Current:Home > StocksA look at King Charles III's car collection, valued at $15 million -RiskRadar
A look at King Charles III's car collection, valued at $15 million
View
Date:2025-04-18 23:50:11
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! (9658)
Related
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Deion Sanders becomes 'Professor Prime': What he said in first class teaching at Colorado
- Judge in Trump's 2020 election case delays March 4 trial date
- Dua Lipa Is Ready to Dance the Night Away in Her 2024 Grammys Look
- Bodycam footage shows high
- With Season 4 of 'The Chosen' in theaters, Jesus' life gets the big-screen treatment
- Smith-Wade delivers big play on defense, National beats American 16-7 in Senior Bowl
- Neighborhood Reads lives up to its name by building community in Missouri
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Masturbation abstinence is popular online. Doctors and therapists are worried
Ranking
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Workers safe after gunmen take hostages at Procter & Gamble factory in Turkey in apparent protest of Gaza war
- Inside Clive Davis' celeb-packed pre-Grammy gala: Green Day, Tom Hanks, Mariah Carey, more
- Abortion access on the ballot in 2024
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Man sentenced to life without parole in 1991 slaying of woman
- Joni Mitchell Makes Rare Appearance Ahead of First-Ever Grammys Performance
- Hiring is booming. So why aren't more Americans feeling better?
Recommendation
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
Former Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict says he only hit late against Steelers
Are you happy? New film follows a Bhutan bureaucrat who asks 148 questions to find out
Lovevery recalls 51,500 of its Slide & Seek Ball Runs over choking hazard
Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
Senate Democrats face steep odds in trying to hold majority in November
Detroit man dies days after being mauled by three dogs, wife says
2026 World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey