Inside King Charles' '£6.3m' luxury car collection with an 'intense' cleaning schedule
King Charles has an extensive collection of luxury cars
King Charles is known for his love of classic cars – but keeping his prized collection in pristine condition is no easy task.
A former royal staff member, Martin Cooper, has shared a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the “relentless” maintenance routine required to keep His Majesty’s private fleet of luxury vehicles spotless.
King Charles’ £6.5m luxury car collection: “They were an extension of the crown”
Martin described the daily rituals that went into maintaining the King’s cars – valued at an estimated £6.3 million, according to The Guardian.
“People think it’s all premium waxes and £50 shampoos, but honestly, the basics worked best,” Martin revealed, as reported by HELLO. “It was all about consistency and care – not price tags.”
He added: “Every car was cleaned daily if it was being used. Sometimes more than once. If a vehicle left the garage, it got checked, wiped, and detailed when it came back – without fail. Even if a car hadn’t moved in days, we’d rotate through the fleet so nothing ever looked neglected. Tyres cleaned, interiors aired out, chrome polished.”
The cars, Martin said, weren’t just for driving.
He explained: “We were taught that the cars weren’t just transport, they were an extension of the Crown. They had to look perfect.”
Among the highlights of King Charles’ private collection of cars is his iconic 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Volante. The car was a 21st birthday gift from Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2008, Charles had it converted to run on a bioethanol mix made from surplus English white wine and cheese whey.
“The engineers at Aston said, ‘Oh, it’ll ruin the whole thing,'” Charles told The Telegraph in 2018. “I said, ‘Well I won’t drive it then,’ so they got on with it. Now they admit it runs better and is more powerful on that fuel than it is on petrol – and it smells delicious as you’re driving along.”
That car alone could fetch more than £2 million at auction.
Palace garages: private vs state cars
The royal family’s collection includes a mix of privately owned vehicles and “state cars” used for official duties.
These state cars – including vintage Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, and Jaguars – are kept at the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace. Bentley, for example, provided two custom limousines for Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee in 2002, each worth at least £700,000.
Some of these vehicles are owned “in right of the Crown”. This means that they are tied to the reigning monarch and not personal property. But others, like a 1950 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV and a 1962 Phantom V, are understood to be privately owned by the Royal Family.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said that state cars housed at the royal mews are “predominantly owned by the sovereign in right of the crown or are leased.”
The lines blur further when state cars are used for personal occasions. Princess Eugenie, for example, arrived at her 2018 wedding in a 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI worth £1.3m. This is officially a state car that was gifted to the Queen for her Silver Jubilee.
King Charles’ private collection
Meanwhile, the Windsors also keep a separate collection of at least 12 vintage cars at Sandringham, their private Norfolk estate.
Estimated to be worth more than £1.8 million, this fleet is believed to be the private property of the family.
Not all of the King’s cars are in his possession today. A 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante, gifted to Charles by the Emir of Bahrain, was fitted with a leather sugar-lump jar for his polo ponies.
In 1995, Charles sold the car at Sotheby’s for £110,000. He donated the proceeds to his charity, The Prince’s Trust.
However, that sale raised eyebrows as it occurred just before the palace implemented rules forbidding the sale of official gifts.
With rare classics like the Aston Martin DB6, ultra-rare Rolls-Royces, and even eco-modified vehicles, King Charles’ car collection is one of the most exclusive in the world.
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