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London: Land Rovers have become so synonymous with senior royals that it has been said they are “part of the Royal family’s DNA”.
The late Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, was so attached to the vehicles that he spent years modifying one especially to carry his coffin at his funeral.
But now it appears that a battle for the King’s affections is being played out behind closed doors with two rival British manufacturers knocking at his door.
As the royals enjoyed their traditional break at Balmoral this northern summer, they had the run of both a new £65,000 ($124,500) Ineos Grenadier 4×4 and a state of the art £160,000 Aston Martin DBX707.
Vying for the King’s heart: An Aston Martin DBX707.
Several members of the family are understood to have taken them out for a spin, including the King, his older son Prince William and his nephew Peter Phillips, son of Anne the Princess Royal.
The vehicles were kept on the 20,000-hectare Aberdeenshire estate and were not driven to church.
One source said: “As neither is electric, they may not lease them out permanently, but they have all had a lot of fun with them”.
Out in public, at least, members of the royal family have long remained loyal to Land Rover, now Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which has held royal warrants since 1951, when George VI tried an early prototype of the four-wheel-drive.
Similar to the royals’ beloved Land Rover: the Ineos Grenadier 4×4.
The late Queen Elizabeth II and Philip particularly favoured them ever since a fleet of bespoke Land Rovers was used to carry them on their six-month tour of the Commonwealth in 1953.
The company went on to develop a firm association with the couple, which was considered an important link between the monarchy and the British motor industry.
Prince Philip’s coffin, borne on the Land Rover he helped to design, is flanked by Pall Bearers during his funeral procession in 2021.Credit: Defence/AP
Philip was driving a Land Rover Freelander when he crashed at a junction at Sandringham, Norfolk, in January 2019.
The Queen was pictured beaming at the wheel of a Range Rover at the Windsor Horse Show in July 2021, a little over a year before she died.
However, the long association with JLR, which leases vehicles to the royals at a reduced rate, does not preclude a strong affection for other cars.
The King’s love affair with Aston Martin, which also holds a royal warrant, is well documented.
The 75-year-old is particularly fond of his vintage DB6 MKII Vantage Volante, a 21st birthday present from his parents.
King Charles had his Aston Martin converted to biofuel.Credit: Getty
In April 2011, Prince William and now Princess Catherine, left their Buckingham Palace wedding reception in Charles’ DB6, which has been converted to run on surplus wine and whey from the cheese process.
During a visit to the new Aston Martin production line in Gaydon, Warwickshire, in 2004, he gave a speech to the entire workforce in which he said: “One of the reasons I have been a huge fan of Aston Martin for 34 years is because I have always recognised that it is a real work of art.
“I am devoted to my 34-year-old car, which I do love. It rattles a bit, like I do, but otherwise it has done nothing but give real pleasure and enjoyment all these years.”
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to wellwishers from their open Land Rover in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1981.Credit: Getty Images
Royal seal of approval
In 2020, Charles visited a new Aston Martin Lagonda manufacturing facility in St Athan, Wales, where he gave the new DBX the royal seal of approval as he applied its iconic wings badge before getting behind the wheel for a spin.
William was also given the chance to take the DBX707 for a spin in January when he was spotted at the wheel in the country lanes of Norfolk.
But such strong royal connections do not appear to have put off Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos billionaire, whose ongoing attempts to take over Manchester United have not prohibited him from wooing the family.
The new kid on the block, Ratcliffe may be hoping to win over the royals with his new model and perhaps win a royal warrant of his own.
It might help that the Ineos Grenadier was designed as a modern replacement to the Land Rover Defender and looks remarkably similar.
However, Ratcliffe, who was knighted by William in 2018, is in no rush to move to electric, with the company insisting it will continue making petrol and diesel-burning motors into the next decade – something that may put off the King in the longer term.
Both Ineos and Aston Martin declined to comment.
The Telegraph, London
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