'I worked for the Royal Family and this is what King Charles would never allow in his car'

A former employee of the Royal Family has revealed what King Charles never has in his cars while travelling around. Grant Harrold , a butler who used to work for the monarch, has spoken about the royals and their relationship with cars. The King in particular has a long history of being behind the wheel, especially in his beloved Aston Martin DB6 Volante, which was gifted to him when he turned 21. However, Grant, speaking on behalf of Select Car Leasing , went further and discussed the things the King likes to have in his car — and what he does not. He said that while the King likes to have mints in his vehicles because he spends so much time speaking to the public, he does not allow other edible items. Grant explained: “We would always have bottles of water in the back of the cars for all the royals, and normally there would be mints too as they obviously spend their days talking to people… But the King never had snacks in the car as he really doesn’t like mess.” The King will, however, allow other items, specifically a cushion and his papers, according to Grant, as this helps him remain comfortable and continue working. He said: “The King always had a cushion on his seat to support his back, we always had to make sure there was one in there for him. “And the King would nearly always work if he was being driven somewhere, so he would have all his official papers in the car too. He was always working away, especially if it was a long drive.” Grant also went on to tell a story about how he was once driven by the King, alongside other royal butlers, on the Balmoral Estate . Describing the moment as “surreal”, Grant recalled: “We were up at the Balmoral estate, we were going somewhere and he decided to drive - so it was the King and the Duke of Westminster in the front, and me and one of the other butlers in the back. “He was a very good driver. It was quite bumpy because of the country lanes in Balmoral, but we all just had a normal conversation. That was a surreal moment.” Grant’s comments about the King’s cars come as modifications continue to be made to the royal fleet. As well as converting his beloved Aston Martin to run on wine and cheese waste, two royal Bentley State Limousine vehicles were reportedly converted to run on biofuel in 2024. Furthermore, last year the King reportedly took delivery of an Anglo-Chinese Lotus Eletre SUV — an Anglo-Chinese vehicle producing nearly 1,000hp and capable of accelerating from 0 to 62mph in less than three seconds.