PETER HITCHENS: I have been noticing worrying signs about King Charles... now he's made the most horrible decision
Remember that the late Queen gave him an Aston Martin, in 'Seychelles Blue' for his 21st Birthday in 1969. He still has it, though it now runs on biofuel made from wine, cheese... and unleaded petrol. Maybe that explains the rich, evocative whiff of old-fashioned fuel, which I sniffed a few months ago as I walked past the Royal Bentley near the gates of Clarence House, the King's home.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Irwin set for BSB return from injury at Thruxton
Northern Ireland's Glenn Irwin says he has been declared "fit for work" and is set to return to the British Superbike Championship at 35-year-old suffered fractures to his hip socket and pelvis as a result of a practice crash at Snetterton in June and had surgery on his sacrum (pelvic region) as part of his had finished on the podium in four of the first five races of the 2025 season but missed two rounds after his accident and was replaced by 2019 BSB champion Scott after a private test at Nutts Corner, Irwin is ready to return at Thruxton from 8-10 August. Irwin had told BBC Sport NI earlier in July that he would likely return for the round at Caldwell Park, two weeks after Thruxton, but he has recovered faster than initially hoped."[The] Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon has examined me and reviewed all the radiology and certified me fit for work," the 11-time North West 200 race winner posted on social media."I spent the afternoon at Nutts Corner were I set my fastest lap of the year on my training bike."Thanks to my team for all their support, my sponsors, the fans and all the people who assisted in my recovery. See you all at Thruxton!"Irwin is a two-time runner-up in the British Superbike Championship and finished third in the standings in 2024.
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Jaguar boss who oversaw ‘woke' rebrand to retire
The boss of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is to retire just months after presiding over a widely derided 'woke' rebrand of the carmaker. On Thursday, Jaguar Land Rover said that Adrian Mardell, 64, will step down from the company after just three years in the role. 'Adrian Mardell has expressed his desire to retire from JLR after three years as CEO and 35 years with the company,' a spokesman said. Under his leadership, Jaguar pushed forward with a major relaunch as an electric vehicle carmaker - but a controversial advertising campaign led to a barrage of criticism over its 'woke' new image. As part of the shake-up, the company unveiled a new advert featuring catwalk models and brightly coloured, haute couture clothing walking around a Mars-like landscape bathed in bright pink. Messages such as 'create exuberant' and 'break moulds' flashed on the screen. The advert, which was released to promote the company's new logo and wider rebrand, was dubbed a 'hallucinogenic sci-fi movie' and prompted a barrage of criticism online. Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla, asked on social media: 'Do you sell cars?' Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, also accused Jaguar of going 'absolutely bonkers … showing a bunch of weirdos'. He predicted that the carmaker would 'now go bust. And you know what? They deserve to'. It was a striking contrast with Jaguar's roguish image, with adverts from the 1970s showing the cars out in the wild, sometimes draped by female models, with taglines such as 'the 12-cylinder animal', 'prowl car' and 'nobody's pussycat'. Mr Mardell defended the rebrand, saying that it would 'create the same sense of awe that surrounded iconic models like the E-Type'. During his tenure, the British carmaker, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, posted its highest profit in a decade and eliminated £5bn in debt. JLR in April paused exports of its British-made vehicles to the United States for a month after President Donald Trump imposed a 25pc tariff on all imported cars. It resumed exports in May. The US, which accounts for nearly a quarter of JLR's sales, is a key market for its high-margin Range Rover and Defender models. JLR has no factories in the US. Its UK-built models, including Jaguars and Range Rovers, are now subject to a 10pc levy, while its Defenders are assembled in Slovakia, which faces a 15pc duty.
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Jaguar Land Rover says CEO Mardell to step down
LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) - Jaguar Land Rover chief Adrian Mardell will step down after more than three decades at the company, having said he wanted to retire after three years as CEO, a spokesperson for the automaker said on Thursday. His successor will be announced in due course, the spokesperson added. Mardell, who joined JLR in 1990, became chief executive in November 2022 - following a stint as chief financial officer from June 2019 - and spearheaded a major brand revamp at Jaguar. During his tenure, the British luxury carmaker - a wholly owned subsidiary of India's Tata Motors ( opens new tab - posted its highest profit in a decade, eliminated 5 billion pounds ($6.6 billion) in debt and posted its strongest operational performance to date. JLR in April paused exports of its British-made vehicles to the United States for a month after President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on all imported cars. It resumed exports in May. The U.S., which accounts for nearly a quarter of JLR's global sales, is a key market for its high-margin Range Rover and Defender models. JLR has no manufacturing presence in the U.S. and its Range Rovers are built in Britain, now subject to a 10% levy, while its Defenders are assembled in Slovakia, which faces a 15% duty. Jaguar has plants in Britain. Mardell was among the guests at the opening of Donald Trump's new golf course in Scotland on Monday, part of the U.S. president's five-day visit to the UK. ($1 = 0.7558 pounds)
