Queen Elizabeth II isn’t just the longest reigning monarch in British history – she’s also the only person to have two of her own vehicles with private number plates, and they both come from the same series! In 2013, she gave her Bentley Continental GT to Prince Philip as a 90th birthday gift and she received his old Bentley Mulsanne in return. What makes these two vehicles extra special is that they are both Personalised Number Plate (PNP) series IIIs – very rare because there were only 400 of these three-digit registrations made between 2002 and 2004.
Introduction
Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning monarch in history. She has broken records and won awards throughout her reign. One of the lesser-known facts about her is that she owns a number of private number plates. Her first plate, EIIR, was issued on her accession to the throne in 1952 and has been used ever since. It’s not unusual for one person to have more than one car, so this has allowed her to use it on whichever vehicle she chooses at any given time.
Did you know…?
Did you know that the Queen of England is required by law to use certain number plates on her car? The registration plate for a royal vehicle begins with an R followed by two numbers and two letters. What do you think would happen if she didn’t use those special plates?
The Queens Private Number Plates
Her Majesty the Queen of England, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, has had her own private number plate for her car for a few years now. What started as a fun and personalised number plate to celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee in 2012 soon became so popular that more were created. The numbers are all allocated on an individual basis and are usually given to those who are close to the Royal Family or those who have served them in some way. It has been rumored that these plates have been given to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle as they prepare to tie the knot later this year !!!
It is important to note that as of right now, there are only two different number plates. The first which was created during Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee is black with silver lettering and has a white border. The second plate was created a few years later and was issued to celebrate her 90th Birthday. This one features gold lettering on a blue background with an ornate emblem located in one of its corners.
The Queens Cars
Queen Elizabeth II has a long history of using private number plates for the Queen. In 1942, she received a personalised registration with the letters HRH and 2D. In 1945, she received L-E-I-T. These were on her car until 1952 when they were replaced with 18 B T, which she used until 1986. In 1986, she was given the registration 1 D for her 80th birthday, but in 1997 the number plate was changed to 19 D following complaints from those who thought it was inappropriate to have the same number as her age. She currently has a private registration of C4 P which is on all four of her cars that are licensed for use outside Buckingham Palace.
Conclusion
In the end, there is no doubt that owning a number plate bearing the Queen’s name is a luxury. Not many people get to say that they own something with the royal signature and fewer still can say they have one of her private plates. It is obvious why The Queen would have a need for such an item as she would be constantly traveling from point A to point B and it would be impractical for her to change her number plates in the middle of the trip.
