Tragedy behind Harry & Meghan’s wedding ride in treasured Jaguar
50-YEAR-OLD E-TYPE WAS PRIDE AND JOY OF JAMIROQUAI HIT-MAKER WHO DIED AGED 46
THIS is the tragic tale behind the snazzy electric Jaguar Prince Harry used to drive Meghan Markle to their plush wedding reception.
The sad history of the £350,000 Jaguar E-type, which has been converted to an electric vehicle, has emerged after it became a hot topic featuring in Saturday’s Royal Wedding.
It used to belong to Jamiroquai musician Toby Grafftey-Smith, who tragically died last year at the age of 46 after a six-year battle with cancer, The Mirror reports.
His widow, Gabriella Crewe-Read, told a national newspaper: “The royal wedding car was bought from Toby. His brilliance is everywhere.”
She added that her late husband is ‘still here’.
Like Jamiroquai co-founder and frontman Jay Kay, Grafftey-Smith was a classic car enthusiast and owned the 50-year-old Jaguar. After his death it was sold by his widow, although Crewe-Read has not revealed who bought it – although the keys have now found their way into royal hands.
The keyboard player was an alumnus of Marlborough College, the £36,525-per-year boarding school where the Duchess of Cambridge was educated.
The car was prepared for the much-anticipated wedding by giv- ing it a new registration plate – the date on which Harry and Meghan tied the knot. It is a zero-emissions, battery-electric-powered version of the 1968 car with LED head lamps.
Built between 1961 and 1975, the E-Type was described by Enzo Ferrari as ‘the most beautiful car in the world’.
This model is said to be worth £350,000.
Prince William also used an expensive car as part of his wedding day. He left Buckingham Palace with Kate Middleton after their wedding in 2011 in a vintage Aston Martin DB6.
Grafftey-Smith quit Jamiroquai in 2002 after ten years with the band, and lived on a farm in Northamptonshire with his family before his death. He was a classically trained musician, and co-wrote songs for Jamiroquai, which sold 26 million albums, with nine Top Ten singles and four UK No. 1 albums.