The First Time I Saw a Rolls-Royce: A Childhood Encounter with a Royal Car

I still remember the first time I ever saw a Rolls-Royce. It was when I was five years old, living in South Wales in 1968. At that time, my family was going through complicated reasons that I needn't go into. All I know is that it was a significant event in our lives, and it's etched in my memory forever.

That year was the investiture of the new Prince of Wales, Prince Charles. We were all excited about this event because we were in Wales, trying to be a bit more respectable than we actually were. We were told we could go out and meet Prince Charles as he made his way through our local town. I went out with a load of other kids, standing there in the cold and damp, waving pathetic little soggy paper flags. It was a surreal experience, standing there for about two hours, watching 25-year-old Prince Charles make his way to say hello.

As he passed by, I was struck by how important he seemed. We had been told that he was very important, and we were going to meet him today. But as the reality set in, I felt a sense of disappointment wash over me. When Prince Charles finally arrived in a car being driven far too quickly, probably by his dad, I didn't even get a chance to meet him. He swept past us, barely looking at any of us, including myself.

The only thing that caught my attention was the car itself - a Phantom 6. I thought it was fantastic. The sleek design, the powerful engine, and the sheer luxury of it all. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. My love for Rolls-Royce began there, and it's a feeling that has stayed with me to this day.

Years later, when I finally got my hands on a Rolls-Royce Corniche, I couldn't have been happier. But, as luck would have it, I turned out to be allergic to it. It was a cruel twist of fate, but one that didn't deter me from pursuing my passion for these magnificent cars.

The turning point in my love affair with the Corniche came when I was in my 30s, leaving the offices of Car Magazine where I used to write a column and do other bits of work. I couldn't remember what I was driving at the time - something mundane, no doubt. As I made my way along the A40, a Rolls-Royce Corniche hardtop started to blend into the traffic just in front of me. I backed off, being a gentleman, of course, and let it pass.

As the car did, the window lowered, and I caught a glimpse of something that took my breath away. The sun was low, casting a golden glow over everything, and the window looked like mercury draining out of a thermometer. Suddenly, a perfectly gloved woman's hand came out, waving at me with an elegant smile. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.

In that instant, I was completely besotted with her, whoever she was, and her car. It was as if the entire world had come to a standstill, and all that mattered was this one moment of connection with someone beautiful and refined. And, of course, the Rolls-Royce Corniche - it was like they were meant to be together.

Looking back on that encounter, I realize that my fundamental dislike of Prince Charles and my love of that woman's hand are what cemented my love for the Corniche. It's a feeling that has stayed with me ever since, and one that I'll always treasure.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso the first time I ever saw a Rolls Royce I was five years old we were living in South Wales at the time for complicated reasons that I needn't go into that was 1968 and that was the investiture of the new Prince of Wales Prince Charles as we would no know him and I was told as a small boy everybody got very excited about this because we were in Wales and we were trying to be a bit well should we were very excited about it we were told we could go and meet Prince Charles as he made his way through the local town so I went out there with a load of other kids and stood there in the cold and the damp and the black-and-white with a pathetic little soggy paper flag to wave it in when he came to say hello for about I think it was probably about two hours with 25 years old is all your life up until that point but I was going to meet the Prince of Wales who was very important we've been told that and then eventually he swept past in a car being driven far too quickly probably by his dad him sitting in the back with his big ears and he didn't even look at me that was it and as a result of that I became a staunch Republican but I did develop an interest in rolls-royce because he was in the back of a phantom 6 which I thought was fantastic so many years later I was able to buy a rolls-royce Corniche for you to don't have anymore unfortunately because I turned out to be allergic to it but the thing that cemented my love of the Cornish was a later event when I was in my 30s and I was leaving the offices of car magazine where I used to write a column and do other bits of work and I can't remember what I was driving something very mundane and as I made my way along the a40 a rolls-royce Corniche hardtop started to blend into the traffic just in front of me so I backed off being a gentleman obviously to let it in and as it did the window lowered and the window was because of the low Sun it was in the autumn the window looked like mercury draining out of the thermometer and it went down and this perfectly gloved woman's hand came out and went like that at me and at that point I was completely besotted with her whoever she was and her car and that's why I bought one my fundamental dislike of Prince Charles and my love of that woman's hand that's all it was bloody tofs I bet he said to his dad it was almost certainly driving that they said look at these horrible poor children with their wooden shoes and their ill-fitting coats that they're going to grow into one day with that crap soggy paper flags aren't they disgusting that was me youso the first time I ever saw a Rolls Royce I was five years old we were living in South Wales at the time for complicated reasons that I needn't go into that was 1968 and that was the investiture of the new Prince of Wales Prince Charles as we would no know him and I was told as a small boy everybody got very excited about this because we were in Wales and we were trying to be a bit well should we were very excited about it we were told we could go and meet Prince Charles as he made his way through the local town so I went out there with a load of other kids and stood there in the cold and the damp and the black-and-white with a pathetic little soggy paper flag to wave it in when he came to say hello for about I think it was probably about two hours with 25 years old is all your life up until that point but I was going to meet the Prince of Wales who was very important we've been told that and then eventually he swept past in a car being driven far too quickly probably by his dad him sitting in the back with his big ears and he didn't even look at me that was it and as a result of that I became a staunch Republican but I did develop an interest in rolls-royce because he was in the back of a phantom 6 which I thought was fantastic so many years later I was able to buy a rolls-royce Corniche for you to don't have anymore unfortunately because I turned out to be allergic to it but the thing that cemented my love of the Cornish was a later event when I was in my 30s and I was leaving the offices of car magazine where I used to write a column and do other bits of work and I can't remember what I was driving something very mundane and as I made my way along the a40 a rolls-royce Corniche hardtop started to blend into the traffic just in front of me so I backed off being a gentleman obviously to let it in and as it did the window lowered and the window was because of the low Sun it was in the autumn the window looked like mercury draining out of the thermometer and it went down and this perfectly gloved woman's hand came out and went like that at me and at that point I was completely besotted with her whoever she was and her car and that's why I bought one my fundamental dislike of Prince Charles and my love of that woman's hand that's all it was bloody tofs I bet he said to his dad it was almost certainly driving that they said look at these horrible poor children with their wooden shoes and their ill-fitting coats that they're going to grow into one day with that crap soggy paper flags aren't they disgusting that was me you\n"