general duties.
The Royal Train enables members of the Royal family to travel overnight,
at times when the weather is too bad to fly, and to work and hold meetings
during lengthy journeys. It has modern office and communications
facilities. Journeys on the train are always organised so as not to
interfere with scheduled services. (Where appropriate, The Queen and other
members of the Royal family use scheduled services for their official
journeys.)
The carriages are a distinctive maroon with red and black coach lining
and a grey roof. The carriages available include the royal compartments,
sleeping, dining and support cars. The Queen's Saloon has a bedroom,
bathroom and a sitting room with an entrance which opens onto the platform.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Saloon has a similar layout plus a kitchen. Fitted
out at the former British Rail's Wolverton Works in Buckinghamshire,
Scottish landscapes by Roy Penny and Victorian prints of earlier rail
journeys hang in both saloons.
A link with the earliest days of railways is displayed in the Duke of
Edinburgh's Saloon: a piece of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's original broad
gauge rail, presented on the 150th anniversary of the Great Western
Railway. (Brunel accompanied Queen Victoria on her inaugural 1842 journey.)
The current Queen's and Duke's Saloons came into service in 1977, when
they were extensively used during the Silver Jubilee royal tours. They were
not, however, new. They began life in 1972 as prototypes for the standard
Inter-City Mark III passenger carriage and were subsequently fitted out for
their royal role at the Wolverton Works. All work on the Royal Train is
normally done at Wolverton.
Railtrack PLC manages the Royal Train and owns the rolling stock. Day-to-
day operations are conducted by another privatised company, English, Welsh
and Scottish Railways. The cost of maintaining and using the train is met
by the Royal Household from the Grant-in-Aid which it receives from
Parliament each year for air and rail travel. In 2000-01 the total cost of
the Royal Train was Ј596,000; the train made 17 journeys.
A number of former Royal Train carriages are now on display at the
National Railway Museum in York.
ROYAL AIR TRAVEL
The history of Royal flying dates back more than 80 years to 1917, when
The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) became the first member of the
Royal family to fly, in France during the First World War. The Prince went
on to become a skilful pilot. From 1930 onwards members of the Royal family
made increasing use of aircraft, largely operating from Hendon in north
London. In 1936, on becoming King Edward VIII, the former Prince of Wales
was the first British Monarch to fly.
Since then many members of the Royal family have learnt to fly. The Duke
of York trained as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot and flew in operations
during the 1982 Falklands Conflict - the first member of the Royal family
to see active service since the Second World War. In an unblemished flying
career spanning more than 40 years The Duke of Edinburgh has flown more
different aircraft types than most pilots. The Prince of Wales, too, has
accumulated many hours flying both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
Royal flying was formalised on 21 July 1936 with the creation of The
King's Flight at Hendon. The new flight operated a single twin-engine
Dragon Rapide, G-ADDD, formerly the king's private aircraft. The first
Captain of the King's Flight was Wing Commander E.H. Fielden (who later
became an Air Vice-Marshal). The Dragon Rapide was replaced in May 1937 by
an Airspeed Envoy III, G-AEXX, the first aircraft purchased specifically
for the Flight. The Second World War saw The King's Flight temporarily
disbanded, although members of the Royal family continued to fly using
military aircraft.
In 1946 The King's Flight was reformed, in greater strength, at RAF
Benson with four Vickers Vikings. The following year all were heavily used
during the Royal Tour of South Africa.
After The Queen's accession The King's Flight was renamed The Queen's
Flight. The first helicopter - a Westland Dragonfly - was acquired in
September 1954 and was quickly championed by The Duke of Edinburgh (who
qualified as a helicopter pilot the following year). It was replaced in
1958 by two Westland Whirlwinds. In 1964 Hawker Siddeley Andovers were
introduced for fixed wing flying and saw more than 25 years of service
before being superceded, in the Flight's 50th anniversary year, by the
current British Aerospace 146. In June 1969 the Whirlwinds were replaced by
two Westland Wessex. These served for nearly 30 years, together making more
than 10,000 flights and each flying the equivalent of 20 times around the
world, before being replaced on 1 April 1998 by a single Sikorsky S-76.
