- Delivered new to HRH for his and the Duchess of Cornwall’s personal use in 2010
A Land Rover Defender delivered new to King Charles has been sold at auction for an estimate-busting price.
The 2010 Defender 90 Hardtop was originally supplied to his Royal Highness and the Duchess of Cornwall by Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicles division 15 years ago.
While there are no known images of Charles at the wheel of the car, there are ‘many documents’ confirming that it belonged to him.
The driver’s seat – finished in Charcoal Grey – is also claimed to show ‘only minor wear indicating that this was not a chauffeur-driven Defender’, which the auction house claimed is a sign that Charles had likely taken to the wheel on the British 4X4 himself.
After leaving His Royal Highness’ garage, the motor was snapped up and ‘cherished’ in a collection dedicated to former royal vehicles before being offered to the highest bidder on Saturday at a car auction in the Midlands.
The off-roader went to the block with fewer than 25,000 miles on the clock and its traditional Keswick Green paint in ‘superb condition’ with the expectation of attracting plenty of bids.
And it didn’t disappoint, with the eventual price paid some 60 per cent above estimate.
This 2010 Land Rover Defender 90, which was delivered new to King Charles, has been sold at auction for an estimate-busting price over the weekend
Iconic Auctioneers had placed a pre-sale guide price of £42,000 to £50,000 on the royal ride ahead of it going under the hammer at The Classic Sale at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show 2025 at the NEC in Birmingham on Saturday.
‘This is no ordinary Defender 90,’ the auctioneer announced as the lot appeared on screen.
‘This is ex-Royal Family. This was supplied new for the sole use of our great King Charles III, then Price of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall for their personal use.’
Bidding opened at £25,000 though the price rapidly surged as collectors went head-to-head for the keys to the Land Rover.
Towards the tail end of the lot, an online bidder and enthusiast in the auction room were vying for its V5 document, with the latter eventually winning out at £60,000, rising to £67,500 inclusive of auction fees and tax.
It means the winning bid was some £25,500 over the lower estimate.
Gary Dunne, sales manager at Iconic Auctioneers, told This is Money: ‘We knew from Iconic Auctioneers previous history of selling cars with Royal provenance that a sensible guide price, in this case £42,000 to £50,000 would generate significant interest in this car, which it did.
‘With bidding in the room, online and on the phones, we were not too surprised to see the hammer fall at £60,000.
‘We hope the new owner is delighted with their purchase, which we believe will be staying in the UK.’
While there are no known images of Charles at the wheel of the car, there are ‘many documents’ confirming that it belonged to him
A letter confirms its delivery to the Royal addressed to Tim Williams, Head Chauffeur to HRH The Prince of Wales and TRH The Duchess of Cornwall
Paperwork sold with the car show the Land Rover Defender 90 was delivered new to the Royal Garage at Highgrove House on 15 November 2010. Then Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall pictured two days later at the Prince’s Trust Rock Gala with Dame Edna Everage and Paloma Faith
Bidding opened at £25k on Saturday but the price rapidly surged as collectors went head-to-head, with an online bidder and enthusiast in the auction room vying for its V5 document. The latter eventually won out at £60,000, rising to £67,500 inclusive of auction fees and tax
Records show that this specific Land Rover Defender 90 was delivered new to the Royal Garage at Highgrove House on 15 November 2010.
Verifying this detail, the winning bidder has been supplied with a confirmation letter addressed to Tim Williams, Head Chauffeur to HRH The Prince of Wales and TRH The Duchess of Cornwall, as part of an extensive history file for the vehicle.
Having left the King’s fleet, it formed part of a small but dedicated Royal Collection, dutifully cared for by a fastidious owner who has decided to part ways with the imperial 4X4.
By its nature, the utilitarian Defender rarely has any form of creature comforts.
However, as one might expect, this Royal example does have a few luxuries at the request of the King and installed by Land Rover’s specialist department.
This includes the addition of heated seats and a heated front and rear screens for rapid demisting.
The driver’s seat – finished in Charcoal Grey – is claimed to show ‘only minor wear indicating that this was not a chauffeur-driven Defender’
This condition of the driver’s seat suggests Charles likely took to the wheel of the diesel Land Rover Defender 90 himself, says Iconic Auctioneers
Having left the King’s fleet, the Defender became part of a dedicated Royal Collection, dutifully cared for by a fastidious owner before being offered to the highest bidder on Saturday
The diesel-engined Defender went to the block displaying a ’72 HRH’ number plate, though this was not included with the vehicle at the time of sale.
The plate has been retained by the vendor, however, it but could be available to the Land Rover’s new keeper by separate negotiation, the auction house told us.
Production of the previous-generation Defender ceased on 29 January 2016.
This is Money recently spoke to Charles Fawcett, the founder of 4X4 tuning business Twisted, who bought 239 of the last Defenders off the production line in 2015 and 2016.
Having stored and then upgraded each one before selling at a premium, the Yorkshire-based vehicle specialist explained to us how he made millions from the deal.
Read our exclusive interview with Charles to find out how he secured such an extensive order – and the profit pocketed from the haul of Defenders.