In celebration of the Queen's jubilee we look at the Queen's love for Land Rovers...

The original Land Rover isn't just a motoring icon, it's one of the Queen's all-time favorite vehicles.
Over the years Land Rovers have ferried the Queen at countless ceremonial events and she's been pictured at the wheel of scores of them, but the royal relationship with the brand goes back to 1948.
It was then that the Queen's father, King George VI, was presented with the 100th production Land Rover. The 4x4 also fitted in well with the Royal family's love of outdoor pursuits.
 

Car of the people

The association paid dividends for the Windsors because the Land Rover was a car of the people, marketed as the "go anywhere" option "for the farmer, the countryman and general industrial use."
In short, the Land Rover is classless -- there are very few vehicles that are accepted anywhere.
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In 1951, the then-Princess Elizabeth was pictured standing in an open-top Land Rover as she deputized for her father presenting the King's Color to the Royal Air Force in London's Hyde Park.
 
The Queen took delivery of her first Land Rover shortly before coming to the throne in 1952 and has used them ever since. Although the Queen is not required to possess a driving license by law, she learned to drive in 1945 when she was a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) where she trained as a mechanic and military truck driver.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave from an open Land Rover in Ibadan, Nigeria, 1956.
 
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave from an open Land Rover in Ibadan, Nigeria, 1956. Credit: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
 
Land Rover supplied the first bespoke 'State Review' car for a six-month, 71,000 kilometer (44,000-mile) royal tour of the Commonwealth in 1953. It featured an elevated viewing area at the rear so the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh could easily be seen by the cheering crowds.
 
Another example of a unique Land Rover built for the Queen was in 1978. A Series 3 was created featuring a number of modifications, including a 'traffic light' system which she used from the rear to tell the driver when she wanted to stop, slow down or continue the journey.
 
 
The Land Rover has also proved to be a hit with other royals. For instance, Diana, Princess of Wales, watched the Grand National from the bonnet of a Land Rover in 1982. The Prince and Princess of Wales waved to well-wishers as they were driven along a beach in Australia in 1988, while Zara Phillips unveiled a limited edition Land Rover at the 2007 British Red Cross Ball. Other famous Land Rover owners include Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Fidel Castro, Sean Connery and Paul McCartney.