We're all familiar with the sight of the Royal Family riding in horse-drawn carriages on official occasions, or in long convoys of smart, dark cars with tinted windows. And there are surely enough chauffeurs, butlers and security teams to mean they could easily never step behind the wheel in their lives. However, we're all equally familiar with images of a tiny Queen Elizabeth II behind the wheel of a Land Rover, whizzing over the grounds of Balmoral - and, let's not forget, she was a mechanic during the war.
In fact, the Royal Family have a long history of car ownership and love of driving. All the modern royals have learned to drive, and one of King Charles' most prized possessions is said to be a car he was gifted for his 21st birthday (more on that shortly). Here, we take a look back at some of the most iconic cars driven by the Royal Family, from the Princess of Wales to the staff that serve them.
King Charles' cars
Aston Martin
The King received his Aston Martin DB6 MkII Volante in Seychelles Blue for his 21st birthday, as a gift from his parents. He's famously had it converted to run off wine and cheese, to make it more environmentally friendly. According to former royal butler, Grant Harrold, he refused to Prince William or Prince Harry drive it no matter how many times they asked, as he's very protective of it. However, for the wedding of The Prince and Princess of Wales, he did allow them the special honour of leaving their wedding in it.
BMW
With a lifelong passion for the environment, it's no surprise that one of The King's most recent cars is an electric model. His Majesty was spotted in a BMW i7 M70 xDrivex at The Royal Windsor Flower Show in June last year, on this occasion driven by a chauffeur rather than himself.
Land Rover Defender
Land Rovers are a popular choice for the royals and, according to Grant, The King had a Land Rover 2010 Defender 90 with a hardtop roof, although he sold it in 2025. 'Land Rover has the Royal Warrant, so the family and their security teams have a lot of Land Rovers and Range Rovers. In recent years we’ve seen him swap in a lot of the royal cars - especially those driven by staff - for greener versions including some electric models,' says Grant, via Select Car Leasing.
Jaguar
The King also has a Jaguar, and was seen arriving in a navy blue model at the British Film Institute in London, back in 2018. Grant says that King Charles has one of his own which has a 'big sticker on the back saying "Save the Red Squirrel".' In the documentary Finding Harmony: A King's Vision, we saw His Majesty pointing at a squirrel which pops up at a window, and admitting he finds them hilarious.
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Prince Harry's cars
Smart car
Perhaps the most surprising revelation from the Royal Family's former butler, is that a young Prince Harry used to have his own Smart Car. It's not exactly what most people would imagine a prince would choose to drive!
VW Golf
Another surprisingly normal first car, was Prince Harry's Volkswagon Golf. According to the Daily Mail, his dad, The King, bought for him to mark his 17th birthday, in September 2001.
Audi
The following summer in June 2002, Prince Harry arrived at The Beaufort Polo Club in his new ride - an Audi A3. Quite the upgrade!
The Princess of Wales' cars
Audi A3 and VW
The Princess of Wales has at least two things in common with her brother-in-law as, like Prince Harry, she also drove an Audi A3 (hers was silver), and a navy VW, both back in 2007.
Audi A5
It seems that Kate is a fan of Audis as, two years later, Kate traded up for a sleek Audi A5. Above, she can be seen at The Chakravarty Cup Polo Match in 2009, in which Prince William and Prince Harry were both playing.
Land Rover
Both the late Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip were known for their love of tough and practical Land Rovers. In a special tribute, The Princess of Wales was allowed to drive Prince Philip's Land Rover Defender to host a drive-in cinema screening event, held for NHS Charities Together and NHS staff, while in Scotland, 2021.
Prince William's cars
Ford Focus
Like Prince Harry, Prince William started off his driving life with a down-to-earth model which was popular at the time. 'Prince William obviously has his own cars now, but I remember he used to drive this funny little VW. I say funny, it was a nice car, it was just odd seeing the future King driving around in this pokey little car, very similar to what normal young men were driving at the time. He also had a Ford Focus,' says Grant. Prince William was taught to drive by an instructor in his Ford, back in 1999.
Electric Audi
Following in his dad's eco-friendly footsteps, Prince William has more recently opted for a slick and stylish looking sports car, but which is fully electric. The Prince and Princess of Wales were seen arriving at the Earthshot Prize Awards in his steely grey Audi RS E-Tron GT.
