The sad loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II brought the nation to a standstill on September 8; the country had a lost a motoring monarch the likes of whom will never be seen again. Her tenure behind the wheel maintained Royal Warrants for Bentley, Daimler, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Vauxhall, all of whom supplied vehicles in their dozens (if not scores) in standard and specially modified guises; the issue of the new Royal Cipher means that these warrants will need to be sought again, under King Charles III. The legacy Queen Elizabeth II left behind the wheel was considerable: while she may not have needed a driving licence, owing to Royal prerogative, she impressed (and terrified) many heads of state, including the incumbent Prime Minister, David Cameron, and then de-facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Prince Abdullah.
Driving at Balmoral, Sandringham and Windsor came easily to Her Majesty, for she had learned in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War Two. Enlisted in 1944, as a princess, and known as truck mechanic number 230873, she repaired (and drove) ambulances and lorries.
Three years later, the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force sent her a Daimler DE27 as a wedding present to Prince Philip of
