Inside the Royal Train where Meghan Markle joined the Queen for a sleepover

Duchess of Sussex is first younger Royal to
travel on Her Majesty’s moving ‘home-from-home’

In Depth

The Duchess of Sussex is believed to be the the first member of
the Royal Family’s younger generation to hop aboard the
exclusive vehicle, which Her Majesty regards as her
“home-from-home”, according to People magazine. The train has been called
a “palace on wheels”, although Meghan “will find it very different
from the castles and palaces she has already experienced in her
short time as a royal”, the US-based publication adds.

So what is the history of the Royal Train, and what is it like
inside?

History

Queen Victoria is understood to have been the first monarch to
travel by train, commissioning a pair of coaches for £1,800 in
1869, The Sun reports.

The train underwent a lavish makeover during the reign of King
George V, who added a smoking room and multiple ornate bedrooms and
bathrooms.

Queen Victoria’s saloon

Another major refurbishment was carried out, with large portions
of the train replaced, before Queen Elizabeth embarked on her
Silver Jubilee Tour in 1977.

The old carriages were donated to the National Railway Museum,
in York.

Interior

Far from the lavish excess of the past, today the Royal Train is
a rather plain affair, with “simple decor and furniture”, says the
Daily Mirror.

Speaking to the BBC in 2002, director of royal travel Tim Hewlett
said: ”There is a perception the train is a bit like the Orient
Express.

“But there are not many bathroom furnishings you could not get
in Homebase or B&Q.”

According to People magazine, the Queen’s saloon is a “75ft-long
carriage divided into a formal entrance hall, a sitting room,
bedroom and bathroom with a full-sized bath”. This personal
area is decorated in pastel shades with a pale blue sofa.

Modern-day royal study 

“The Royal Train usually travels at a lower than normal speed,”
says Hello! magazine, as the train is built for
comfort rather than speed. “It is fitted with secondary air
suspension, meaning passengers have an exceptionally smooth and
comfortable ride.”

Vanity Fair adds that the journey is scheduled
to avoid sharp bends at around 7:30am, when the Queen usually takes
her bath.

Modern use

According to Grant Harrold, former royal butler to Princes
Charles, William and Harry, the Royal Train is generally used only
by the Queen and her husband Prince Philip, and by Prince Charles
and his wife Camilla.

Prince William is only believed to have ridden on it once, in
2003 during his birthday tour, Hello! reports. Prince Harry
and the Duchess of Cambridge are not thought to have been on the
train at all in an official capacity.

As such, the magazine adds, Meghan joined an exclusive club in
taking the train with the Queen to spend the day in Cheshire, where
they are opening the Mersey Gateway Bridge and the Storyhouse
Theatre, as well as lunching at Chester Town Hall.