Prince Philip designed custom-built Land Rover for his own funeral

By dpa | 13 April 2021


BERLIN: A custom-built Land Rover Defender hearse, which Prince Philip himself helped to design, will carry his coffin on its final journey on Saturday, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The green Land Rover bearing the prince's coffin – draped in his personal standard, a wreath of flowers and his naval cap and sword – will be followed by the Prince of Wales and other senior Royals on foot.

The vehicle is believed to be a modified Defender 130 Gun Bus, which Philip, who was also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, commissioned in 2005, British media reported.

The Discovery.
The Discovery.


The prince was a keen motor enthusiast and he helped a team of engineers create the specially modified vehicle, the Daily Mirror reported. A second one was produced at the Jaguar Rover plant in Ryton, Coventry as a back-up in case the first hearse broke down.

In the past, gun carriages have been used for royal funerals

Rugged British-made Land Rovers have long been a favourite vehicle of the Queen and Prince Philip, and Land Rover holds a royal warrant as a supplier to the royal family.

On Saturday, the funeral for Prince Philip is to be held in the afternoon in Windsor. Owing to coronavirus restrictions in place, only 30 people are allowed to attend the funeral.

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