Queen Elizabeth II – The Mechanic, Manual Aficionado And Wartime Driver, Will Be Remembered For Her Love Of Land Rovers

Sep 13, 2022
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3 min read

The late British monarch was known for speeding around her estates in old Land Rovers, even terrifying a Saudi prince on one occasion

Queen Elizabeth II’s recent passing has her entire country in mourning. Despite her stately image, the Queen was a true-blue petrolhead with a penchant for driving by herself, even in her later years. To us in the car community, her passing leaves a void that no royal (or perhaps, head of State) is ever likely to fill. Here’s why.

At the very mention of the word “royal”, your mind might conjure up images of beautiful vintage Rolls Royces driven by Maharajas. And the Queen has, of course, driven and been chauffeured around in exquisite Rolls and Jaguar luxury cars. But mostly, she was seen behind the wheel of a humble Land Rover Defender 110 or, more recently, a Range Rover.

Even just a few months before her death, as her health declined and doctors advised her to rest, the Queen was seen in the driver’s seat of a Jaguar X-type estate on her property.

Fun fact: The Queen never needed to have a driver’s license, because all licenses in her country are issued in her name.

Before you think “oh, any old lady can drive”, know that the Queen was a well-trained mechanic back in the day. In fact, she’s the only female royal to have served in the military, driving ambulance trucks during World War II.

When she wasn’t doing her duties as head of State, the Queen loved to bomb around in her Land Rover 110s, double-clutching her manual SUVs like a pro. One such story about her driving prowess was told by the diplomat Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles. Back in 1998, the Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (who later became the king), was invited to the Balmoral Palace (incidentally, also the place where Elizabeth II died) for a lunch with the Queen.

He was told to sit in the front seat, and to his surprise, the Queen herself jumped in the driver seat. Ever familiar with Scotland’s twisty roads and dirt paths, the Queen scared the living daylights out of the prince.

“Women are not — yet — allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia and Abdullah was not used to being driven by a woman, let alone a queen. His nervousness only increased as the Queen accelerated the Land Rover along the narrow Scottish estate roads, talking all the time. Through his interpreter, the crown prince implored the Queen to slow down and concentrate on the road ahead." – Sherard Cowper-Coles

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Finally, the Queen was a fun-loving monarch who motivated her country’s people and contributed to the society with over 600 charities. No other monarch on our shores nor hers has ever had the driving prowess or love for down-to-earth workhorse cars as her, and it’s safe to say, no monarch ever will.

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