Queen Elizabeth And Her Automotive Legacy
Her Majesty’s Rather…Surprising Legacy
If there’s anything that we can take away from Queen Elizabeth II, it’s that she lived a full life, one that was filled with significant events, climaxes, and accomplishments. However, some of her arguably best moments were when she shed off some of her queen-like image, namely regarding her relationship with cars.
Princess Elizabeth’s Mechanic Military Duties
In 1945, then, Princess Elizabeth joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service. It was during this time that she became a mechanic during World War II. Her duties involve basic maintenance, along with taking apart and rebuilding engines. The former sovereign’s education also involved learning how to drive vehicles that she repaired and maintained.
A quote that has been repeated several times about the queen from Collier’s Magazine in 1947 is, “One of her major joys was to get dirt under her nails and grease stains in her hands, and display these signs of labor to her friends.”
This revelation showcases the empowerment that Princess Elizabeth felt from learning about cars. She actually wanted to enlist in the military and learn new things, and in doing this, she had more freedoms that former royals didn’t have.
Embracing Her Inner Speed Racer
Even after her military days were over, Queen Elizabeth was often seen cruising around…her estates. Range Rovers often took the strain of its rather adventurous feats, and the monarch piloted them seemingly without fear. Supposedly, she had an extensive collection of cars such as a Ford, Bentleys, Rolls Royces’, and more. Her particular favorite was rumored to be a 1961 Vauxhall Cresta PA Friary Estate, according to GQ. This station wagon was specially designed for the Queen, complete with “custom fishing rod holders on the roof, a dog guard for her corgis, and a gun rack.”
The Queen utilized her driving skills to send a rather less inconspicuous message to the then-Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. At the time, women did not have the right drive, and while the Prince was visiting Queen Elizabeth, she invited him on a tour of the palace grounds. He agreed to this, and much to his surprise, after a fleet of Land Rovers pulled up, the sovereign got into the driver’s seat. Supposedly she drove him around the property at a high speed, making him rather nervous.
“Unlike us politicians with our outriders and our armor-plated convoys, I can tell you, as a direct eye-witness, that she drove herself in her own car, with no detectives and no bodyguard, bouncing at alarming speed over the Scottish landscape to the total amazement of the ramblers and the tourists we encountered. And it is that indomitable spirit with which she created the modern constitutional monarchy.” said former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Her Majesty was truly a force to be reckoned with. May she rest in peace.
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