Is it wise for King Charles to drive a Chinese-made EV?

There is no such thing as a ‘royal car’. Traditionally, the monarchy has been associated with various British manufacturers, such as Bentley, Rolls-Royce and (until their recent, breathtakingly misjudged advertising campaign, at least) Jaguar. But there is no equivalent of the Popemobile, brought out on every public occasion so that the King might be received by his adoring people. Instead, when one glimpses Charles, or the other major royals, in public, it is usually in the back of an extremely expensive and suitably petrol-guzzling vehicle, which sits at odds with the monarch’s avowed commitment to the environment.

In private, at least, the King has now found a compromise. It has been suggested that he has ordered a Lotus Eletre, an all-electric vehicle that its manufacturer modestly describes as ‘an unprecedented merger of exhilarating performance, luxury and technology. A one-of-a-kind Hyper-SUV that defines a new class of cars – and redefines your standards’.