September is just a few days away, meaning King Charles and his fellow royals will soon be making the journey south, leaving their Scottish bolthole, Balmoral, and returning to royal duties.
Over the summer, the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their children, plus Zara and Mike Tindall and their kids, all made their way to the Highlands for a brief break, returning earlier this week, but King Charles, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne have remained at Balmoral.
After what has likely been a difficult week, with the King losing his ‘dear cousin’, King Harald of Norway, His Royal Highness was joined by his wife and his sister as they attended a service at Crathie Kirk, the church a short drive from the Balmoral estate.
The royals delighted gathered onlookers by travelling to the place of worship in their state car, as opposed to the Land Rover they usually bomb about in while visiting Scotland.
A Facebook user shared a video of the royals arriving, captioned: “Royal Family, King Charles, Camilla & Princess Anne away to Crathie Kirk for their Sunday worship… Nice to see the state car instead of the usual Land Rover. A fine bonus for guests on a Sunday.”
King Charles’ state car
The state car is a burgundy Bentley Limousine and was believed to have been created for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s golden jubilee, celebrating 50 years on the throne.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesNot just a beautiful automobile, the Bentley is practical, too. It can reportedly ward off chemical attacks ( the cabin was designed to immediately become airtight in the event of a chemical attack), explosions, and tyre-ripping spikes.
According to Bentley, the state limo’s cabin is reinforced with armour plating for protection from bullets and blasts, while the wrap-around windows were a request from the late Queen, who wanted to be seen from all angles, so she could wave.
© Aaron Chown – PA ImagesOther Queen-specific stipulations for the impressive car include a rear seat specially designed according to the height of the Queen, and doors that are hinged at the rear and open to a ninety-degree angle, so Her Majesty could easily get in and out of the vehicle. Additionally, Bentley also designed handbag stowage around the dimensions of the Queen’s favourite bags, so hopefully Queen Camilla, who now rides in the vehicle, has a similar taste in bags to her late mother-in-law.
The Queen was 76 when she celebrated her golden jubilee – one year younger than King Charles is now, so we suspect he appreciates the mobility modification his mother insisted upon!
King Charles’ modifications
As someone who is dedicated to being eco-friendly where possible, it’s no surprise that King Charles made alterations to the Bentley when it came into his possession.
© Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesIn 2024, HELLO! reported that His Majesty planned to convert the State Bentleys to run on biofuel, with plans to turn the fleet electric in the future, according to Buckingham Palace.
With the journey from King Charles’ Highgrove estate in Gloucester to Balmoral taking in 467 miles of beautiful British countryside, he’d need to charge the car a few times for the trip…
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