The Royal Rolls-Royce Wedding Cars
Kate Middleton will be driven in a Rolls-Royce Phantom to Westminster Abbey for her wedding with Prince William on 29 April. The claret and black Rolls-Royce is a exclusive Phantom VI model, which was a present to the Queen on her Silver Jubilee in 1977. It is the same vehicle which was damaged in the student protests in December last year when the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were heading to the Royal Variety Performance. The Rolls-Royce limousine was splattered with white paint and had a rear window cracked.
“There was paint damage and damage to the glass,” said Alex Garty, transport manager at Buckingham Palace. “The repairs are ongoing. We’re using that opportunity to give her a 60-minute makeover, so she will look her best for the wedding.”
Crown Equerry Col Toby Browne has revealed that the vehicle is currently being repaired and prepared especially for Kate and Prince William’s wedding on 29 April. The car has an extra high roofline, which will give well wishers a good view of the bride to be as she heads to the Abbey.
The Phantom VI, is not the rarest of Rolls-Royce Phantom cars. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will be driven to the ceremony in a 1950 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV. The Phantom IV is the most exclusive Rolls-Royce model ever built, commissioned exclusively for royalty and heads of state. Only 18 were made between 1950 and 1956 and only 16 survive. The Phantom IV was first commissioned by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1949 and effectively marked the end of Daimlers royal monopoly when it was publicly announced in 1950; “designed to the special order of Their Royal Highnesses, the Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh”.
As the car was privately owned when delivered to the young couple it was painted Valentine green; upon Princess Elizabeth’s accession to the British throne in 1952 it became a state vehicle and was repainted in the official royal car colours of claret and black. In 1952, The Queen was driven in this car to her first Royal Engagement, coincidently at the Westminster Abbey.
After the wedding ceremony and weather permitting, the newly weds will then ride in the carriage used by William’s parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales when they drove from St Paul’s Cathedral to Buckingham Palace after their wedding in 1981. The 1902 State Landau Carriage is adorned with gold leaf and upholstered in crimson satin, it is the vehicle which “everybody wants to see”, according to senior royal carriage restorer, Martin Oates. The carriage is normally driven by six horses, but for next months wedding four horses will drive the carriage. The State Landau is housed with the other state vehicles at the Royal Mews near Buckingham Palace, and was originally built for King Edward VII for use at his coronation. It is reserved for use by the Queen to meet foreign heads of state on official visits to Britain.
If it is raining, the newly married couples will use the royal Glass Coach instead because it has a fixed roof. The Glass Coach was built in 1881 and in the past has been used to carry royal brides, including Sarah Ferguson and of course Diana to their weddings.
