Do you sometimes dream that you and your special friend are a prince and princess? You are riding in a carriage drawn by white horses – a carriage (perhaps a gold and glass carriage) with a footman riding on the step at the back and a driver sitting up front telling the horses to go? What a lovely dream!
A carriage is an old-fashioned wheeled vehicle for people to ride in. There are fancy ones for the rich; and simple ones for those not so wealthy. The carriage is drawn by horses. The carriage may be light, smart and fast – or heavy, large and comfortable. (In our dream, it is very luxurious inside with velveteen cushions and curtains at the windows.)
The word carriage comes from Old Northern French meaning to “carry in a vehicle”. The word was coined in the late 14th century. A carriage was sometimes called a “team” as in "horse and team".
Protocol is always to be remembered even when going out for a ride in a carriage. The most important person to ride in these carriages had to sit on the back facing forwards. The carriage was not very big or wide and it must have been hard for the princess to get in and out if she was wearing a ball gown. As you know, the ball gowns had very full skirts and were very bulky around the lady’s body.
There were also some lovely carriages for the prince and princess to ride in. If the weather was fine, the open top carriage was a perfect choice. If you watch royal weddings in Europe, you will see that after the wedding, a lot of the royal bridal couples get a ride in an open-top carriage so that the ordinary people can see them and wave to them and they can wave back to the crowds.
The carriage driver sits on a box or perch, at the front of the carriage, this small seat is called a “dickey seat” – the same name is given to the one at the back that the footman or servants may sit on.
Dreaming of riding in a carriage?
In our dream, our handsome prince and princess come down a grand staircase. The princess’ dress has a full skirt. (What colour do you think is the best?) The prince will be in a smart jacket with lots of gold medals on it. At the bottom of the staircase is a footman, who will open the door and let the couple out onto the front step. Waiting at the bottom of the steps will be the beautiful carriage. (Will yours be open top or with glass windows and doors?) The carriage will be all gold with red cushions and white trim. Another footman will open the carriage door and the handsome prince will offer his hand to the gorgeous princess to help her stand on the step and then step up into the carriage.
When the princess is settled comfortably, the prince will get in and sit at her side. If the weather is cold, he will place a warm blanket across her knees. (If it is cold, we hope she will be wearing thick, warm socks under that long skirt.) The driver will sit up on the dicky seat at the front of the carriage and call to the four white horses to “giddy-up!” and the horses will start walking down the long drive and out into the countryside.
Because this dream is about a prince and princess, behind the carriage are two more horses with footmen riding them. This royal couple is going into the country to have a picnic. The servants have already gone to the chosen spot and laid out cushions on a large blanket. Tea and delicious biscuits and cakes are set out waiting for the couple to arrive. (We hope there are not any fire ants around.) There is a swing in a nearby tree and a small stream running by with dragonflies flitting from waterlily to waterlily.
The royal couple is helped out of the carriage (which is probably a blessing as the road was rough and dusty and the carriage must have swayed around a lot) and after reclining into the cushions, they are offered tea and cake. The princess then sits in the swing while her prince charming pushes her. After that, they take off their dainty shoes and paddle in the cool waters of the stream.
When it is time to return home, the footman dries off their wet feet and helps them settle into the pretty carriage again for the ride home. On the way home, they wave regally to the poor people walking at the side of the road.
Oh the dream of a rich and famous life! In reality, it is probably more like a life of living in a fishbowl. Everyone wants to see what you are doing; everyone has something to say about how you live your life. Always surrounded by people doing everything for you, there is no escaping unless you dress in a simple, poor person’s clothes and slip out the back door to run free through the forest and fields.
Now which dream do you want to turn out to be real?
Illustration: A painting by François Flameng (1856–1923). This picture could be of our prince and princess and their friends out on a picnic.
