Diesel Powered Hearse Designed by the Duke of Edinburgh for His Own Funeral

Photo Steve Parsons. Getty Images. No copyright infringement intended.

Funerals are a pretty big deal when it comes to the rich and famous. This is especially so when royalty is involved That is why we're seeing news stories from nearly every angle regarding the the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. There articles about the life of Philip, of course, but also articles detailing the history of royal funerals through the decades, the dress code for such funerals, the things that are different from normal because of the pandemic, decisions made that may be unexpected, guest lists and other details that must be attended to.

And then there is the story of Prince Philip's custom-designed diesel-powered Land Rover that will serve as his hearse. 

I've heard of people building their own coffins, but this is the first time I've ever heard about a personally-designed hearse. It is a Land Rover that the prince has been tweaking for 16 or 18 years, depending on which news source your read. Either way, it's actually quite a story.

The Duke driving a Land Rover with the Queen in 1955.

It's well known that people who love Land Rovers really love them. They're dedicated. When Prince Philip began to consider his mortality, and all the fanfare that goes along with royal funerals, he simultaneously began sowing the seeds for a no-frills funeral, starting with the hearse itself. "Just stick me in the back of a Land Rover and driver me to Windsor," he purportedly told the Queen.

Specific decisions made by Prince Philip include the military green paint job, the open top rear, and special rubber grips on silver metal pins to hold the coffin in place. The vehicle itself is a Land Rover Defender TD5 130 chassis cab vehicle. Revealed Thursday for the first time, it generated much publicity on it own. 

According to Sky News, the Prince began the project in 2003 when he turned 82, working directly with Land Rover to get what he wanted. The selection of a 4-wheel drive Defender is intriguing. The Defender, introduced in the 1980s, was in 1998 fitted with a new 2.5-liter, five-cylinder inline turbodiesel engine badged the Td5, which replaced the Tdi in order to meet Euro III emissions regulations. Called either a straight five or an inline five, the cylinders are aligned in a row. It's both compact and efficient, using electronic control systems to produce 122 hp at 4850 rpm.  

There's symbolism in the selection of this vehicle. It's not ostentatious. It's sturdy and utilitarian, a functional vehicle for the common man. The Duke of Edinburgh was so enamored by the idea of using the Land Rover as a hearse that he made two backups in case something went wrong with the first during the intervening years from concept to this moment in time.

Here are links to stories about the hearse and tomorrow's funeral:

Sky News story about the hearse designed by the Duke of Edinburgh 
Fox News story about Prince Philip's Land Rover hearse
The Royal Funeral
Telegraph feature on the Royal Hearse