By Nichola Murphy
King Charles has bid a fond farewell to the royal train as part of his cost-cutting endeavours in the annual publication of royal finances.
The nine-carriage train requires costly upgrades to keep it running on a modern railway network, so it will be decommissioned after the current maintenance contract comes to an end in 2027.
Keeper of the Privy Purse James Chalmers said: “The Royal Train has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved. But in moving forwards, we must not be bound by the past.
“Just as so many parts of the Royal household’s work have been modernised and adapted to reflect the world of today, so too, the time has come to bid the fondest of farewells as we seek to be disciplined and forward-looking in our allocation of funding.”
The King used the Royal Train twice in the financial year to April, first from Windsor to Crewe and Kemble, which cost £33,147, and again from Kemble to Euston via Burton on Trent, which cost £44,822.
This marks the end of an era, since the mode of transport has a rich history with the royals dating back to 1840, from Queen Victoria’s trailblazing changes to the interior to King Charles’ honeymoon memories. We take a look inside the private royal train, which was said to be the late Queen Elizabeth’s “favourite way to travel”…
Who can travel on the King’s royal train?
Royals are only permitted to use the train on invitation from the monarch. When Queen Elizabeth was alive, the use of the royal train was typically only reserved for senior royals. Before he became king, Charles enjoyed many a journey with his wife, Queen Camilla.
The Duchess of Sussex became the youngest royal to accompany the Queen on the royal train in June 2018, as the pair carried out engagements in Cheshire.
Modest interiors
Rich royal history
The Royal Train was first used in 1840 by Queen Consort Adelaide (the title given to the wife of King William IV), who rode the caboose from Nottingham to Leeds. However, the first monarch to ride the train was Queen Victoria, who used it to travel from London to Windsor two years later.
It has since been used for many memorable journeys, including transporting Queen Victoria’s body from London to Windsor, where she was buried, following her funeral service in 1901.
On a happier occasion, King Charles and his late first wife, Princess Diana, travelled on the royal train to start their honeymoon in Scotland before embarking on a cruise through the Greek Islands to Egypt on the Royal Yacht Britannia.