13 May 2024: Aston Martin has been awarded a new Royal Warrant, by Appointment to His Majesty The King.
It is the first time in the marque’s rich 111-year history that Aston Martin has been appointed by the sovereign. This follows Aston Martin’s royal recognition for innovation, having proudly received the King’s Award for Enterprise last week.
Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin said: “Continuing Aston Martin’s long and privileged association with the Royal Family, our appointment by His Majesty is an immensely proud and historic moment for the Aston Martin brand. The Royal Warrant also represents a recognition of our employees’ commitment to British design, craft and engineering excellence which His Majesty has long championed.”
As pictured attached, in 2020, as Prince of Wales, The King opened Aston Martin’s new state-of-the-art DBX SUV manufacturing facility in St Athan, South Wales – marking the first Welsh-built car in the Principality for more than 50 years.
About the Royal Family’s relationship with Aston Martin:
- A passionate advocate for British design, innovation, and engineering excellence, His Majesty King Charles III has driven an Aston Martin since October 1970 when he became the proud owner of a DB6 MKII Vantage Volante specified in Seychelles Blue.
- A present to mark his 21st birthday, the future King learnt to drive the car to its full potential on Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire, under the expert tuition of two-time Formula 1® world champion Graham Hill.
- Between 1987 and 1995 The King also owned a 5.3 litre V8 Vantage Volante, a gift from the Emir of Bahrain. Carefully curated bespoke elements included a cup holder to accommodate a jar of sugar cubes for polo ponies and removal of the then standard ashtray to create an elegant sunglasses case. Becoming informally known as the ‘Prince of Wales specification’ Aston Martin subsequently built more than 20 identical Vantage Volantes for its most distinguished of customers.
- His Majesty leased a third Aston Martin, a Virage Volante, from 1994 to 2007. He visited Aston Martin’s Gaydon Headquarters in 2004 and in 2020 officially opened Aston Martin’s new SUV manufacturing facility in St Athan, South Wales.
- The King’s beloved DB6 Volante took centre stage of the wedding of the current Prince and Princess of Wales in 2011, with the sight of the Royal Couple departing down The Mall in an Aston Martin thrilling thousands of cheering onlookers.
- Aston Martin Lagonda has enjoyed an eight-decade long relationship with the Royal Family, dating back to 1954, when Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, took delivery of a three-litre Lagonda. The following year, Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, the Duke of Kent, acquired a DB2/4 from the Aston Martin team that had won the 1955 Monte Carlo rally.
About Aston Martin Lagonda:
Aston Martin’s vision is to be the world’s most desirable, ultra-luxury British brand, creating the most exquisitely addictive performance cars.
Founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, Aston Martin is acknowledged as an iconic global brand synonymous with style, luxury, performance, and exclusivity. Aston Martin fuses the latest technology, time honoured craftsmanship and beautiful styling to produce a range of critically acclaimed luxury models including the Vantage, DB12, DBS, DBX and its first hypercar, the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Aligned with its Racing. Green. sustainability strategy, Aston Martin is developing alternatives to the Internal Combustion Engine with a blended drivetrain approach between 2025 and 2030, including PHEV and BEV, with a clear plan to have a line-up of electric sports cars and SUVs.
Based in Gaydon, England, Aston Martin Lagonda designs, creates, and exports cars which are sold in more than 50 countries around the world. Its sports cars are manufactured in Gaydon with its luxury DBX SUV range proudly manufactured in St Athan, Wales. The company is on track to deliver net-zero manufacturing facilities by 2030.
Lagonda was founded in 1899 and came together with Aston Martin in 1947 when both were purchased by the late Sir David Brown, and the company is now listed on the London Stock Exchange as Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.
2020 saw Lawrence Stroll become the company’s Executive Chairman, alongside significant new investment. This coincided with Aston Martin’s return to the pinnacle of motorsport with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team and commenced a new era for the iconic British marque.
