Remarkable cars driven by the Royals

Fit for a King

The royals invariably travel in style – and in a very diverse range of vehicles, too. Here, we look at some of the most interesting cars used by Britain’s most famous family, starting with a Land Rover Freelander. Now he has ascended to the throne, King Charles has a chauffeur for most of his journeys. Yet he still seems to enjoy driving and certainly has a keen interest in cars. Long may that continue.

King Charles: Land Rover Defender 90

Coming up for sale with Iconic Auctioneers, this Land Rover Defender 90 could be your chance to own a piece of royal history. It was supplied new in 2010 for the sole use of King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, and finished in Keswick Green with a Charcoal Grey interior.

With 24,595 miles on the clock, the slight wear on the (heated) driver’s seat could perhaps be attributed to the King himself.

King Charles: Land Rover Defender 90

Iconic Auctioneers’ estimate for the Defender is between £43,000 and £50,000 when it crosses the block at the NEC in Birmingham on Saturday 22 March 2025.

That’s still cheaper than a new Land Rover Defender 90, although it’s worth noting that the car’s ‘72 HRH’ number plate isn’t included in the sale (but is available by separate negotiation).

Cars and the countryside

King Charles has a deep-seated passion for the environment, but he combines this with an interest in cars. Land Rover supported The Prince’s Countryside Fund, so Charles is often spotted in the company’s vehicles. His late mother loved a Land Rover, too.

Supporting the motor industry

The new King has also shown his support for the British motor industry. He is seen here visiting the former Ford engine plant in Bridgend, south Wales.

King Charles: Aston Martin DB6 Volante

This is the King’s cherished Aston Martin DB6 Volante, a replica of which enjoyed a starring role in Netflix TV series The Crown.

The Aston Martin, seen here at the prestigious Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, has been converted to run on bioethanol fuel. The King’s son, William, famously drove the Seychelles Blue DB6 Volante away from the church after marrying Kate Middleton in 2011.

Prince’s Trust: Lotus Elan

This 1995 Elan S2 celebrated the 50,000th car built by Lotus since 1948. It was signed by a number of employees from the factory and then donated to The Prince’s Trust – the charity established by Charles in 1976.

Royals on wheels

Now let’s look at some of the other cars – and indeed motorcycles – owned by the Royal family. From classic Land Rovers to brand new Bentleys, the Windsors always travel in style.

Queen Elizabeth II: Bentley State Limousine

This unique Bentley State Limousine was presented to the late Queen Elizabeth II for the 2002 Golden Jubilee, marking the 50th anniversary of her succession to the throne. Although based on the Bentley Arnage, the company went to great lengths to ensure it was as bespoke as possible. It’s powered by a modified version of the 6.75-litre V8 from the Arnage R, developing 400hp and 616lb ft of torque.

Queen Elizabeth II: Bentley State Limousine

An extended wheelbase provides more room for passengers in the rear, while a wider body and raised roof ensured the former Queen could travel in absolute comfort. Bentley and Mulliner even modelled the rear seat position on a person the same height as the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II: Bentley State Limousine

By creating a ‘panoramic glasshouse’, Bentley ensured wellwishers could get the best view of the Queen during royal engagements. Interestingly, when the Queen was on board, the Bentley ‘Flying B’ hood ornament was replaced by either St George slaying a dragon or a single lion. You don’t get this kind of option on a Toyota Camry.

Queen Elizabeth II: Vauxhall Cresta PA Friary Estate

Be honest, you weren’t expecting a Vauxhall to appear on a list of cars owned or driven by the late Queen, were you? This is like the US President turning up at a charity ball in a Ford. But this is no ordinary Vauxhall. In fact, it’s rumoured to have been one of her majesty’s favourite vehicles.

Queen Elizabeth II: Vauxhall Cresta PA Friary Estate

The Queen’s Cresta featured fishing rod holders built into the roof, along with a dog guard to stop her beloved corgis from entering the passenger compartment. There’s also a gun rack.

Queen Elizabeth II: Range Rover

Like Charles, his mother was a Land Rover fan – and there are many photographs of her driving one at Sandringham or Balmoral. There was plenty of room for her children, plus space for all the dogs. Here is Elizabeth II at the wheel of a Range Rover, complete with a bonnet mascot.

Queen Elizabeth II: Jaguar Land Rover

In 2014, Jaguar Land Rover was awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. To mark the occasion, her majesty wore her best gloves.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip: BAC Mono

If the smile is anything to go by, the Queen was a fan of the single-seat BAC Mono, although the late Prince Philip looks to be wondering where she would put the corgis. And where’s the fishing rod holder? A 0-60mph time of 2.8 seconds is all well and good, but practicality shouldn’t be overlooked.

Fine and upstanding

A fantastic black-and-white photo here, with the youthful Royal couple in a custom Jaguar XJ convertible. Even the onlookers are impeccably dressed.

London calling

Here are the former Queen and her husband on more familiar turf. Pall Mall is the grand avenue that leads up to Buckingham Palace. Note the Royal Standard flag on the front of the Range Rover.

A family gathering

As Netflix drama The Crown makes clear, Prince Philip was a devoted family man. This wider shot shows his grandsons, William and Harry, following in another Range Rover. Kate Middleton – later to become the Princess of Wales – is also present.

