Knowing what to give someone as a wedding present is never an easy undertaking, but it's even harder when the couple in question are royalty. When the Prince and Princess of Wales got married back in 2011, however, The King had a very special and unexpected surprise in mind for them to mark the special occasion.
One of King Charles' most prized possessions was gifted to him for his 21st birthday by his own parents - a car. 'It’s an Aston Martin DB6 MkII Volante in Seychelles Blue,' says former royal butler Grant Harrold. 'He’s very, very protective of that car. He never let anyone else drive it. It was a big issue as I remember both William and Harry wanting to drive it, but he wouldn’t let them.'
While Prince William may have spent his teens and twenties dreaming of driving his dad's prized vehicle to no avail, The King decided to finally grant him his wish for one special occasion. 'He let William and Kate borrow it on their wedding day, and that was a big deal.' Given the car had been gifted to The King by his parents, it was an especially poignant touch to lend it to his son on his big day.
Grant says The King lets almost nobody else ever drive his car, but there was 'one occasion when one of the chefs had to drive it back from the airport and it was a massive honour, but it caused a big who-ha. I remember him giving him strict instructions about how slow to drive it and what to do.'
The King has been pictured on many occasions out for a drive in his Aston Martin, sometimes with Queen Camilla in the passenger seat. 'He used to drive it around Tetbury with the roof down. People’s faces when he went past were just priceless,' says Grant, via Select Car Leasing. 'I remember once this woman almost pulled her husband over when she grabbed him because she was so shocked to just see him driving normally. Of course he would always give a little wave.'
While the Aston Martin may look like an ordinary (if very nice!) car, The King has made some very unusual adjustments to it. 'The interesting thing about [the Aston Martin] is that [King Charles] had it modified in 2008 so it runs on wine and cheese. We couldn’t believe it when we found out, we used to joke about it a lot in the staff room.'
While the decision might seem bizarre, it was actually an eco decision by The King to move his vehicle away from petrol and diesel. 'He’s so conscious of the environment, and was long before it became mainstream. He was always looking for ways he could to protect the environment, it’s something he’s so passionate about,' says Grant.
