1980 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II - Formerly the Personal Car of HRH Princess Margaret

• Delivered new to HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon on the 16/05/1980
• In Cardinal Red with Black Everflex roof, matte finish Rosewood veneers and cloth seats
• Features include mountings for the Standard Pennant, a Royal Crest and a blue police light
• Warranted 47,400 miles (atoc) from new with the majority covered during HRH Princess Margaret's 22-year ownership
• Understood to have conveyed HM The Queen, Diana, Princess of Wales and President Ronald Reagan on occasion
• A unique opportunity to purchase a limited number production car with Royal provenance in superb condition

Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret Rose, The Countess of Snowdon was born at Glamis Castle, the ancestral home of her mother Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on 21st August 1930. As the younger daughter of King George VI and the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret led a colourful, and sometimes by the standards of the day, scandalous life. As a young woman with incredible beauty, an impish sense of humour and a love of performing, it was said that of the two other great beauties of the era, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, only Princess Margaret could command attention at an instant.

Upon her marriage to the noted photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones, subsequently titled Earl Snowdon, Princess Margaret had two roles, as a loyal sister of the Head of State and the wife of an in-demand bohemian photographer at the epicentre of the Swinging Sixties. After their divorce in 1978, she divided her time between her home on Mustique and her apartments in Kensington Palace and sharing a vehicle with her ex-husband was not an option, so it was decided an appropriate new car was needed for both her public and private engagements. Consequently, on the 16th May 1980, a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II registered 3 GXM was duly delivered to Kensington Palace.

The Silver Wraith II, the longer wheelbase version of the Silver Shadow II, had been specified with particular details as per Princess Margaret's instructions. Finished in Cardinal Red under a black Everflex covered roof, inset with Standard Pennant and Royal Crest mountings and a blue police light. The interior is truly bespoke and for a lady that was sometimes known for ostentation, is rather understated. The matte Rosewood dashboard is unique to this car, and as the Princess found the flashes from the photographers' cameras reflected in highly polished veneers distracting, the door cappings are covered in Black Nuala leather.

In common with many Royal cars, the seats are green cloth, and the rear bench seating is raised so the Princess could be seen, aided by two extra lights above the doors. The car was regularly serviced by Rolls-Royce main dealers in London, and maintained by specialist mechanic Chris Lee, a friend of The Princess' chauffeur, for ten years. The beloved Wraith was put into final service on the 15th February 2002 when it took members of her family to her private funeral at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

It was inherited by her son, Viscount Linley, and being surplus to requirements was sold later that year to P & A Wood, from whom it was purchased by Mr Allwright. An enthusiastic Royalist he, together with Viscount Linley, negotiated the purchase, from the Home Office, of the private registration number 3 GXM, which is not included in the sale, but available by separate negotiation. During his ownership, Mr Allwright assembled a magnificent history file for this car, including Christmas cards from Dave Griffin-Princess Margaret's personal chauffeur up until her death, dozens of colour photographs of the car in Royal use, press clippings, correspondence with Viscount Linley's office, copy invoices, and the original build sheets from Rolls-Royce, all of which is included in the sale.

The car was purchased by our vendor from JD Classics in March 2016, joining a significant private collection. It had a battery trickle charger/conditioner installed and underwent a thorough Waxoyl treatment at a cost of some ú4,554. Starting readily upon inspection, the Rolls-Royce has covered just two dozen miles since it was last serviced by Bentley Leicester on 3rd January 2018 at 47,336 miles.

Presented to auction in truly superb condition with an advisory-free MOT Certificate valid until June 2021. In conclusion, most Royal cars are leased to the Royal Mews by the manufacturers, few if any are retained for more than five years and rarer still, bespoke cars made to order and personally owned by the Royal Family seldom come to market. This Silver Wraith II, at just a warranted 47,400 miles (at the time of cataloguing) is a wonderful example with unique provenance and is a memorial to a remarkable Princess, the likes of whom we may never see again.

NB; The number plate '3 GXM' was affixed to several of HRH Princess Margaret's cars and is not included in the sale of chassis LRH0039342. The number plates visible in the photos are for display purposes only. The Silver Wraith II is currently registered as 'PMY 542W'. The registration number '3 GXM' may be available by separate negotiation with our vendor.