On this day in auto history – February 14th

Sun 14th Feb 2021

It was on this day in 1896 that the future King Edward VII - then known as ‘Edward, Prince of Wales’ - became the first member of the British Royal Family to ride in a motorcar.

The future Monarch rode in a Daimler-engineered vehicle owned by Lord Montague at an event organised by promotor HJ Lawson to celebrate the creation of the Daimler Motor Company.

Though no proof exists that the Prince ever learned to drive, he owned no fewer than four different Daimlers by the time of his Coronation in 1902.

Meanwhile, it is believed that Edward’s mother, Queen Victoria, only took her first ride in a motorcar shortly before her death in 1901.