Prince Philip’s beloved Land Rover Defender, one of the cars he had built to his own personal specifications, has been put up for auction for £70,000. The Duke of Edinburgh was known to be a fan of Land Rovers, even designing one especially to be used to carry his coffin at his funeral in 2021.
The vehicle to be sold was registered in 2010, with a Keswick Green paint job and a black cloth interior to match the Duke’s taste.
Heated seats and Land Rover seat covers were also added to the car.
It is in “gleaming condition”, with only 15,623 miles on the clock and is part of a “significant private collection of special motors vehicles”, reported The Sun.
Silverstone Auctions are selling the car, which will be accompanied by a history file featuring correspondence between Prince Philip’s head chauffeur, David Key and George Hassall, director of royal and diplomatic affairs at Jaguar Land Rover.
The Duke personalised the car further with the number plate OXR 2.
The vehicle was previously sold at auction last June for £44,000 and will be re-sold on February 25 at Stoneleigh Park in Coventry.
The lot is part of Silverstone’s Race Retro auction, with a guide price between £50,000 – £70,000.
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The prince managed to escape without injury, however in the car the driver sustained cuts to her legs and a passenger broke her wrist.
In a letter of apology, Philip said he was “deeply sorry” and “somewhat shaken” but added his great relief that no one was seriously hurt.
He wrote: “I can only imagine that I failed to see the car coming and I am very contrite about the consequences.”
A statement from Buckingham Palace at the time read: “After careful consideration, The Duke of Edinburgh has taken the decision to voluntarily surrender his driving licence.”
