There is much talk these days about the cars of Queen Elizabeth II, the “sovereign mechanic” as she was called in some media because of the knowledge she had, because of her love of cars and driving, and that she never got a license…
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Isabel II he loved cars and driving. And he was good at it. Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saúd was invited to Balmoral, the Queen’s summer residence, for lunch in September 1998. After his brother King Fahd’s stroke in 1995, Abdullah was already the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. After the meal, the monarch asked her guest if he would like a tour of the property. Hesitant at first, Abdullah had finally accepted. The Queen’s Land Rover Defender was waiting for them at the castle gate.
According to the instructions, the Crown Prince climbed into the front seat, with his interpreter in the back seat. To his surprise, the queen got behind the wheel and drove off. Women were still not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia and Abdullah was not used to driving a car.
driving a woman, let alone a queen. His nervousness increased as the driver depressed the accelerator of her Land Rover as she deftly steered the 4×4 along one of Scotland’s classic narrow roads, telling him about the area. At one point, through his interpreter, the crown prince begged the driver to slow down…
But our story begins years before, in World War II, in a London bombed by German V2s, when Princess Elisabeth, daughter of King George VI, enters the month of April 1945, just 18 years old, in the Auxiliary Territory Service, as an ambulance driver. after overcoming initial opposition from her father. So it was
first wife of the British Royal Family when serving in the military.
Despite some initial reluctance from her father, the princess’ military service was very well received by the British public. the newspapers de
nicknamed “Princess Auto Mechanic”. It was not something for free, because both the princess and her companions did not only have to get behind the wheel: the drivers also received training in mechanics, to carry out the maintenance of the vehicles and also to carry out at least basic repairs . Elisabeth had to drive one of the most popular ambulances in the British Army. It was an Austin K2/Y, a type of vehicle popularly known as a “Katy” by soldiers.
The K2 was developed on the basis of the Austin 30 truck, with a body designed according to the guidelines of the Royal Army Medical Corps and built by Mann Egerton. It had dimensions of 5.49 meters long, 2.21 meters wide and 2.79 meters high. The curb weight was 3,125 kilos, powered by a 3,462 cc six-cylinder petrol engine with 60 hp. The gearbox was somewhat complicated to handle due to the jump between one gear and another. It had two gas tanks of 54 liters each. The
top speed was 50 miles per hourabout 80 km/h.
The internal dimensions of the area intended for the transport of wounded were 2.6 meters long, 2.0 meters wide and 1.7 meters high. It was accessed through two large doors at the rear and from the driver’s cab it was also possible to enter through a
small interior door with seat.
could
transport ten wounded, with the four stretchers and those who could sit down. But the need “expanded” this potential. For example, a veteran of the North African campaign stated that he once managed to carry 27 wounded, sitting on the wings, hood, rear steps and on additional stretchers suspended from rifles at the rear.
In addition to warfare, a K2/Y had a
central role in the film 1958’s “Ice Cold in Alex” (“Desert Fugitives”) with John Mills, Sylvia Syms, Anthony Quayle and Harry Andrews. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and based on the novel of the same name (1957) by British author Christopher Landon, it tells the story of a group of soldiers and nurses who travel across the desert in an ambulance in the middle of World War II in order to reach Alexandria. reach.
By the way, the vehicle used in that movie was…
a unique special edition expressly built on a four-wheel drive Canadian military cartridge chassis. The standard two-wheel drive K2 would not have been able to perform some scenes in the film. In any case, it is the image of Elizabeth II with Katy, the Austin ambulance, which has remained in history as one of the testimonies of an era that ended on September 8.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
