MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - Prince Philip's MG - photo

I'm looking for photos/videos of Prince Philip with his pre-1950 MG. Probably a TC. Black with green interior. Do any of you have photos, videos, or links? High resolution preferred, but I'll take anything that I can get.

I'm also looking for photos of any of the Royal Family with an MG. eg. Price Charles's MGC-GT

http://c7.alamy.com/comp/A1GMED/prince-charles-arriving-at-ambersham-cowdray-park-in-his-mg-for-a-A1GMED.jpg

http://i.pinimg.com/originals/8e/04/78/8e0478eaaf94909f15289361e40f00d2.jpg

Please send to my email if your files are too large to post on the BBS.

Thanks for your help,

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/13/queens-letter-reveals-paparazzi-chase-in-prince-philips-sports-c/
Lew Palmer

The Netflix series The Crown has him driving around in a 53 TD.

Jim
James Neel

Lew - Thanks. I have that link. Good info about the car, but a photo of his TABC is not in the article nor in the 92 photos of the Queen.

James - I'm looking for a pic of Price Philip in his car. In "The Crown," The actor in driving the '53 in scenes that are pre '53. Don't know if the car-wrangler thought that all MGs are the same. The exterior is black and interior is green like Philip's TABC.

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

Still looking for photos or videos of Prince Philip's TC.

Here's a little more info:

> Registration number – HXD 99
> Purchased on 25th September 1946 – new
> Colour – Black exterior w/green interior
> Chassis number – TC1362, Engine number – XPAG 2024
> Production date 11-September-1946
> The car may not have survived as there is now no record of it.

One report says that the Prince purchased the car new on 25-September-1946, and that it was sent for sale to the Car Mart Limited, Euston Road, LONDON NW1 in November 1948. Another says that he traded in the TC for a TD when the car was introduced shortly before his father-in-law's death. King George's date of death: February 6, 1952.


Re: MGC-GT -

Prince Charles owned the first production MGC GT? BL had lent The Prince a demonstrator and as a result the first new model was delivered to Sandringham on 18th January 1968. According to the Prince's helpful Press Officer, the Prince chose Mineral Blue with blue upholstery and extras including wire wheels, an electric aerial and a special steering wheel.

Obviously impressed with big engined sportscars, the Prince drove the MGC until 1970 when he replaced it with an Aston Martin.

Another report says Prince Charles took delivery of MGC GT (SGY 766F) in 1967. He passed down to Prince William 30 years later. It has been restores and is often on display.

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

Lonnie, I have the pic you're looking for. All I need to do is find it! It was published in a period magazine of the time and I think (??) it may have been the MG "Motoring" magazine from the early 50's of which I have a nearly complete set from the early days. Otherwise it is somewhere else but no fear I should be able to find it. I also have a fairly large collection (+100) of mostly period videos. I can have a look there as well. .... Chris
Chris Malcolm (TD29228)

Chris,
If you do have a photo of Prince Philip’s TC, I would be very grateful if you could also send me a copy.

I recently acquired TC1712 which has black paintwork with green interior, returned from the United States.

My email is: douglas[at]rad.net.id substitute @ for [at].

Many thanks,

Doug
Doug Wallace

Lonnie
I'm not trying to be a smart alec but an email/letter to HRH might elicit some info.
Peter Malkin

Likewise, I'd love to see the photo! As would our TC club.
Steve Simmons

OK,I may have spoken too soon. I've spent the morning looking through all of my Motoring Magazine copies and nothing there. Trouble is, I have hundreds of old car magazines, books etc. and I'm not sure where to start. ..... Chris
Chris Malcolm (TD29228)

I'm beginning to think that the Royal Family censored the photos of Prince Philip driving his MG. Maybe Peter's common sense suggestion for me to contact the Duke is the solution.

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

You won’t be able to contact the Duke, but you should be able to contact one of his staff, who may be able to assist, providing there is no commercial interest, etc, etc, etc. These people respond best to charitable causes (especially those they favour).
Dave H
Dave Hill

I wonder, anyone know what his license plate number was? PJ




PJ Jennings

HXD 99

See earlier post

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

This is the closest thing I could find to British Royalty in an MG T Series. Looks like a 53 TD???


Mike I

Probably based on a Daimler by the radiator surround.
Great photo Mike!

Matthew.
M Magilton

Not a photograph but a drawing of the TC by Harold Connally is reproduced on page 19 of The T Series Handbook Workshop Edition published by The New England T Register.
The TC, as listed by Donnie, has been on on the UK T Register records for many years but in 40 + years of MG ownership I have never seen a photograph of it and to the best of my knowledge there has been no further reports of its survival or subsequent ownership.
When the Duke of Edinburgh reviewed the MG Heritage Festival at Windsor in 2009 he stated in his message "I am much looking forward to the parade of MG cars at Windsor Castle. It will bring back happy memories of the MG TC which I bought in 1946 when I came home from serving with the Royal Navy in the Far East"
I have never seen or heard of any reference to the Duke's ownership of a TD and think that may be 'licence' taken by the producers of The Crown drama series.
Roy
R.E. Miller

Lonnie

Here is a shot of Prince Charles with his MGC GT found on the web.

Michael


M R Calvert

Thanks Michael.

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

Lonnie, I may have stumbled upon something. I've recently begun viewing the Netfix series "The Crown". In the introduction to the first chapter there is a scene in which 2 TDs drive in, one MG Red, the other a beautiful Clipper Blue. No help on the Prince, but ...

Toward the end of chapter four there is a sequence showing the Prince arriving in a black TD. He's with a close friend and I didn't notice if he was driving it, or was a passenger. Also didn't notice if it was an early or late TD.

Those questions got answered in the next chapter when the Prince showed up driving the same TD. I got a look at the wiper motor and saw that it was in the center of the windscreen and saw that the tail lights were round. The license plate on the car was KTR 685.

The question is: How much research was done to ascertain that he had a black, late '52 TD. Bud
Bud Krueger

Whoops - now I see that this was brought up earlier. Bud
Bud Krueger

To add a wrinkle to (or conclude?) this thread, Peter Thornley's biography and memoir of his father, Mr. MG (2003), notes on p. 44, "While Prince Phillip owned an MG TC, he was courting our future Queen, John [Thornley] maintained that there were in existence some accident photographs that common courtesy dictated should not be published!"

I see no reason to doubt that this is why the car has disappeared; certainly Thornley, of all people would know.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

This thread was discussed between 29/12/2017 and 19/01/2018

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.