A Rolls-Royce allegedly used to smuggle Wallis Simpson in and out of Balmoral Castle is expected to fetch up to £120,000 at auction later this month.
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost shooting brake – which cost more than £3,000 in 1923 – belonged to the Duke of Windsor during his love affair with the woman for who he would abdicate the crown.
It has black silk blinds in the rear compartment which are said to have been lowered when Mrs Simpson was travelling, allowing her to be smuggled into the royal family’s Deeside retreat.
The car will be sold at H&H Classics’ auction at Burghley House in Lincolnshire on June 20, when it is expected to attract worldwide attention.
Damian Jones, H&H sales director, said: “A shooting brake was really a utility vehicle, designed to go down unmade roads and very rough tracks to get people to the best possible vantage points for the shoot.
“It is not something you would usually associate with a member of the royal family using covertly. It’s like a member of the modern royal family sneaking around in a delivery van.
“There are black silk pull down blinds in the back and there were rumours these were to smuggle Wallis Simpson in and out of Balmoral.
“The Prince of Wales would have had the interior personalised. The leather upholstery makes sense because it is tough and hard wearing but why you would need black out blinds is anyone’s guess.
“The car was used for trips to remote parts of the Scottish countryside where he would have effectively been in the middle of nowhere and privacy wouldn’t usually be an issue. So the curtains add to the intrigue.”
The future King Edward VIII decided to put his own stamp on the Rolls-Royce in 1923 by commissioning Barker coach builders to create a bespoke walnut finish effect on its aluminium panels.
The notion of grained wood finish originated with Edward, whose shooting brake sparked a craze for the style.
The car was later kept in Scotland by a succession of wealthy owners.
Mr Jones added: “The Prince of Wales had the body customised with a walnut grain effect. It became a new fashion and was picked up by quite a few people who applied it to less utilitarian body styles, on tourers or limousines.
“He started the trend.”