Luxury cars used by members of the Royal Family including King Charles and Prince William may have a dangerous technical defect, say lawyers.
Legal papers were filed at the High Court last week against Jaguar Land Rover – the royals’ preferred brand for official duties.
It is claimed that over 500,000 cars built by the UK car maker are potentially faulty, raising safety questions over the reliability of the royal fleet.
Lawyers say the fault can cause affected cars to enter “limp mode”, which caps the top speed to around 30mph and can happen on busy roads.
It is unclear whether any of the claimants have experienced limp mode but their lawyers claim their vehicles are at risk of limp mode. Dai Davies, former head of royal protection, said the speed-limiting fault could compromise royals’ ability to avoid potential threats when driving.
“This is a personal safety issue. Anything that diminishes your ability to get away from a potential attacker is a concern,” Mr Davies said.
Prince William has been pictured driving a Range Rover which London-based law firm Milberg says is eligible for its class action suit.
King Charles’ security entourage has used a similar car when escorting him, which is also apparently eligible.
Milberg says it is seeking £3billion from Jaguar Land Rover in relation to the case. There is no suggestion the Royal Family is joining the claim.
Jaguar Land Rover said it had not been notified of the legal action but would vigorously contest any claim. The West Midlands-based firm, which dates back to 1922, is said to have produced cars with defective diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems, according to legal papers.
DPF systems are common in diesel vehicles and are designed to store exhaust soot to stop it polluting the atmosphere. But the case against Jaguar Land Rover alleges that DPF systems in certain vehicles do not properly regenerate – meaning they become blocked.
James Oldnall, lead litigator in the case, said one consequence can be cars entering “limp mode”, which dramatically limits the speed of vehicles to as low as 30mph.
“This could happen while motorists are in the middle of a busy roundabout or on the motorway. This strikes us as dangerous,” he said. Milberg says it believes that six Jaguar Land Rover models are impacted, amounting to 500,000 cars bought from 2017 to 2022.
It is seeking £3,000-£16,000 compensation for each claimant in its class action suit, which was filed to the High Court on Wednesday. We identified six Range Rovers used by royals or their security services which Milberg says are eligible for a claim.
One is a model driven by Prince William as he visited Queen Elizabeth II’s residence in Balmoral on the day she died, September 8. Another was pictured the next day carrying Prince Harry. And a security team escorting the newly appointed King Charles was seen in a potentially faulty grey Range Rover following the monarch’s convoy last September.
Former royal protection head Mr Davies, who was appointed to guard the Royal Family in 1995, said the legal claim should give cause for concern.
He said: “Attacks on royals have historically happened when they are in transit – so the vehicle is your primary safety when going A to B.
“If that safety is compromised – either because of a technical difficulty or an outside person – that should give cause for concern. I would want someone from Jaguar Land Rover to tell me that the vehicles are safe and if not I would get rid of them.”
The royal family has had a decades-long love affair with Jaguar Land Rover, which is called “part of the Royal Family’s DNA” by motoring journalist Quentin Willson.
Queen Elizabeth II was often seen driving its vehicles around the Sandringham Estate, where Prince Philip famously crashed a Land Rover in 2019.
Both royals were carried in hearses designed by Jaguar Land Rover when they died. There is no suggestion any of these vehicles had faults.
Daily Mirror motoring correspondent Colin Goodwin said: “Limp Home Mode typically limits the car’s top speed to as low as 30mph. If you’re on a motorway 150 miles from home you are clearly not going to be able to get home.
“Is Limp Home Mode dangerous? It’s certainly alarming when your car loses almost all of its power and if a driver reacts in a panic then for sure it could cause an accident. At best LHM is massively inconvenient.”
Jaguar Land Rover said: “We have not been notified of any legal claim in the UK but would vigorously contest any such claim.
“Our products are of the highest quality and meet all regulations and standards of the markets where they are purchased.
“Our highest priority is always to ensure that our clients enjoy the best possible experience.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
