Hermitage’s Gold State Coach to become part of King Charles III collection
On May 6, King Charles III, together with the Queen Consort, will travel from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace aboard the Gold State Coach, also known as the Coronation Coach.
Few people know, however, that there exists a small-scale model of the Gold State Coach, given as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II by late Sultan Qaboos bin Said for Queen Elizabeth II’ Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
The late Sultan Qaboos was one of the closest friends of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip and the Sultan wanted to gift her something special on her Diamond Jubilee that related to her life: specifically, to the most precious and historic moment in her life when she rode the Coronation Coach to ascend the British throne as Queen. Out of several ideas presented to the Sultan by Hermitage Bespoke, a luxury maison that creates bespoke objects for high-net-worth individuals, he chose the coach, which reflected a historic phase in her life. It took a year and a half to build the coach, meticulously to the last and finest detail until it emerged as one of the greatest pieces of art the Hermitage Bespoke team has ever had the privilege to create.
The model features silver gold, lapis lazuli and precious stones, and was hand crafted and meticulously carved by master artists and jewelers. According to a source, when presented to the late Queen, the beauty of the model mesmerized Her Royal Highness as it was unveiled by none other than Sultan Qaboos himself.
For over a year, Hermitage Bespoke master craftsmen painstakingly reproduced every single detail from over 1,000 photos of the carriage taken by the team at the Royal Mews in London to create an exact replica of the coach. Now, the Coronation Coach will be used at the coronation of King Charles III, and the small-scale model made by Hermitage Bespoke will continue to be part of the sovereign’s private collection.
A picture of the Coronation Coach model by Hermitage. It weighs 25 kg., it is 80 cm. long and 40 cm. tall
“The British royal family is the pinnacle of royalty in Europe and knowing that the Gold State Coach will once again feature in such a historic event makes it an even more iconic object” said Rachele Benvenuti, Executive Director of Hermitage Bespoke. “At Hermitage, we are proud of the work done on the model: it is a bespoke object that will be handed down for generations”.
“For decades, Hermitage has had the privilege of serving Royals and Nobles from East Asia to the Middle East, from India to Europe and North Africa. We are proud and honored to be serving an admirable set of clients that only speaks for our outstanding and unparalleled capability in the bespoke industry” added Ms. Benvenuti.
The luxury maison has been working closely with London-based clientele over the last 20 years and is now working on a project for a new exclusive private members’ club in London that should open in the second half of 2023.
In addition to the model of the Coronation Coach, Hermitage Bespoke’s team, led by Rachele Benvenuti, realized several other object d’art and precious gifts presented to members of the Royal Family by the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said. On the occasion of a visit by Queen Elizabeth II to Oman, the then Sultan gifted her a Fabergé-style egg composed of lapis lazuli, gold and diamonds, which, through a complex system of internal mechanisms, opens to reveal a horse inside – a profound symbology that reveals the great attention paid by the Sultan to one of the Queen’s greatest passions, horses.
For the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Hermitage Bespoke was commissioned to create a precious music box.
Behind such breathtaking creations lies a knowledge of culture and of the etiquette of royal families and sultanates, together with the experience of the bespoke luxury sector. The work also requires a meticulous search for the best craftsmen in Italy and Europe in a variety of sectors: silverware, jewelry, luxury car interiors, wood and furniture, tabletop decor, watches, porcelain and crystal objects as well as furniture for private jets and yachts and polo and travel sets.
Among the numerous projects that have been carried out, Hermitage has also been commissioned for several refits of the bed linen and tabletop decor for the yacht Christina O, which belonged to Aristotle Onassis, and of the yachts Al Salamah and Al Said. Several Hermitage creations have also been exhibited in the Harrods VIP room and at the National Museum of Oman.
For any additional information, Hermitage Bespoke invites you to visit the official website and Instagram profile at the following links: