The Rarest Cars Owned By The Royal Family

It's fair to say that 2022 has been a tumultuous year for the British Royal family. There was the lingering fallout from the Prince Andrew scandal, the ongoing conspiracy theories surrounding Meghan Markle, and of course, the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Upon her death, King Charles III ascended to the throne, marking the beginning of a new era for the family. Throughout his life, Charles has established himself as a keen environmentalist and has been critical in bringing global awareness to pioneering projects aiming to improve the environment (via National Geographic). He's also a notable car enthusiast and has taken steps to reduce the carbon footprint of his collection, including converting his Aston Martin to run on waste from cheese and wine manufacturing.

Many of the vehicles in the Royal car collection were built for HM Queen Elizabeth II, and now that Charles is king, it's unclear whether he'll keep all of them in active service. His push for eco-friendly transport has already seen him favor EVs and biofuel-powered cars over the family's traditional gas-powered ones, so we might well see some new electric state vehicles over the coming years. It's unlikely that Charles will retire all of the family's classic collection though, especially since there are plenty of insanely rare cars and even entirely custom creations sitting in the Royal garage.

Unveiled in 2015, the fourth State Review Range Rover was another one-off vehicle commissioned specially for HM Queen Elizabeth II (via Land Rover). Based on a long-wheelbase Range Rover, the State Review 4 featured a hybrid diesel-electric powertrain, which allowed the car to run on purely electric power for short periods of time. The State Review line of cars goes back all the way to 1953 when the company provided the former Queen with a Land Rover Series I.

The most unique feature of the State Review 4 is the open platform at the rear of the car, which allows Royal occupants to stand above the roofline and greet their subjects. The car was first used when Queen Elizabeth presented New Colors to the Royal Welsh Regiment at an event in Cardiff, Wales, and it's only been used sparingly since. Much like the State Limousine, there are questions surrounding the future of the vehicle now that she has passed away, and at the time of writing, it hasn't been used for any Royal engagements by King Charles III.

HM Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022 became one of the most-watched events of the year, with over 29 million people tuning in to watch in the U.K. alone (via The Guardian). During the funeral, the Queen's coffin was transported by a Jaguar XJ hearse that was designed in part by the late Monarch herself. It was first used to pick the coffin up from RAF Northolt to Buckingham Palace, and then again to drive the coffin from London to Windsor, her final resting place (via ITV).

Much like her Bentley State Limousine, the Jaguar hearse was designed to give onlookers a clear view of the Queen's coffin during its final procession, and like her Phantom IV, the hood ornament depicted St George slaying a dragon (via The Drive). The hearse was painted Royal Claret, a unique shade that's reserved for official State vehicles only. No official description was given of the protective measures taken to ensure the Queen's coffin was kept safe, but we can assume that the car was just as heavily armored as the rest of Her Late Majesty's fleet.

Before he became King Charles III, then-Prince Charles was known for his pioneering attitude towards sustainability (via Aston Martin Magazine). This stretched to his car collection, and in an effort to reduce his carbon footprint, he decided to convert his beloved Aston Martin DB6 Volante to run on biofuel made from wine and cheese. This cutting-edge technology was developed by U.K.-based Green Fuels, who take wine that's been deemed unsuitable for human consumption and combine it with whey, a by-product of cheese production. This unusual blend is processed into E85 fuel, which thanks to its high octane content, actually makes the DB6 more powerful than when it ran on regular gasoline, according to Aston Martin.

Green Fuels now has a Royal Warrant of Appointment to supply King Charles, and is reportedly working on a way of bringing sustainable aviation fuel to commercial markets using similar methods. While, in many ways, Charles fits the pompous, old-world image that the Royal family has carefully cultivated over the decades, his cutting-edge Aston Martin proves he's also an innovator as well as a traditionalist.

The Royal family and Land Rover have a connection that goes back decades, and most members of the family have owned one at some point or another. In 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge drew headlines when they arrived at a drive-in cinema in a Land Rover Series 2a that formerly belonged to the late Prince Philip (via The Scotsman). The event was organized to celebrate the efforts made by NHS (National Health Service) staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, so it was fitting that the Cambridges arrived in their most "down-to-Earth" car.

As television presenter Ben Fogle pointed out in an article for The Telegraph, old Land Rovers are objectively terrible cars to drive, being unreliable, creaky, and slow. Yet, they occupy a place in British national consciousness that no other vehicle does being driven by everyone from farmers to celebrities and, evidently, by royalty as well. 

If there's one thing you could say for certain about the Royal family, it's that they don't like to leave things to chance. Prince Philip took this ethos to heart with his choice of hearse, which he reportedly began working on a full 16 years before he needed to use it (via BBC). His custom Land Rover Defender hearse, painted a shade of military green, included a stretched open rear section where his coffin rested, along with various fixings to keep it firmly in place during transit.

The Defender is a tribute to the Prince's military past, with a plain black front grille, green painted wheel hubs that match the car's exterior, and a simple single cab design. The car played an especially big part in Philip's funeral as lockdown restrictions at the time meant that only 30 people were allowed to attend the service in person. So, for millions of home-bound viewers as well as foreign dignitaries, Royal staff and even the Prince's old friends, watching on television as his coffin was driven on the back of his Land Rover was the closest they got to being able to say goodbye to him.