Advertisement

Prince Charles Shows Off Vintage Car His Mom the Queen Gave Him on His 21st Birthday!

Prince Charles knows how to arrive in style!

For a visit to the new Aston Martin Lagonda factory in Wales, the 71-year-old royal pulled up in his vintage Aston Martin DB6 Volante. And rather than simply sit and enjoy the ride for Friday’s outing, Charles was the one in the driver’s seat.

He was all smiles as he emerged from the ride, which was a gift from Queen Elizabeth to her son for his 21st birthday.

During his visit to the new factory, the royal checked out Aston Martin’s first SUV, the Aston Martin DBX. He even placed a logo on the car.

RELATED: See the Queen, Prince Charles and More Royals in the Driver’s Seat

Prince Charles | Rebecca Naden/WPA Pool/Getty
Prince Charles | Rebecca Naden/WPA Pool/Getty

The environmentally conscious prince had his Aston Martin DB6 Volante converted in 2008 to run on bioethanol made from wine and cheese.

“They discovered they could run it on surplus English white wine, but also I hadn’t realised that they had mixed whey into it too,” Prince Charles previously told The Telegraph. “The engineers at Aston said, ‘Oh, it’ll ruin the whole thing.’ I said, ‘Well, I won’t drive it then,’ so they got on with it and now they admit that it runs better and is more powerful on that fuel than it is on petrol.”

He added, “And also, it smells delicious as you’re driving along.”

Prince Charles | Rebecca Naden/WPA Pool/Getty
Prince Charles | Rebecca Naden/WPA Pool/Getty
Prince Charles | Rebecca Naden/WPA Pool/Getty
Prince Charles | Rebecca Naden/WPA Pool/Getty

The vehicle also served as Prince William and Kate Middleton’s getaway car following their royal wedding in 2011. Of course, it was decorated in ribbons with a rear number plate that read “JU5T WED” as the couple drove off with the top down.

Kate Middleton and Prince William's royal wedding car | Indigo/Getty
Kate Middleton and Prince William's royal wedding car | Indigo/Getty

Prince Charles visited the set of the upcoming 25th James Bond film over the summer, bonding with star Daniel Craig over the classic cars used in the movie.

“It’s quite cool but quite scary,” said Ben Strong, a senior project manager with Aston Martin.

As Charles posed for a photo with the actor in front of the DB5 and a real Aston Martin Vantage from around 1980, he said: “The cars are the interesting thing here, much more interesting.”

Prince Charles and Daniel Craig | Chris Jackson/Getty
Prince Charles and Daniel Craig | Chris Jackson/Getty
Daniel Craig and Prince Charles | Chris Jackson/Getty
Daniel Craig and Prince Charles | Chris Jackson/Getty

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE‘s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Strong said after the visit that Prince Charles “was very interested in how we had made them — making an old car from new.”

Producer Barbara Broccoli added, “He had a lot to talk about with Daniel. They both have a love for Aston Martin. Boys with toys!”