Current:Home > BackA look at King Charles III's car collection, valued at $15 million-InfoLens
A look at King Charles III's car collection, valued at $15 million
View Date:2025-01-09 18:52:16
Members of Britain's royal family have been pictured over the years behind the wheel of some of the world's most iconic cars, and the new monarch, King Charles III, is no exception.
Ahead of the king's coronation ceremony on May 6, U.K. car leasing company Nationwide Vehicle Contracts released a list of the rare and classic vehicles owned by the royals — and their estimated value.
"Luxury cars have long been associated with the monarch and King Charles III, in particular, is known for his fondness of motor vehicles," Nationwide's director Keith Hawes told CBS News on Tuesday. "His impressive collection features sentimental value with motors passed down from his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to cars bought for him by his parents."
Nationwide listed 12 vehicles in the royal fleet, with the most valuable being two Bentley State Limousines valued at more than $12 million each. They're the only two limos of their kind in existence, built by Bentley specifically for the 2002 Golden Jubilee of Charles' late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
- U.K. poll finds 70% of young Brits "not interested" in royal family
The Bentleys are the official state cars of Great Britain, and both are described by Nationwide as having "fully armored bodywork and glass, blast-resistant tires, and blue flashing lights."
The interior of the vehicles can be sealed air-tight to protect occupants in the event of a gas attack, Nationwide said in its press release, coming with "James Bond-esque engineering as standard."
One of the vehicles set to carry King Charles for his coronation, however, is a far less-modern people carrier. The Gold State Coach may be the world's oldest and most exclusive vehicle.
The coach was commissioned by King George III and built in 1760, according to Buckingham Palace, and has been used at every coronation since 1831. It is scheduled to carry Charles and his wife Queen Camilla in a procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace on coronation day.
The ornate, gilded coach is valued at around $2 million, Nationwide said. According to the palace, it will be drawn by eight Windsor Grey horses on coronation day and, "due to its weight" of almost 4.5 tons, "will travel at walking pace."
The third most expensive car in the king's garage(s) is a 1965 Aston Martin DB6 Volante. The sports car valued by Nationwide at just over $1.2 million was a 21st birthday present from his parents — but the royal did make some distinct modifications.
The king's passion for environmentalism is well known, and in 2008, when he was the Prince of Wales, he had the Aston converted to run on bioethanol, or more specifically leftover wine.
The other nine vehicles on the list include another Aston Martin and a Rolls Royce valued between $600,000 and $700,000, and then a more modest set that Nationwide said was worth between about $200,000 and $37,000.
- In:
- King Charles III
- British Royal Family
- Electric Vehicle
veryGood! (8674)
Related
- Inter Miami's MLS playoff failure sets stage for Messi's last act, Alexi Lalas says
- Turn Your Bathroom Into a Spa-Like Oasis with These Essential Products from Amazon's Big Spring Sale
- A family's guide to the total solar eclipse: Kids activities, crafts, podcast parties and more
- Museum, historical group launch search for wreckage of ace pilot Richard Bong’s crashed plane
- Messi breaks silence on Inter Miami's playoff exit. What's next for his time in the US?
- 1 person killed and 5 wounded including a police officer in an Indianapolis shooting, police say
- These U.S. counties experienced the largest population declines
- Domino and other U.S. sugar companies accused of conspiring to fix prices in antitrust lawsuits
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- Women's March Madness winners, losers: Paige Bueckers, welcome back; Ivy nerds too slow
Ranking
- Trump's election has women swearing off sex with men. It's called the 4B movement.
- Shawn Johnson's Kids Are Most Excited For This Part of Their Trip to the 2024 Olympics
- Kansas started at No. 1 and finished March Madness with a second-round loss. What went wrong?
- Maximize Your Time and Minimize Your Spending With 24 Amazon Deals for People Who Are Always on the Go
- Noem’s Cabinet appointment will make a plain-spoken rancher South Dakota’s new governor
- Save Up to 50% on Shapewear Deals From the Amazon Big Spring Sale: Feel Fabulous for Less
- Former gaming executive sentenced to death in poisoning of billionaire Netflix producer in China
- Why Erin Andrews Wants Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce to Get Married So Bad
Recommendation
-
Florida Man Arrested for Cold Case Double Murder Almost 50 Years Later
-
Kenya Moore, Madison LeCroy, & Kandi Burruss Use a Scalp Brush That’s $6 During the Amazon Big Sale
-
A family's guide to the total solar eclipse: Kids activities, crafts, podcast parties and more
-
Geomagnetic storm from a solar flare could disrupt radio communications and create a striking aurora
-
After years of unrest, Commanders have reinvented their culture and shattered expectations
-
Burn Bright With $5 Candle Deals from the Amazon Big Sale: Yankee Candle, Nest Candle, Homesick, and More
-
Ilia Malinin nails six quadruple jumps and leads US team's stunning performance at worlds
-
MLB's very bad week: Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal, union civil war before Opening Day