In 1995, The Queen's Flight was amalgamated with No. 32 Squadron, which
was renamed No 32 (The Royal) Squadron. At the same time the squadron moved
from RAF Benson to its current location at RAF Northolt.
Nowadays, official flying for members of the Royal family is provided by
BAe 146 and Hawker S125 jet aircraft of No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron, based
at RAF Northolt just north west of London, and the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter
operated by the Royal Household from Blackbushe Aerodrome in Hampshire. In
2000-01, 32 Squadron had two four-engined BAe 146s (each of which carries
19 to 23 passengers) and five twin-engined HS 125s (each of which carries
seven passengers). The Royal Travel Office based at RAF Northolt co-
ordinates use of the different types of aircraft by members of the Royal
family, ensuring that their use is both appropriate and cost-effective.
In 2000-01, the BAe 146 were used for Royal flying over 142 flying hours,
the HS125 for 149 flying hours and the Sikorsky for 459 flying hours. No.
32 (The Royal) Squadron is primarily a Royal Air Force communications
flying squadron. In fact, Royal flying accounts for less than 20% of the
combined tasking of both the BAe 146 and the HS125, which are more commonly
used by senior military officers and Government ministers.
The cost of official royal travel by air is met by the Royal Travel Grant-
in-aid, the annual funding provided by the Department of Transport, Local
Government and the Regions (DTLGR). In 2000-01, the cost of official royal
travel by 32 Squadron was Ј1,793,000.
Aircraft of No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron have a distinctive red, blue and
white livery; the Royal Household S-76 is finished in the red and blue
colours of the Brigade of Guards (as were aircraft in the early days of
Royal flying).
Today, the BAe 146 and HS 125 of No 32 (The Royal) Squadron and the Royal
Household's S-76 are used for official duties by The Queen and, at her
discretion, other members of the Royal family, continuing a tradition begun
with a single aircraft more than 60 years ago.
THE ROYAL FAMILY
MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY
In her role as Head of State The Queen is supported by members of the
Royal Family, who carry out a wide range of public and official duties. The
biographies in this section contain information about various members of
the Royal Family, including early life and education, professional careers,
official Royal work, involvement with charities and other organisations,
personal interests and more
HM THE QUEEN
The Queen was born in London on 21 April 1926, the first child of The
Duke and Duchess of York, subsequently King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Five weeks later she was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in the chapel
at Buckingham Palace.
The Princess's early years were spent at 145 Piccadilly, the London
house taken by her parents shortly after her birth; at White Lodge in
Richmond Park; and at the country homes of her grandparents, King George V
and Queen Mary, and the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. When she was six
years old, her parents took over Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park as their
own country home.
HRH THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich,
was born Prince of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on 10 June 1921; the only
son of Prince Andrew of Greece. His paternal family is of Danish descent -
Prince Andrew was the grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark. His mother
was Princess Alice of Battenberg, the eldest child of Prince Louis of
Battenberg and sister of Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Prince Louis became a
naturalised British subject in 1868, joined the Royal Navy and rose to
become an Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord in 1914. During the First
World War he changed the family name to Mountbatten and was created
Marquess of Milford Haven. Prince Philip adopted the family name of
Mountbatten when he became a naturalised British subject and renounced his
Royal title in 1947.
Prince Louis married one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters. Thus, The
Queen and Prince Philip both have Queen Victoria as a great-great-
grandmother. They are also related through his father's side. His paternal
grandfather, King George I of Greece, was Queen Alexandra's brother.
HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES AND FAMILY
The Prince of Wales, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip,
Duke of Edinburgh, is heir apparent to the throne.
The Prince was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948, and was
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