Just like her mother, Queen Elizabeth’s last ride will be in a Jaguar
With her coffin now delivered by RAF aircraft from Scotland to London, the final preparations for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral are underway.
To transport the Queen to Buckingham Palace, a customised Jaguar XF hearse has been used, with the vehicle specified some years ago by the Queen herself.
Constructed by Wilcox Limousines in the UK, the Jaguar hearse is finished in Royal Claret, the official colour of Royal and State vehicles. The hearse was built to Her Majesty’s specification, to allow the public an uninterrupted view of her coffin.
The bonnet ornament affixed to the Queen’s hearse features a bespoke silver-plated bronze statue of St George slaying a dragon, as also used on the Queens Bentley State Limousine.
The vehicle has been on standby since it was completed, with this its first ever official use.
The rear section of the Queen’s hearse is unique to her car, with the regular conversion using a thicker D-pillar. You can see how Wilcox create their customised Jaguars in the clip below.
The X351 Jaguar XJ officially ended production in 2019, and Wilcox no longer offer a conversion of the ‘leaper’ to their customers. The ‘new’ XJ program was axed mere months before it was due to be revealed, with Jaguar’s change to an all-electric brand for 2025 the cause.
As a coachbuilder, Wilcox are an official Jaguar/Land Rover supplier, and as seen with the Binz Mercedes-Benz E-Class hearse that transported the Queen from Balmoral to Edinburgh, the customizer utilises materials and support from the manufacturer to create a very polished product.
For the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002, a Wilcox-built Jaguar XJ X300 hearse was used, making the choice of a Jaguar for this occasion a very sentimental one.
Prince Phillip opted to use his own Land Rover Defender for his funeral in 2021.
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