Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed away at the age of 96. The British Monarch ruled for some 70 years before her passing, the longest reign of any Monarch in the United Kingdom and the second-longest serving Monarch in the history of the world. Her passing has left a nation, and indeed a world, in mourning, as she was a symbol of continuity and reassurance for many, particularly of course in the United Kingdom. It is a sad day indeed that an era has come to an end with her passing.
During her life, the Queen of course saw many changes throughout the world. She lived through the Cold War for example, and saw cultures change and the ways in which we live evolve. As she has lived her life, she has been seen in various different cars and SUVs, usually in the driver's seat even in the later stage of her life. She did of course work in the English Auxiliary Territorial Service in World War 2. She did love cars, and we are going to chart a brief history of her love of them, what she and the Royal Family drove, and some special Royal editions of vehicles.
Cars The Queen Has Driven
One interesting perks of being the Queen, she never needed a driving license. She was the only person in the United Kingdom who wasn't required to posses one, but she had of course driven nearly all her life. When she was 18, the Queen joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service as an honorary second subaltern. It was in this role that she trained as a driver and mechanic, and would drive various vehicles such as the Service Ambulance. This would have been the ubiquitous Austin K2/Y, a standard ambulance for the service at the time.
She would have also been quickly exposed to various other vehicles such as the Jeep, and she always loved an off-roader. Land Rover’s would become a favorite, and Land Rover gifted her a current-gen Defender 130 when the vehicle was launched. Her favorite was apparently the 2002 Defender 110 TD5. Queel Elizabeth II was often seen driving other vehicles in her time, such as the Vauxhall Cresta wagon. The British car company, now owned by Stellantis, still remains a Royal Warrant Holder. The Queen has also driven the Rover P5B, and we have seen her drive various versions of the Range Rover, and within the Royal Family is an LWB Landaulet, an open-top Range Rover.
Cars That Have Been Within The Royal Family
Of course, the Queen has not done all the driving herself. She has, and the Royal Family as a whole, had plenty of people within their services in order to do that. Four state cars were first inherited when Her Majesty came to the throne in 1952, which were two pairs of Daimler DE 36 Landaulettes. They did at the time also own a 1950 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV limousine, amazingly a car that was still used as one of the Queen’s state cars as of 2021.
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A 1953 Land Rover would become a State Royal Review Vehicle in which Her Majesty could stand for various inspections, and in the 1970s the Royal Family would gain a bespoke Rolls-Royce Phantom IV limousine, a car that remains part of the working fleet to this day, with another example joining it in 1987. In more recent years, Jaguars and Bentleys have joined the Royal Fleet. Bentley State Limousines have featured, based around the Arnage with its twin-turbo V8 engine. The Jaguar XJ has also been a Royal Family vehicle in recent times.
A Wide Range Of Special Edition Vehicles As A Tribute To The Queen
What ties a lot of the vehicles above together is that they are all special editions for the Royal Family. Within the Royal Family, there have been many special vehicles created for them. One of the most impressive is that Arnage style limousine. It had an extended wheelbase to give Her Majesty as much legroom as possible, and the panoramic glasshouse gallows for plenty of natural light to get in and for her to wave at well-wishers. The new king, King Charles III, has a very special Aston Martin DB6 Volante Series II as his own car that Her Majesty bought for him for his 21st birthday, and in recent years it has had some modifications to allow it to be more eco-friendly.
An Emotional Farewell To A Royal Legend
The passing of the Queen is one of the most emotional and significant moments in the history of the United Kingdom. For decades, she has been a constant in the lives of millions of people across the nation. For many, she has been there for people's entire lives. Now she has gone, there is a real sense of loss among pretty much everyone, as the one constant in everyone’s lives has sadly departed. God bless you ma’am and God Save The King.
Sources: The BBC