The Golden Carriage is a carriage

Carriage

A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...

 owned and used by the Dutch royal family. Generally, the Golden Carriage is used yearly to bear the Dutch monarch from the Noordeinde Palace

Noordeinde Palace

Noordeinde Palace is one of the three official palaces of the Dutch royal family. Located in The Hague in the province of South Holland, it has been used as the "working palace" for Queen Beatrix since 1984.-From farmhouse to palace:...

 to the Ridderzaal

Ridderzaal

The Ridderzaal is the main building at the Binnenhof in The Hague, Netherlands, which is used for the state opening of Parliament on the third Tuesday in September, Prinsjesdag, when the Dutch monarch drives to Parliament in the Golden Carriage and delivers the speech from the throne...

 in order to pronounce the Speech from the Throne

Speech from the Throne

A speech from the throne is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign reads a prepared speech to a complete session of parliament, outlining the government's agenda for the coming session...

. The carriage is made of teak wood

Teak

Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...

, much of which is covered in gold leaf

Gold leaf

right|thumb|250px|[[Burnishing]] gold leaf with an [[agate]] stone tool, during the water gilding processGold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades...

. It is decorated with paintings and symbolic ornaments. The carriage was built in Dutch Renaissance style. It is pulled by eight horses when the reigning monarch is riding therein; only six horses when other members of the royal family are travelling in the coach. Queen Wilhelmina

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...

 wanted to be able to stand upright in the carriage, which explains the bent form of the carriage's roof. This increased height of the carriage has made the carriage more difficult to drive.

History

Queen Wilhelmina received the Golden Carriage at her 1898 investiture

Investiture

Investiture, from the Latin is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent...

 as a tribute from the citizens of Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

. The carriage was designed and built by the Spijker brothers

Spyker

Spyker was a Dutch car manufacturer, started in 1880 by coachbuilders Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker, but to be able to market the brand better in foreign countries, in 1903 the 'ij' was changed into 'y'...

.

Because Queen Wilhelmina wished not to receive gifts on the day of her enthronement on September 6, 1898, she actually took receipt of the Golden Carriage the following day.

The vehicle was first used on the occasion of the marriage of Queen Wilhelmina

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...

 and Prince Hendrik

Hendrik of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin , later Prince Henry of the Netherlands, was prince consort of the Netherlands as the husband of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands...

 on February 7, 1901. Since 1903, it has mainly been used once a year, on the day of the Queen's speech (Prinsjesdag

Prinsjesdag

Prinsjesdag is the day on which the reigning monarch of the Netherlands addresses a joint session of the Dutch Senate and House of Representatives in the Ridderzaal or Hall of Knights in The Hague. The Speech from the Throne sets out the main features of government policy for the coming...

).

Other occasions when the carriage has been used are:

• the marriage of Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard (1937)
• the baptism of Princess Beatrix (1938)
• the marriage of Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus (1966)
• the marriage of Prince Willem-Alexander
  Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange
  Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange is the eldest child of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus. Since 1980 he is the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He is also the head of the House of Amsberg since the death of his father in 2002. He was in military service and he studied...
  
   and Princess Máxima
  Princess Máxima of the Netherlands
  Princess Máxima of the Netherlands is the wife of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands.-Early life and education:...
  
  (2002)