The priciest royal cars sold at auction, including Elizabeth II’s 2006 Land Rover

Chris MenonThu, October 15, 2026 at 4:30 PM UTC

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The late Queen pictured driving her Land Rover to the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Home Park in 2006 - Max Mumby

Elizabeth II’s specially commissioned Bentley failed to sell at auction in Belgium on Wednesday after its reserve price of €400,000-€450,000 (£338,500-£380,000) was not met.

The 2016 extended-wheelbase Mulsanne was used on official engagements until 2019. Finished in Barnato Green with a cream interior, it even features a bespoke compartment for her handbag.

The auction lot follows the recent £124,975 sale at a Yorkshire dealership of a 2020 Bentley Flying Spur believed to have belonged to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

A dark-green Bentley Flying Spur understood to have belonged to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was sold for £125,000 - Portland Autos

So how much does a royal connection add to a car’s value? According to John Mayhead, editor of the UK Hagerty Price Guide, which tracks values for collectable cars, many of them once owned by celebrities, the effect can be substantial. “For all the royal vehicles we’ve tracked, the mean sale price is roughly 2.5 times that of a standard car,” he says.

But there is one royal association that outshines all others. “Discounting one-off sales, Princess Diana has the most impact on price, with the five cars associated with her selling for just under 19 times what a standard car would be worth,” confirms Mayhead.

Here are eight of the highest auction prices achieved by cars associated with members of the Royal family, drawn from Hagerty’s research.

Eight royal cars that made their mark at auction

Note that the hammer price is the final bid the auctioneer accepts when a lot is sold, before the buyer’s premium is charged, while “royal delta” denotes the percentage increase in the car’s value compared with that of a standard model – in other words, the premium associated with its royal provenance.

1. Princess Margaret’s 1954 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV H J MullinerHammer price: 2,255,000 Swiss francs (£1,760,000)

Princess Margaret’s 1954 Rolls-Royce Phantom was fitted with automatic transmission

This is only one of 18 Phantom IVs produced for world leaders and royalty between 1950 and 1958 – five of which were owned by the Royal family. It features bespoke touches for Princess Margaret, which make it unique. Always a lover of powerful cars, she had decided that she would prefer to occasionally drive the Phantom IV herself. Thus, it was fitted with automatic transmission and with a special driver’s seat finished in soft cloth.

It remained in her use for 13 years and in that time was driven 27,000 miles. During that time Her Highness was occasionally photographed with it, including in 1955 as she departed Number 10 Downing Street following a dinner with Prime Minister Churchill.

Year sold: 2021

Value of a standard model: £656,189

Royal value added: £1.1m

Royal delta: 169 per cent

2. Elizabeth II’s 1955 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV State Landaulette£800,000, including buyer’s premium

Elizabeth II’s 1955 Rolls-Royce Phantom in claret and black

This car was the late Queen’s second Phantom IV and one of only two equipped with automatic transmission from new, the other being HRH Princess Margaret’s car featured above. The Phantom IV was the first eight-cylinder production car from Rolls-Royce.

It was periodically loaned to the Royal Household for use by the Royal family. Eventually, in January 1959, it was purchased by the Queen for use as an official state car. Being suitable for use in hot climates, the landaulette was used on several overseas tours. Among many other duties, it served to convey bridesmaids and page boys to the Royal weddings in 1981 and 1986.

The colour scheme of this model was claret and black, with dark blue and grey cloth upholstery.

Year sold: 2018

Value of a standard model: £738,939

Royal value added : £61,061

Royal delta: 8 per cent

3. Princess Diana’s 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo£722,500, including buyer’s premium

Princess Diana in her 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo - Getty/Tim Graham

Apparently advised to drive a more secure car by her security detail, Diana, Princess of Wales was insistent on the new Escort Turbo RS and this car is believed to be unique as the first and only black RS Turbo Series 1 produced for her. It and its driver would be photographed outside the boutiques of Chelsea and the restaurants of Kensington over the next few years.

Year sold: 2022

Value of a standard model: £25,300

Royal value added: £697,200

Royal delta: 2,756 per cent

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4. Elizabeth II’s 2006 Land Rover Range Rover 4.2 Supercharged Vogue SE£175,500, including buyer’s premium

Elizabeth II’s 2006 Land Rover Range Rover

Specified for the exclusive use of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, it features the Household colours of Tonga Green over Sand Oxford leather, combined with extended burr walnut trim and clear glass. The late Queen is known to have used it to attend the 2007 Royal Windsor Horse Show. It is also believed to be the only supercharged L322-series Range Rover owned by the royal household, fitted with a Jaguar-derived 4.2-litre Supercharged V8.

Year sold: 2025

Value of a standard car: £16,000

Royal value added: £159,500

Royal delta: 997 per cent

5. Elizabeth II’s 2004 Range Rover L322£132,750, including buyer’s premium

Queen Elizabeth II’s 2004 Range Rover was finished in Epsom Green

This Range Rover in Epsom Green has a little detective story attached. When it first went to auction in 2023, its royal provenance was still circumstantial: the specification included covert blue lights, a dog guard and other features associated with royal use, while servicing records linked it to garages near Balmoral. The vendor believed it had served the Queen and Prince Philip in London and Scotland. Subsequent investigation identified it as the Queen’s car and gave a massive boost to the sale price.

Year sold: 2023

Value of a standard car: £12,900

Royal value added: £120,650

Royal delta: 935 per cent

6. Louis Mountbatten’s 1967 Jaguar 420£126,000, hammer price

Louis Mountbatten’s 1967 Jaguar 420 sold under the hammer for £126,000 in 2021

The original logbook records Lord Mountbatten’s country home, Broadlands in Hampshire, as the car’s registered address. He was a keen motorist who drove it himself, and the Jaguar retained its mounting for the royal crown emblem and Mountbatten’s family crest. The car was later reacquired by the Mountbatten family in 2008. Fittingly, the exterior colour is “Special Mountbatten Blue”, over a grey interior, a colour used on many of Lord Mountbatten’s personal automobiles.

Year sold: 2021

Value of a standard car: £12,900

Royal value added: £113,100

Royal delta: 877 per cent

7. Prince Philip’s 2010 Land Rover Defender 110 County£123,750, including buyer’s premium

Prince Philip’s 2010 Land Rover Defender

All the Duke of Edinburgh’s Land Rovers were built to his individual specification and this is no exception. Philip had this Defender in Keswick Green, and it had covered only 15,623 miles when it came to auction. His attachment to the marque went well beyond this car: he designed a specially modified Defender to carry his coffin at his funeral in 2021.

Year sold: 2023

Value of a standard car: £36,800

Royal value added: £86,950

Royal delta: 236 per cent

8. Elizabeth II’s 2001 Daimler Majestic 4.0 V8 LWB£103,522, including buyer’s premium

Queen Elizabeth II driving her Daimler Jaguar with her police protection officer Carol Quirk in 2007 - Getty Images/Max Mumby

This was not just a ceremonial limousine. The Queen used it for private motoring, including journeys between Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, polo matches and social engagements. Prince Philip was also photographed driving it. Its bespoke handbag tray, built into the armrest between the two front seats, was designed to keep the Queen’s bag within easy reach and out of the footwell. As Her Majesty preferred shades of dark green to adorn her vehicles, British Racing Green was chosen for this model.

Year sold: 2024

Value of a standard car: £12,500

Royal value added: £91,022

Royal delta: 728 per cent

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