Prince Charles Modified His Car So It Could Run On This Type Of Alcohol
Prince Charles has a lot on his plate (no pun intended), since he seemingly favors a form of intermittent fasting. He's certainly busy being heir to the throne of England, juggling the duties of royal life with, more recently, a seemingly never-ending cycle of drama. The latest update to said drama is a possible rift in the royal family over Prince Harry's upcoming memoir, according to Page Six — one that might not always cast Prince Charles in the most positive light. While his role as a father in one of the world's most storied family trees comes under scrutiny, insiders say Prince Charles is sensitive, reports Vanity Fair, and we know that claim indeed applies to health and environmental issues.
In fact, the prince doesn't just take measures like keeping his diet organic, but also takes big swings in favor of eco-friendliness, too. One such swing may seem like just the most extravagant, luxurious, and frankly, stereotypically royal thing to do, but it was actually an environmentally minded effort. Town & Country writes that Prince Charles had his Aston Martin tricked out to run on not gas, but wine. Seriously. We would say his car has a drinking problem, but hey, if it's good for the Earth, right?
It's incredibly luxurious, but super eco-friendly, too
A gallon of gas weighs six pounds, and every gallon our cars burn creates a whopping 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, the main driver of climate change (per Coltura). As Town & Country writes, Prince Charles is devoted to environmental change, and thus felt conflicted about his vintage Aston Martin. His mother, Queen Elizabeth, gave him the car on his 21st birthday, and while the royal heir still loves it, he reportedly wasn't so keen on its gas-guzzling nature. Naturally, his interest was piqued when Aston Martin engineers discovered their cars could run on, of all things, surplus English white wine, mixed with a little bit of whey.
The Telegraph says that Aston Martin urged Prince Charles not to totally forego fuel for wine in his car, worried this would quickly ruin it, but the prince insisted on the modification. Aston Martin obliged and figured things out, which will happen when you're a prince with a car worth upwards of $200,000 (per Aston Martin Palm Beach).
As Town & Country points out, a vintage Aston Martin that runs on white wine feels like the ultimate status symbol, and it also seems like a nod to Prince Charles' appreciation for finely made alcohol — he does have his own gin brand, after all. But really, this is all in line with the prince's eco efforts: He also urged the Queen's Royal Train to switch to running on cooking oil. There's another perk, too, as Charles told The Telegraph, "[I]t smells delicious as you're driving along."