Prince William: on two wheels

With three children keeping him busy, Prince William might have put two-wheeled antics on hold for a while, but he couldn’t resist a quick ride on a new Tiger 1200 during a visit to the Triumph factory. Prince William also discussed his love of motorcycles with Jonathan Rea as he presented the triple World Superbike champion with an MBE at Buckingham Palace.

“We talked about his bikes and the fact that he has put it on the back-burner a little bit because of his children now,” said Rea. William has been a fan of motorcycling since a young age, when he practised on a Kawasaki on his father’s Highgrove Estate.

Prince William: on four wheels

A Range Rover appears to be the vehicle of choice for the Prince and Princess of Wales. In 2013, Prince George was driven home from London’s St Mary’s Hospital in a top-spec Range Rover Vogue SE, given to the royal couple by Land Rover’s VIP department. Here’s Prince William in a Range Rover SDV8 Autobiography, following the birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015.

Princess Diana: Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

Here we see Princess Diana riding in the back of a Rolls-Royce Silver Spur, headed for the White House. The Balmoral Green Silver Spur was commissioned by the British Foreign Office to be used as part of the British Embassy vehicle pool in Washington DC.

Princess Diana: Jaguar XJ-SC

This Jaguar XJ-SC was driven by Princess Diana between 1987 to 1991, when it was acquired by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust in return for a contribution to her charity.

While other XJ-SCs were two-seaters, Diana’s Jag was fitted with two rear seats to allow the young William and Harry to travel with their mother and her bodyguard. The V12-powered Jag also features an individually made, and permanently fixed, rear hardtop to ensure that the two princes could not strike their heads on the solid targa roof bar in an accident.

Princess Diana: Audi 80 Cabriolet

Before Diana, the Royal family always drove British cars. It was the done thing. But all that changed in 1991 when Diana leased a Mercedes-Benz 500 SL to replace the XJ-SC. She had a thing for German convertibles, as she went on to drive not one, but three Audi 80 Cabriolets.

As Jeremy Clarkson said at the time: “She alone has turned what might have been just another nice car into by far and away the coolest and most sought-after four-wheeled status symbol of them all”.

Princess Diana: Audi 80 Cabriolet

One of Diana’s Audis is part of the huge Studio434 car collection, housed near north London. Fittingly, it sits alongside an Aston Martin Lagona formerly owned by her late partner Dodi Fayed.

Princess Diana: Austin Mini Metro

Not everybody in this auction room was there to bid on this seemingly anonymous Austin Mini Metro L. Look again and you’ll notice that many people surrounding the 1980s city car are armed with a camera.

This was Diana’s first car, driven by a 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer at the time when she was first linked with Prince Charles. It sold for around £6,000 – about five times what was expected for a Metro at the time. It now lives in the Coventry Transport Museum.

Prince Harry: Range Rover

Ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2014 Invictus Games, Prince Harry arrived in Warwickshire to watch teams from 11 nations compete in the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Day. Fittingly, he turned up in a Range Rover.

Prince Harry: Jaguar F-Type

And here’s Prince Harry at the wheel of a Jaguar F-Type. The photo was taken just days before his 30th birthday and he admitted that he was “slowly starting to feel old”.

He went on to say: “Thirty is one of those first milestones. When you drive through a village and you see the 30mph signs, it’s that constant reminder going, ‘I am actually quite old’”.

Prince Harry: Land Rover Discovery

This is Prince Harry getting down and dirty in a Land Rover Discovery at an off-road event, but he’s no stranger to the Disco. He and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, arrived at Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Christmas lunch in a much cleaner Discovery.

Zara Tindall: Range Rover Evoque

Land Rover Ambassador Zara Tindall was the first person to take delivery of a Range Rover Evoque, having placed an order a year earlier. In 2011, Zara Tindall (née Phillips) said: “I think it looks really cool. It’s really exciting, you know, totally different to what they’ve got at the moment, and I’m excited to drive it. Land Rover is really excited about it as well. Hopefully it will be a popular car for them.” Turns out it was.

Prince Edward: Ferrari

Here’s former Fiat and Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne and Prince Edward at an event to support the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award charity. Prince Edward’s 10-year-old son made the headlines when he was pictured behind the wheel of a Land Rover Discovery at Windsor Castle.

Princess Margaret: Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II

The late Princess Margaret used the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II pictured here for 22 years. It even carried her children to her funeral service at Windsor Castle in 2002.

Princess Margaret: Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II

Still wearing its original ‘3 GXM’ registration plate (also used on Margaret’s previous cars), the Silver Wraith II is painted Cardinal Red metallic with a black Everflex vinyl roof. It rides on 15-inch wheels with Avon Turbosteel tyres. The integrated blue light above its windscreen was apparently only used if the Queen was on board.

The King’s first car: Renault Dauphine

In 1905, Renault sold its first car to the Royal family when King Edward VII bought a 14/20hp Landaulette. Twenty-one years later, Renault established a UK base in Acton, before assembling 4CV and Dauphine models in the factory from 1950. In 1957, Renault presented Queen Elizabeth II with a gift of a Renault Dauphine built at Acton. The Prince of Wales learnt to drive in this same car. He’s come a long way since then…