11:43 am, September 9, 2022
Since the Queen’s death was announced yesterday, tributes have poured in from all over the globe.
The motor trade was no different and this morning we shared just some of the condolences sent from those within the automotive industry.
During her 70-year reign, the monarch visited a number of motoring institutions and met countless figures from within the industry.
Following her passing, we have delved into the archives and found a treasure trove of images dating all the way back to the 1950s.
In 1958, six years after ascending the thrown, the Queen travelled to France with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
While in the country, the pair went to the Renault car factory at Flins, where the monarch was pictured bringing the production lines to a stop with the push of one control panel button.
(PA Images)
In 1966 she was shown around Aston Martin, with the firm sharing an image from the day on social media.
— Aston Martin (@astonmartin) September 8, 2022
More than three decades later, in 1998, she paid a visit to Castle Bromwich in Birmingham, where she opened a new Jaguar plant, which remains in operation to this day.
During the October visit, she was photographed chatting to staff including group leader Dave Upton and Jaguar’s then-chairman and CEO, Nick Scheele (first picture below).
(PA Images)
(PA Images)
Less than a year later, in April 1999, the Queen was abroad, this time on a state visit to South Korea.
On the second day of the trip, she and Prince Philip were shown around the Daewoo plant in Seoul.
The pair were snapped looking suitably impressed at a garishly yellow Matiz and a grey Nubira II.
(PA Images)
(PA Images)
Closer to home, she visited the London HQ of Shell to celebrate the firm’s centenary year in 2001.
Company officials showed her around the site and she even stopped to take in Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F1 car.
(PA Images)
She had another brush with F1 in 2004, when she was shown around McLaren’s Woking base.
During the visit she posed next to a McLaren Mercedes supercar as well as David Coulthard Grand Prix car.
(PA Images)
(PA Images)
Aside from visiting car factories, the Queen also championed a number of charitable causes.
For many years she served as Motability’s chief patron and and handed over the keys to Motability Scheme cars on several occasions.
In 2003 she attended an event for the charity at the Royal Mews and met with again met with recipients of cars in 2008.
2003 (PA Images)
2008 (PA Images)
Such was the Queen’s interest in the automotive world, when she hosted a coronation festival at Buckingham Palace in 2013, Bentley and Jaguar Land Rover were invited to attend.
During the event she met and chatted with Bentley craftsman, who gave her a demonstration of his skills.
(PA Images)
Despite being pictured in a number of different cars down the years, it is probably Land Rover that the Queen was most closely associated with.
In 2014, she took in a tour of the firm’s Wolverhampton engine plant, alongside Prince Philip.
The couple were shown engines at various stages of development and even signed the plant’s visitors book.
(PA Images)
(PA Images)
(PA Images)
Following the Queen’s death, the UK has now entered a period of national mourning, which is expected to last around 12 days.
