A former royal staff member tasked with cleaning King Charles’ fleet of cars has given an incredibly rare insight into the “relentless” maintenance routine required to keep the monarch’s luxury cars in mint condition.
Martin Cooper, interviewed by Number 1 Plates, was tasked with cleaning several of the cars in His Majesty’s luxury car fleet. A collection of the monarch’s privately-owned cars, not including the ‘state cars’ used for official royal engagements, is estimated to cost at least £6.3 million, according to The Guardian.
© GettyKeeping the King’s fleet in showroom condition might sound like a job that requires the highest calibre of craftsmanship and products, but according to Martin, some of the most effective cleaning tools used behind palace gates were regular, household products.
“People think it’s all premium waxes and £50 shampoos, but honestly, the basics worked best,” says Martin. “It was all about consistency and care – not price tags.”
According to Martin, the level of upkeep was relentless. “Every car was cleaned daily if it was being used. Sometimes more than once. If a vehicle left the garage, it got checked, wiped, and detailed when it came back – without fail.
© Getty“We were taught that the cars weren’t just transport, they were an extension of the Crown. They had to look perfect.”Even unused cars were given weekly attention.
“We’d rotate through the fleet so nothing ever looked neglected. Tyres cleaned, interiors aired out, chrome polished – even if it hadn’t moved in days.”
King Charles’ beloved car collection
© GettyIt is no secret the monarch’s classic cars are some of his pride and joys. One of the most memorable vehicles in King Charles’ private collection was given to him on his 21st birthday. In 1969, His Majesty was gifted an Aston Martin by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
At the request of the then Prince of Wales, the car underwent extensive changes to allow it to run on a biofuel. It uses a combination of English white wine and whey from cheese as a form of fuel.
“The engineers at Aston said, ‘Oh, it’ll ruin the whole thing,'” Charles told The Telegraph in 2018. “I said, ‘Well I won’t drive it then,’ so they got on with it and now they admit that it runs better and is more powerful on that fuel than it is on petrol.”And also, it smells delicious as you’re driving along,” he added.
