Royal Family's love for Land Rovers: Prince Philip's Defender model to be auctioned

A vehicle which was built specifically on late Prince Philip's instructions, will be auctioned off on Saturday.

The vehicle—a Land Rover Defender 110, was first driven by the late Duke of Edinburgh himself. It was recently sold at an auction in June 2022 for £44,000 and is being auctioned again in less than a year.

The Land Rover is currently being resold by the auction house Silverstone Auction at Stoneleigh Park, in the UK, as part of their Race Retro auction.

This time, the guide price has been set between £50,000 and £70,000 for a completely customised vehicle that includes one of the rarest paint colours in the Jaguar Land Rover line—Keswick Green.

Price Philip's Land Rover Defender 110

The well-maintained Defender is said to be in "gleaming condition," with black cloth interiors, heated seats, and only 15,623 miles (or approximately 25,142 kilometres) on the clock.

A file about the car's history will also be included in the purchase, along with the letters exchanged between George Hassall, the Director of Royal and Diplomatic Affairs for Jaguar Land Rover, and David Key, Prince Philip's head chauffeur.

This is just one of the several vehicles with royal ties that will be offered in this auction. A 1942 Ford GPW Jeep used by King George VI during a wartime visit to RAF Chelveston in Northamptonshire is also being auctioned.

The Duke's Land Rovers

Prince Philip was a long-time fan of Land Rovers. He drove their Freelander model in green for many years. The green Freelander was also known to be one of his favourite models.

The late Prince's driving career effectively ended after a crash in a Freelander near Sandringham, estate in February 2019. No one was seriously injured in the crash and the then 97-year-old Prince willingly handed over his driving licence. He had immediately purchased a replacement Land Rover following the accident, which was delivered the next day.

Prince Philip's customised hearse

He was so fond of the brand that he worked with them to design a customised version of a Defender, known as Defender 130, which was ultimately used to transport his coffin during his funeral in April 2021.

"Just stick me in the back of a Land Rover and drive me to Windsor," the late Prince had reportedly said while speaking about his funeral arrangements.

Land Rover Defender 130 is a modified Defender TD5 130 chassis-cab truck made at Land Rover's Solihull, England, factory in 2003 based on modifications requested personally by the late Duke.

The Royal Family's love for Land Rovers

Land Rover's relationship with the British royal family goes back almost to the company's origins. In the past, King George VI, was presented with the 100th vehicle that was built by the company.

Land Rover was still a single-model offshoot of the larger Rover automobile company in 1952 when Elizabeth became queen and Philip's initial choice of wheels as her consort was more skewed towards traditional British sports cars.

The late Duke's long-term relationship with Land Rover models began in the 1970s, with the introduction of the Range Rover. He was reported to have owned, leased, or driven a model of every generation of Range Rover.

During an engagement at Windsor Castle in 2016, the Duke surprised Barack and Michelle Obama by jumping into the driver's seat of a then-new L406 fourth-generation Range Rover to act as chauffeur for both them and the late Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth's Range Rovers and Land Rovers

The late Queen was also spotted driving a Range Rover several times. It is said that the Queen had owned over 30 Range Rover and Land Rover SUVs over the years, including the Land Rover Series I.

The late Queen also owned a 2015 custom built Range Rover LWB which came with a removable top, which allowed her to stand up fully and see people during public engagements.

The Royal Family's special affinity to Land Rovers has been passed down to the current generation as many of the vehicles continue to be used by the royals on numerous occasions.

Meanwhile, the Range Rover Vogue SE which was originally supplied to Prince William and Kate Middleton for their personal use in 2013 was previously sold at an auction for £50,625 in 2021.