Prince Charles views an electric race car from McLaren in Glasgow

Fancy upgrading the Aston Martin? Prince Charles admires souped-up Formula-E electric racing car as he meets McLaren’s first ever female driver at Cop26 event in Glasgow

  • Duke of Rothesay viewed an electric Formula-E car from McLaren in Glasgow
  • Looked dapper as he arrived at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum today 
  • Heir to the throne, 72, is in Scotland for the Cop26 Summit for environment 
  • He famously drives a vintage Aston Martin which runs on bioethanol from waste
  • Royal chatted with McLaren’s first ever female driver, Emma Gilmour

Prince Charles looked smitten with a snazzy-looking canary-yellow Formula-E racing car in Glasgow today during the Cop26 summit. 

The heir-to-the-throne, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay when north of the border, looked suitably impressed by the souped-up car, which was manufactured by McLaren, as he attended an event at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow this morning. 

The Duke, 72, looking dapper in a crisp grey suit and a blue overcoat, stepped out of the museum to take a closer look at the futuristic vehicle.

A keen environmentalist, Charles’ own car, a vintage Aston Martin, runs on bioethanol produced from supply waste rather than petrol.   

The heir-to-the-throne, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, pictured, appeared smitten with the electric race car, manufactured by McLaren, as he attended an event at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow this morning. He also chatted with McLaren’s first ever female driver, Emma Gilmour, centre, and Leena Gade, left, who is the racing tam’s lead engineer

Vroom! The canary-yellow car’s new livery was hand-drawn and features the names of the initial signatories of McLaren’s Extreme E ‘Count Us In’ pledge page

Prince Charles shakes Emma Gilmour’s hand as engineer Leena Gade looks on

The car’s the star! The detailed livery unveiled today in front of the prince features the four biomes in which Extreme E races: arctic, desert, amazon and ocean

Senior members of the royal family, including the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Kate Middleton have all travelled to Scotland this week as part of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

The heir-to-the-throne seemed particularly enthused as he stepped out of the museum to admire the race car close-up. 

He also chatted with McLaren’s first ever female driver, Emma Gilmour and Leena Gade, who is the racing tam’s lead engineer.   

Escorted by McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown, he learned more about the company’s efforts to move on from fossil fuels and traditional power sources to become greener. 

Ahead of Remembrance Day next week and as part of the Poppy Appeal, Charles also had a poppy pinned to his suit, and another poppy pinned to his blue coat. 

McLaren’s first ever female driver Emma Gilmour, right, talked Prince Charles through the livery on the car 

Prince Charles was wearing a navy blue overcoat today – with a poppy on both his suit jacket and his warmer coat. He was greeted by Zak Brown, Chief Executive of McLaren Racing, left

McLaren’s F1 team was certified carbon neutral ten years ago and has upheld that standard since

He first admired the detailed livery of the McLaren’s Extreme E car, which has been hand-drawn during the Cop26. It features the four biomes in which Extreme E races: arctic, desert, amazon and ocean. As well as the names of the initial signatories of McLaren’s Extreme E ‘Count Us In’ pledge page.

The Prince then listened intently as Zak Brown demonstrated how hydrogen power, which is made from oxygen and hydrogen, can be used as an alternative source of power for race cars needing high speeds. It can adapt to all terrains and only races in remote corners of the world.

 In the Glasgow sunshine, Charles, a keen environmentalist, looked in great spirits during today’s event, where he learned more about McLaren’s sustainability efforts

Car talk: The heir-to-the-throne speaks with McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, as he arrives at the event

The royal donned a grey suit with a pinstriped white and blue shirt, with a light blue and white patterned tie 

The heir-to-the-throne, pictured, looked relaxed at today’s event, which focused on the future of car racing

McLaren’s F1 team was certified carbon neutral ten years ago and has upheld that standard since, he said. 

In September, McLaren pledged to put sustainability at the heart of what they do. 

The car manufacturer wants to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030. 

The pledge reads: ‘Our ambition is to help drive and champion the sport and industry agenda forward, in partnership with all our stakeholders, to positively contribute to a truly sustainable future.’ 

‘By taking small steps as outlined in this pledge and learning more about environmental impact we can make positive changes to help protect our planet for future generations.’ 

  

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