Royal Mail at 500: Five facts about the postal service

With special events planned to mark the anniversary, here are some stories from its unusual history

A Royal Mail post box in central London
(Image credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images))

The Royal Mail is celebrating 500 years of its postal service by recreating the days of horse-drawn mail coaches.

A carriage, accompanied by the men and women who deliver today's mail, is following a historic delivery route in the four capitals of the UK. The carriage has already travelled through Cardiff and Edinburgh and will be travelling through Belfast's city centre on Saturday 11 June. A big finale will be held at the Guildhall in London on Saturday 18 June.

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