By George, It’s the Royal Horseless Carriage: The Cars of Kings and Queens

George Alexander Louis, first-born child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, had he been fully aware at the time, would have enjoyed his first car ride. Brought out from the hospital by his father, the young prince was in a proper infant child seat, which Prince William dutifully buckled into the back seat, together with a beaming Kate. William then took the wheel of the black Range Rover, and headed to Kensington Palace, under the watchful eyes of a thousand camera lenses.

 

Jaguar Land Rover has had a long relationship with the British royal family. It is the only automotive manufacturer to hold all three Royal Warrants. This means that it supplies Her Majesty The Queen, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh and His Royal Highness The Price of Wales. The company was recently the official motor partner for the Coronation Festival, marking the 60^th anniversary of The Queen’s coronation. The two car brands hold an even longer relationship with the Crown. Jaguar and Land Rover were each granted their first Royal Warrants in 1951, a year before The Queen ascended the Throne. Charles, the Prince of Wales, has worked with Land Rover to promote rural development in the UK, with the brand donating the use of Freelanders to worthwhile causes. Memorably, HRH Prince Andrew the Duke of York attended the opening of the now-defunct Ortigas showroom of Land Rover Philippines. Rolls Royce is also the holder of a Royal Warrant.

 

Queen Elizabeth uses a Bentley State Limousine, specially manufactured by the brand for Her Majesty on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002. The Queen, a trained mechanic, will certainly relish having an adequate amount of power, as the car’s 6.75-liter V8 has been modified to produce 400 hp and 835 Nm, for a top speed of 210 kph. The car’s coach doors open to nearly 90 degrees. The Bentley has a mount on its roof for an illuminated crest, and carries the Queen’s mascot, St. George slaying the dragon. The car was later converted to run on biofuel.

 

The Queen is not alone in wanting to be more environmentally friendly. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco commissioned a Lexus hybrid car at the occasion of his marriage to Charlene Wittstock in 2011. The Lexus LS 600 h L Laundaulet features a one-piece transparent polycarbonate roof, as well as the full hybrid drive and low emissions technology that the brand is famous for.

 

King Juan Carlos I of Spain is a noted car enthusiast.  His previous and current vehicles include a Porsche 959, a Harley Davidson gifted by publisher Malcom Forbes, and the “crown jewel” Rolls Royce Phantom IV formerly owned by General Franco. Only 18 of those cars were built, exclusively for royalty and heads of state. King Carlos uses a customized Maybach 57 as his personal car, while the Royal Family uses mainly Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans. His personal favorite is reportedly a blue Mini that was his first car.

 

The Sultan of Brunei can identify with him, favoring a Rolls Royce Phantom VI. On non-ceremonial occasions he personally drives a black Mercedes ML55 AMG or Maybach 62, with accompanying BMW 5 Series and Lexus LX cars—as the bodyguard cars. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is one of the world’s most enthusiastic car collectors, reportedly owning several thousand luxury cars.

 

King Philippe of Belgium uses a Mercedes-Benz S-Class with the number plate 1, while the King of Bhutan has switched from a Toyota Land Cruiser to a Range Rover. In Denmark, Queen Margrethe II uses a 1958 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith seven-seater dubbed the “Store Krone” (Great Crown). The Grand Duke of Luxembourg uses an Audi A8, a Daimler DS420 and a Bentley Mulsanne.

 

Other royalty are loyal to their country’s products. The King of Sweden’s official car is a stretched Volvo S80, with the security service relegated to what are depicted as “inferior” cars: BMW X5, 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class. The Dutch royal family also uses Volvo S80s, both King Willem Alexander and the former Queen Beatrix. Like President Obama, heads of state visiting the Netherlands are chauffeured in an armored Cadillac DTS. Dutch carriage maker Spijker, later Spyker, has supplied a royal limousine—a golden carriage still used on special occasions.

 

Meanwhile, in Japan, the Emperor and Empress ride in a customized Toyota Century Royal, a one-off car reportedly costing $500,000. The bulletproof limousine stretches 6.1 meters long and 2 meters wide.

 

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej travels using a Maybach 62 limousines, with the police in Mercedes S-Class and BMW 5 Series. He also owns a Rolls Royce Phantom VI and Silver Spur. Queen Sirikit favors a Cadillac DTS and Fleetwood.

 

All these kings and queens, dukes and duchesses, emperors and empresses, would do well to follow the advice of one other absolute ruler, Pope Francis. The former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio recently asked the faithful to shun materialism and focus instead on the poor, those who are suffering, and the outcasts of society. He leads by example, replacing former luxury conveyances with a humble previous-model Ford Focus hatchback.