King Charles Cruises London in $400K SUV, But Who Paid For It?

The UK’s King Charles III travels London in a $400,000 luxury SUV, one that came as a royal gift from another monarch.

What a Gift

According to a BBC report from May 2025, the British king received a Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II during his coronation celebrations, presented by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. But the auto only recently made its public debut.

Gift exchanges between heads of state are a long-standing diplomatic tradition. As the UK’s head of state, King Charles III routinely takes part in these ceremonial exchanges, AutoBlog reported.

The SUV was disclosed in Buckingham Palace’s official gift register, a publicly released record covering presents given to members of the Royal Family between 2020 and 2023, including King Charles, according to AutoBlog and the BBC.

If you want it even simpler and more news-neutral:

The SUV appeared in Buckingham Palace’s official gift register, which publicly documents gifts given to members of the Royal Family between 2020 and 2023, according to AutoBlog and the BBC.

The SUV is valued at roughly $400,000–$410,000, or £300,000–£330,000, and is stored at the Royal Mews and used only for official state engagements, not personal travel, the BBC said.

The Cullinan made its public debut in January 2026 on the Mall in London, serving as a backup to royal carriages during an ambassadorial visit to St. James’s Palace, Supercar Blondie reported.

The vehicle carries the license plate “NL2,” honoring the late Queen Mother, who used the same plate on her Daimler DE 36, according to Supercar Blondie.

Specs reported for the Cullinan include a twin-turbo V12 engine producing between 563 and 592 horsepower, depending on the source, AutoBlog reported.

Bahrain’s king also gifted Charles a decorative clock for the coronation, the BBC said.

Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa was not the only one.

Other gifts to King Charles included a leather folder with historic letters from former President Joe Biden, a tea set from Smythson of Bond Street, a watch from South Korea’s president, and Armenian brandy, the BBC reported.

Additional presents included a feather crown from Amazonian Indigenous leaders and two gold Blue Peter badges for Charles and Camilla recognizing their charitable and environmental work, according to the BBC.

Official royal gifts are tax-free, cannot be sold or exchanged, and eventually enter the Royal Collection, the BBC reported.

King Charles is known as a car enthusiast, long associated with Aston Martin, and has recently added electric and alternative-fuel vehicles to his collection, including an electric Lotus Eletre and previously a Jaguar I-Pace, AutoBlog reported.