Mail Online

You’ve got mail, Your Majesty: horse-drawn carriage that’s delivered letters between palaces for 180 years

By Sabrina Miller

AT LESS than half a mile, it must be the shortest post round in Britain – but it’s by far the grandest.

Horse-drawn Brougham carriages trot between Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace to deliver and collect the King’s mail.

Our exclusive pictures show a driver and footman – wearing traditional livery, including top hats and beige jackets – on the twice-daily runs.

An onlooker said: ‘At least Charles doesn’t have to put up with the postal delays suffered by the rest of us. He gets a more reliable service by horse and carriage.’

The deliveries date back to 1843 and are organised by the Royal Mews, whose stables house cars and carriages used by the Royals.

The light four-wheeled carriage is named after Lord Brougham, who had it created to his specifications by coachbuilders Robinson and Cook in the late 1830s.

It was fashionable among the aristocracy and a familiar Victorian sight, featuring in Sherlock Holmes stories and in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture Of Dorian Gray.

Most recently, the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, built to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, was added to the Royal carriage collection.

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2023-03-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

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