It was a special minibus set up to transport hunters and their weapons, what insiders call the 'Gun Bus', supplied to the Royal Family, the 2003 Land Rover Defender TD5 130 used, in the latest version, for the funeral of Prince Philip.
The news is reported by the British trade press which reminds - to those who did not already know - that the Duke of Edinburgh was known for having a keen sense of humor and a love for engineering and design including the 'classic' form of the old Land Rover Defender.
The TD5 130 custom chassis was maintained throughout the period in the availability of Prince Philip, who had commissioned it as a Gun Bus to the British specialist Foley. The vehicle was delivered to the Queen's private residence, the Sandringham Estate, in 2016, with a truly luxurious set-up: reinforced chassis, rear passenger cabin built from scratch, closed storage compartments for weapons, large opening windows, two air intakes. on the roof, LED lighting, green leather interior and French oak finishes.
Only recently, in 2019, and on precise indications from Prince Philip, the Defender was brought back to the state of a chassis cab and then rearranged as a hearse. The Duke of Edinburgh's passion for the Land Rover brand, and above all for the Defender family (as military vehicles) characterized the entire life of the Prince Consort and, in general, of the Royal Family.
In 1948, Queen Elizabeth's father, George IV, paraded aboard the Land Rover number 100 as it rolled off the assembly lines. Elisabetta and Filippo have repeatedly used the iconic Land in their trips to Commonwealth countries, even with parade staging. And in 2016, the Queen and Prince Philip paraded in front of the crowd at Windsor Castle aboard a special Range Rover landaulet that uses a diesel-hybrid propulsion system, enabling emission-free movement during official ceremonies.