What New Car Should King Charles Buy?

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The British royal family has been driving Land Rovers for as long as there have been Land Rovers to drive. What was then Rover presented King George VI with the 100th car off the line in 1948 and successive royals have used them both on the road and around their country estates ever since.

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But the UK crowned a new king this year, and while Charles III will carry on many royal family traditions, he also brings his own ideas to the (presumably large, goblet-covered) table, including his opinions on what kind of car is truly fit for a king.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the newly crowned King, his son and future king, Prince William, and Charles’ nephew, Peter Phillips, had an Aston Martin DBX 707 and Ineos Grenadier at their disposal this summer during the family’s break at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

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Related: King Charles’ Coronation Whip Looks Vintage But Has Air-Con, Electric Windows And Hydraulic Suspension

“As neither is electric, they may not lease them out permanently, but they have all had a lot of fun with them,” a source close to the royal family told the Telegraph.

Charles is an Aston fan, having owned his classic DB6 convertible from new, and the fact that Aston is a British brand will certainly hold appeal, as will it being built in Wales, the UK country Charles was prince of for decades before finally ascending to the throne. But he is also big on green issues, even converting his DB6 to run on wine and cheese, and Aston won’t have a hybrid DBX in its catalog for a couple of years and won’t deliver its first full EV until 2026. Still, we imagine one stomp on the range-topping 697 hp (707 PS) DBX’s right pedal might be enough to bring even the most ardent greenie round.

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But ifs not, maybe the Ineos Grenadier would be a better bet. The royals were huge fans of the Defender and its Land Rover Series predecessors, and the no-nonsense Grenadier, which was designed independently of JLR to plug a gap left by the Defender’s demise, would be perfect for crawling around royal estates, whatever the weather. But while the man behind the project, Sir Rim Ratcliffe, is a Brit, the industrialist opted to build the Ineos in France (this despite him supporting Brexit in the run up to the 2017 referendum). Driving an import isn’t exactly a good look for a head of state.

Maybe the royals were simply curious to see what else is available, but have no real plans to buy either car. Because as far as we can see a Land Rover still ticks every box as far as a royal ride is concerned. The current Defender and Range Rover are both built in the UK, as are their engines, and you can get both with powerful hybrid powertrains that tip a hat to green matters while offering over 500 hp in the case of the Rangie. What would buy if you were king?

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