The Mercedes-Benz Actros has just made a special delivery: the Mercedes-Benz truck transported the royal Christmas tree from Coburg in Germany to the Windsor Castle for Queen Elizabeth.
The small town in Bavaria was the one sending the specially grown tree to Queen Elizabeth II. She will traditionally celebrate Christmas there, with her royal family, all watching the gigantic German Christmas tree.
The Mercedes-Benz truck travelled through the Belgian town of Oudenaarde (with which Coburg is twinned) to Windsor Castle and arrived at its destination, at the Windsor Castle, during the late afternoon on November, 15th and was immediately positioned right outside the royal residence. It will be illuminated and seen from afar starting November 19th.
Christoph Hofman and Christian Schleicher were the men responsible with the top secret mission in the name of the Queen. Nothing that would get them close to James Bond, yet the precious load, including the tree and 2000 handmade Christmas baubles put inside approximately 100 cardboard boxes, was not quite a walk in the park. The shipment required specialist expertise and equipment to transport the 12-meter 2-ton tree.
Why was Coburg the town to send this year’s tree to the British Royal family? The story dates way back. Prince Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony and great-great grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II, is the most famous resident of the town of Coburg.
Known as Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria was granted the title of Prince Consort in 1857 and is credited with having introduced the tradition of a Christmas tree into England in 1848. Due to this historical tie, the ducal family resident in Coburg have offered the British royal family a present of a Christmas tree from their forest.
Festively painted in silver, the tractor unit is a Mercedes-Benz Actros 1845 LS with a second-generation OM 471 diesel engine delivering an output of 330 kW (449 hp). It features a BigSpace L cab and it is fitted with Predictive Powertrain Control, cruise control, ESP and Active Brake Assist 3, as well as a large number of safety assistance systems such as Lane Keeping Assist, Attention Assist and Proximity Control Assist. FleetBoard telematics support has helped routing and ensuring a safe arrival in England.
