Never One For Parental Norms, Princess Diana Customized Her Jaguar For Sons William And Harry

Jun 17, 2021 by apost team

Princess Diana was a beacon of light in the royal family, as she was universally loved by not only the British public but by people the world over. She used her influence to enact good, spending much of her time campaigning for humanitarian causes that improved the lives of others. She sat with people who were ill, helping to break the stigma of the then-new diseases HIV and AIDS. These are the reasons she became known as the "People's Princess."

On top of her humanitarian work, Diana was known for being impeccably stylish. Still referenced as a true style icon today, Princess Diana was ahead of the curve for her time, as she worked with the best in the fields of hairstyling, makeup, and fashion. Whether it was creating history by wearing stunning gowns that would go on to be marked in our collective memory decades later or setting hair trends with her short crop, Diana had great personal taste and it exuded into all areas of her life.

This is true even beyond fashion, as Diana was known to drive a very slick Jaguar sports car — the XJ-S Cabriolet. But as with most sports cars, the XJ-SC was a two-seater, which wasn't going to work once she had her sons Prince William and Prince Harry.

Ever the fashionable trendsetter, Diana didn't change to a family-friendly car but instead had Jaguar make a version with four seats instead! Fitted with two small rear seats, her upgraded Jaguar proved that she wasn't about to sacrifice style due to motherhood. The car was even displayed at the London Classic Car Show in 2018.

Princess Diana's beloved 1983 Jaguar was originally a two-seater sports car model. But as the princess became a new mother, with Prince William's arrival in 1982 and Prince Harry's in 1984, Diana's sports car wouldn't be large enough to accommodate her growing family. But rather than trade-in for a family-friendly car such as a station wagon or an SUV, Diana opted for something a little more stylish — she simply got her XJ-S Cabriolet made into a family size with four seats instead of two! The Telegraph reports:

“While the other 5,012 cabriolets produced in Coventry between 1983 and 1988 were all two-seaters, this stately XJ-SC (registered E763 KYX) was uniquely fitted with two small rear seats so the young Princes William and Harry could ride along with their mother and her bodyguard."

Imagine that, being able to have Jaguar — of all carmakers — remake your favorite sports car into a family-friendly version? The perks of being a royal, we guess. But that wasn't the only modification she made to the car. She also had a permanently fixed hardtop at the rear installed so that her sons couldn't bump their heads on the solid roof bar in case of an accident. 

Additionally, the car was painted in British racing green in order to match Prince Charles' Aston Martin. But Diana's sense of good taste didn't end with the car's exterior, she brought her eye for detail to the car's interior too, as she opted to have the seats upholstered with Harris Tweed and personalized leather.

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Often photographed in the vehicle from 1987 to 1991 when she owned it, the Jaguar was plastered all over tabloids on a regular basis. Diana was so fond of her car that she was usually in the driver's seat, relegating her security guard to the passenger side.

However, eventually, Princes William and Harry outgrew the modified version of the car, leading her to sell it to the Jaguar Heritage Trust in exchange for a payment to one of her preferred charities. The trust is an educational charity that was created to preserve Jaguar's legacy. Following this, she bought a Mercedes-Benz 500SL for herself, which caused controversy, as no other royal had owned a foreign car at that point in time. 

Fans of both Princess Diana and Jaguars were in luck when the car was displayed at the London Classic Car Show in 2018. The event's director, Bas Bungish, spoke with Hello!, stating that the car would no doubt "conjure up many fond recollections among our visitors who really appreciate nostalgia." He added:

"Seeing the two Princes today, it's hard to remember that they were once a pair of little boys strapped into those special passenger seats behind their mother. How time flies!"

We wonder if William and Harry had the chance to see the Jaguar in the last few years, and if so, whether they remembered riding in the back when they were kids. Most people would be lucky to even just ride in a Jaguar, let alone ride in their mom's one-of-a-kind modified version!

Did you know about Princess Diana's fondness for her Jaguar sports car? If you found this article interesting then be sure to pass it on to those you know!