Queen Elizabeth II was a big fan of the more specialist output of the British car industry and her influence on brands such as Land Rover and Jaguar is still felt today. She was seen at the wheel of their products a lot.
She didn’t always give them permission to drive their newest model.
Before her death at age 96, the queen was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, having reigned for seven decades. She learned to drive like many women did during the war. She became a member of the British army’s auxiliary Territorial Service.
She developed a taste for driving herself and learned how to service vehicles there.
A story that illustrates her driving enthusiasm as well as her sometimes impish humor puts her at the wheel of the Land Rover Defender, the vehicle that would probably become most associated with her.
Bloomberg
The king of Saudi Arabia arrived at Buckingham Palace with the queen. When he was crown prince, he had a great ride with the queen.
In 2003 the former crown prince of Saudi Arabia was offered a tour of the queen’s 50,000-acre estate in Scotland.
The prince said yes. He didn’t expect the queen to get behind the wheel of the car and drive fast around the country roads.
The prince told the queen to stop talking and concentrate on driving. It’s difficult to pin down a reason for the queen’s actions here other than being a hostess, but it’s tempting to imagine her tweaking the soon-to-be head of a country where women weren’t allowed to drive.
Most of Britain’s storied automotive brands held a Royal Warrant from the queen, which signaled that she did business with the company and allowed them to use the royal coat of arms in their publicity.
Not everything is included.
Bloomberg
In 1950, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip received a Rolls-Royce Phantom IV as a gift from their son, King Charles III. It is the most valuable of the royal cars.
The queen and her husband took delivery of a Rolls-Royce Phantom IV in 1950, despite Royce-Royce not holding a warrant at the time of her death.
On the day of her death, the car was used by her son, King Charles III. It is the most valuable of the royal cars.
At the time of the queen’s death, the car company that held a Royal Warrant at the time was the mass-market sister brand ofOpel. The brands were sold by General GM.
One of the queen’s favorite cars was a station wagon from 1961. She was seen driving it.
Queen Elizabeth was a big fan of the Cresta wagon.