 40 years close to Richmond bridge, I am tolerably well acquainted with royal palaces past [Richmond and Kew] and present [Hampton Court] thank you. It is a great pity that the 14 romantic turreted towers of Richmond palace didn’t survive the upheavals of the English Revolution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_View_of_Richmond_Palace_published_in_1765.jpg
It’s true that Buck House started out as a private residence and only became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. Nowadays something less ostentatious and extravagant (it has 830,000 sq ft of floorspace) would suit the modern quasi-republican scaled down monarchy much better but I fear we are stuck with it unless by some happy chance it is burnt down.
Jane Austen’s opinion of royalty:
” . . I suppose all the World is sitting in Judgement upon the Princess of Wales’s Letter. Poor woman, I shall support her as long as I can, because she is a Woman, & because I hate her Husband . . if I must give up the Princess, I am resolved at least always to think that she would have been respectable, if the Prince had behaved only tolerably by her at first. –”
Letter of February 16th, 1813 to Martha Lloyd
http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/jprncwal.html
I love that comment by Jane, supporting the prince’s wife over the man. It made her dedication of Emma to him all the more ironic.
Considering the history of royal traditions and the length of time they have been observed, it could be inferred that many of these events and the uniforms and accoutrements of the Household Cavalry were developed during the Georgian, Regency, and early Victorian years.
I am an anglophile from the U.S. and a horse lover, so articles like these are of great interest to me. Thank you for posting.
Austen disliked the Prince of Wales /Prince Regent. She didn’t dislike royalty. She was probably as loyal to the King and Queen as any other Briton. Quite a few of Austen’s contemporaries disliked the Prince while the King and Princess Charlotte were loved.
The joy of being notified of the subject of the blog, is that one can delete without reading if the subject matter is not to one’s taste.
There is a book on Royal ceremonies over the centuries. I doubt many will be surprised to read that the ceremonies stay basically the same through the centuries.
Loved the red roping entwined in the manes of the gray carriage horses for the Jubilee parade. We are horse lovers and have visited the Royal Mews. At least there were no runaways this time!
I beg your pardon for introducing something else from the 20th century. Pray, humour me. Methinks the Jane Austen quote echoes the feelings of many regarding Charles and Diana’s marriage.
I’m head over heels for all things English. So I say feel free to post information on horses, badgers, or the lowly wort in the field.
Interesting article. I also love everything concerning English and its culture.
For those who viewed the video of the royal coach, were you as impressed as I with the horses? They stood absolutely still for the viewing. So disciplined. So beautiful.
Patty’s description of their training with Monty Roberts prompted my memory of a visit to his horse farm in California. As we approached the barns, several horses ran alongside our car in their fenced-in meadow, their manes and tails flowing fluidly. It was a wild and wonderful moment.
Thank you for the blog, Vic. Always enjoyable. Just one small detail error that may have been a misprint in this one…wouldn’t the landau built in 1902 have been for Edward VII’s coronation, not Edward VI? My memory isn’t what it once was, but I think Edward VII ascended the throne in 1901 on the death of Queen Victoria. Thank you for correcting me if I am mistaken.
Pam, thanks for stopping by. I’ll let Patty answer this one! Vic
‘landau, n.1 Etym: Landau, the name of a town in Germany, where the vehicle was first made
A four-wheeled carriage, the top of which, being made in two parts, may be closed or thrown open, When open, the rear part is folded back, and the front part entirely removed.
1743 in J. Strang Glasgow (1856) 17 The coach or lando to contain six passengers . . ‘ [OED]
This one is indeed Edward VII’s State Landau of 1902: http://erhj.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/king-edward-vii-1902-state-landau.html My guess is that he liked it because its design made it easier for a portly gent to get into and out of in a dignified manner.
Pam,
Thanks for pointing this out. It was a typo. Edward VI was long gone.
For the horse lovers out there, you should go to the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May. It is an amazing display of every sort of horse. Just as a note, Monty Roberts is considered de trop amongst American horsemen in the know. :-)
So lovely. I was glad to see it on TV.