30/05/2022
This weekend we celebrate The Queen's 70th Jubilee.
As we look back over the Queens remarkable 70 year reign, it is clear to see her affection for Land Rovers. Perhaps marked most poignantly following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, where his coffin was transported by a specially adapted Defender. A vehicle which the Duke had a hand in designing himself.
The Queen and her late husband have been spotted countless times behind the wheel of Land Rovers in their estates of Sandringham, Windsor Great Park and Balmoral. When not at the wheel themselves, the Royals are often transported in speically adpated Land Rovers during Royal visits.
The Royal affiliation with Land Rovers dates back to 1948, when King George VI, was presented with the 100th production Land Rover. The Queen took delivery of her first Land Rover shortly before coming to the throne in 1952 and has been a keen driver of them ever since.
The Queen is thought to have owned around 30 Land Rovers throughout the years, with some being custom built for Royal requirements. In 2016 to mark her 90th birthday, the Queen toured Windsor in her custom-made open top Range Rover complete with a built-in flag on the bonnet.
Another special adaption was the 1954 Series 1 Land Rover, a Royal Ceremonial Vehicle known as 'State IV'. It was an adaption of a basic 86-inch wheelbase Series 1 model, with a custom-designed viewing platform at the back, painted in the distinctive shade of brownish-red known as Royal Claret, used for all the Queen's state vehicles. The Series was part of the fleet of vehicles that accompnied the Queen and Prince Philip on a six-month Commonwealth tour in the early 1950s, soon after the Coronation, where the Royals covered some 50,000 miles!
In 1978 a Series 3 was built for the Queen, with a number of custom modifications. Once of these modifications was a 'traffic light' system which could be operated from the rear to tell the driver when she wanted to stop, slow down or continue the journey.
Fun Fact - Although the Queen is not required to possess a driving license by law, she learned to drive in 1945 when she was a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service where she trained as a mechanic and military truck driver.
Make sure to head over to our Facebook and Instagram pages for our Jubilee Celebrations.
As we look back on 70 years of the Queen and her Land Rovers, we take this opportunity to wish Her Majesty a very happy Platinum Jubilee and thank her for her service to our Country.