Meghan Markle, the newly minted Duchess of Sussex, is immersed in life as a royal just weeks after her marriage to Prince Harry. Now, Markle is preparing to embark on another royal journey, and she’s doing so in style: aboard the impressive Royal Train.
On June 14, Markle will embark on a royal train ride alongside the Queen on a day-long visit to Cheshire, England, located 165 miles northwest of London. The royal duo will arrive at Runcorn Station via the Royal Train, the Kensington Palace confirmed, according to Country Living UK.
And this royal ride, it turns out, is a pretty big deal.
The Royal Train is used only for the Queen; her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh (Philip Mountbatten); The Prince of Wales (Prince Charles) and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla), according to Grant Harrold, the former royal butler to Princes Charles, William and Harry. Members of the Royal Household also travel on the train with the member of the Royal Family for whom they work, he explains.
Newlyweds, Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Princess Diana, boarding the royal train at Waterloo as they set off on their honeymoon. Source: Hulton Archive / Stringer / Getty Images
“The Royal Train is not used that often but the Queen uses it when possible for longer journeys and will invite other members of the family to travel with her if they are carrying out Royal duties together, therefore it is only sensible that The Duchess of Sussex is traveling with the Queen on this occasion,” Harrold tells CNBC Make It.
It’s been rumored that Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton have never taken a trip aboard the Royal Train.
The nine-carriage Royal Train was first used in 1840 by Queen Consort Adelaide (the title given to the wife of King William IV), who rode the caboose from Nottingham to Leeds, England, according to Harrold. However, he notes that the first monarch to ride the train was two years later, when Queen Victoria rode the locomotive from London to Windsor.
“Since then, members of the Royal family have embraced this transport,” Harrold says.
“The Royal Train is very smart but it is slightly dated as [it] is from the 1970s, 1980s,” Harrold tells CNBC Make It of the most recent decor updates. “But never the less, it is…lovely to experience and on occasions I got to travel on this Royal transport.”
The train features a “super-luxe” smoking room, multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as a dining room that seats 12, according to Marie Claire.
The train reportedly consists of nine, British Rail Mark 3 carriages, a couchette (sleeping accommodations) and dining car, and in 2016, the Royal Train cost £800,000, or about $1,071,600.
The train typically makes around 15 trips annually, at an estimated $69 a mile, the Telegraph reports.
It’s been reported that the Royal Train’s schedule ensures that there won’t be any sharp turns during the Queen’s bath time, however, Harrold doubts the validity of that claim.
“I have never heard this before and doubt there is any truth in it,” Harrold tells CNBC Make It. “However, when I was on board, I must confess on a few occasions I was worried I may roll out of bed.”
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