The train, actually a suite of nine railcars that can be hitched to commercial locomotives, will be decommissioned sometime before the current maintenance contract expires in 2027. That will bring to an end a tradition that dates back to 1869, when Queen Victoria commissioned a pair of special coaches to accommodate her travels.

King Charles has decided to scrap Britain's royal train, a service dating back to Queen Victoria, because it is no longer cost-effective, as the monarchy sees its public funding soar by an extra 46 million pounds ($63 million) for the next two years.

King Charles III is to end the British monarchy's use of a royal train for the first time since the Victorian era in the 19th century.