Four unique cars of King Charles III from over the years
The longest-serving heir to the throne has had his fair share of luxury cars over the years and with his coronation upon us, we thought we'd take a closer look at the former Prince of Wales' luxurious and eco-friendly fleet.The British Royal Family has had quite the impressive collection of cars over the years which is currently believed to be worth an estimated £6.3m (AUD $11.8m). Reports from The Guardian suggest that the exact ownership of these cars is challenging to nail down as many of them are classified as state cars but are actually used for private use by the royals.
Some vehicles including the Bentley and Rolls-Royces are held by the sovereign in right of the crown, meaning they only belong to Charles as long as he is reigning monarch and were previously owned by his mother Queen Elizabeth II. The cars to make this list have been privately purchased and privately owned by Charles or have been gifted to him over the years. Lucky him!
1965 Aston Martin DB6 Volante
Aston Martin is iconically British and this 1965 DB6 Volante in Seychelles Blue was gifted to a then 21-year-old Prince Charles by his mother Queen Elizabeth II and father Prince Phillip.
The king's passion for environmentalism is well known, and in 2008, he had the car converted to run on bioethanol, famously fueled by old wine and cheese. Apparently, the King has channeled his inner James Bond and has stuck a fake red eject button on the dashboard.
The DB6 Volante has also made a few notable public outings including Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011. William drove it up the Mall from Buckingham Palace with balloons and ribbons attached with a custom number plate saying "JU5T WED".
1967 MGC GT
The King's first car was an MGC GT which he received in 1967. A young Charles was often spotted driving to and from polo matches in the MG. The car has since been passed down to Prince William.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Prince of Wales
HRH second Aston Martin also happened to be a gift also, this time from the Emir of the Gulf State of Bahrain, Sheikh Isa Bin Sulman Al-Khalifa who told Charles he could customise the vehicle as he wished. The then Prince of Wales added a manual gearbox, removed the boot spoiler and side skirts, and painted in British Racing Green with mushroom leather trim, no contrast stitching, green carpet and dark green hood.
The custom job was so well received by then Aston Martin chairman Victor Gauntlett that he ordered one for himself before releasing a special Prince of Wales Edition version of the V8 Vantage Volante. Only 22 versions of this car were made.
Jaguar I-Pace
Continuing on with his environmental push, King Charles purchased an all-electric Jaguar I-Pace back in 2018 which was used for official duties, especially around London. HRH ordered his car in Loire Blue, a colour available on other Jaguar models but was not available on the I-Pace at the time, which makes this I-Pace unique.
A fast charging point was also installed at Clarence House, the King’s then official London residence.
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