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A former member of the Royal Household has lifted the lid on what King Charles absolutely refuses to have in his car while travelling. Grant Harrold, a butler who previously served the monarch, has opened up about the royals and their relationship with motor vehicles.

The King himself has a long-standing passion for being behind the wheel, particularly when it comes to his cherished Aston Martin DB6 Volante, which was presented to him as a gift on his 21st birthday.

Speaking on behalf of Select Car Leasing, Grant went into greater detail about the King's preferences regarding what he likes - and what he most certainly does not like - to have in his vehicle.

While the King is partial to having mints on hand due to the considerable amount of time he spends conversing with members of the public, all other food items are strictly off-limits, reports the Mirror.

Grant explained: "We would always have bottles of water in the back of the cars for all the royals, and normally there would be mints too as they obviously spend their days talking to people... But the King never had snacks in the car as he really doesn't like mess."

The King does, however, permit certain other items - namely a cushion and his official papers - which allow him to stay comfortable and productive while on the move.

He said: "The King always had a cushion on his seat to support his back, we always had to make sure there was one in there for him.

"And the King would nearly always work if he was being driven somewhere, so he would have all his official papers in the car too. He was always working away, especially if it was a long drive."

Grant also shared an anecdote about the time he was driven by the King, along with fellow royal butlers, around the Balmoral Estate.

Describing the experience as "surreal", Grant recalled: "We were up at the Balmoral Estate, we were going somewhere and he decided to drive - so it was the King and the Duke of Westminster in the front, and me and one of the other butlers in the back.

"He was a very good driver. It was quite bumpy because of the country lanes in Balmoral, but we all just had a normal conversation. That was a surreal moment."

Grant's remarks about the King's vehicles come amid ongoing modifications to the royal fleet.

In addition to converting his cherished Aston Martin to run on wine and cheese waste, two Royal Bentley State Limousine vehicles were reportedly converted to run on biofuel in 2024.

What's more, last year the King reportedly took delivery of a Lotus Eletre SUV - an Anglo-Chinese vehicle producing nearly 1,000hp and capable of accelerating from 0 to 62mph in less than three seconds.