The golden era of motoring dating from the mid-20th century can be experienced by visiting the handful of royal collections dotted around the world.
Few are more storied than that of King Abdulaziz Al Saud, whose classic car collection is on show at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia.
Constructed outside the walls of the old city of Riyadh, on what had previously been used as farmland during winter months, it is part of a complex which includes the Murabba Palace, arranged around a breezy central courtyard set in a beautiful palm-planted garden, where the king lived from its completion in 1938 until his death in 1953.
On a recent tour I saw, up close, the magnificent craftsmanship of a range of vehicles. Perhaps the most significant was the Rolls-Royce Phantom III All-Weather, a gift from Winston Churchill in 1946.
Jonathan Mantle, author of Car Wars, says that after President Roosevelt lent King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, a crewed Douglas DC-3 plane, Churchill, who took this as a challenge, promised him “the best motorcar in the world”.
By the time the pair met, the model had been out of production for six years, but a pre-war model was discovered in a dealer’s garage by the Ministry of Supplies, fitted with a throne and dispatched to the king. It took a year to arrive.
Mantle writes that the king objected that the car was right-hand drive. He liked to sit in the front, especially while out hunting, and he would as the car was, be on the left of the driver, whereas the place of honour was on the right.
It is not only in Riyadh that such vehicles are treasured. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has put a 1930 Mercedes-Benz 770K, which was ordered new by King Faisal I of Iraq, up for auction.
Online bids have exceeded $1.5 million. One of 117 W07 examples built between 1930 and 1938, its chassis bears the plate Baghdad – 83807. The vehicle was used as a state car for official business in the Iraqi capital, and after his death in 1933, at the age of 48, it was used for the same purpose by his son, King Ghazi, and grandson King Faisal II. The vehicle’s place in history, its rarity, beauty and its royal pedigree combine to give it a rare allure.
Of the modern royal generation, the Sultan of Brunei has a collection of about 7,000 cars, making him the largest private car collector in the world. His collection is estimated to be worth about $5 billion. It includes Ferraris, McLarens, Bugattis, Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and BMWs.
Prince Turki bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is reported to own. a Lamborghini Aventador, Mercedes G63, Bentley Flying Spur and Rolls-Royce, all models. plated in gold.
In Britain, Queen Elizabeth II has an impressive state fleet. Buckingham Palace Royal Mews museum collection has three models each from Rolls-Royce and a pair of Bentleys. Long-based models by Rolls-Royce are very rare and the Queen once boasted a 1955 model that was just one of 18 ever made. The claret and black painted limousine was returned to the maker in 2002. On her Golden. Jubilee Queen Elizabeth was. presented with a new Bentley state car. Although she isn’t required to obtain a driving licence because of her royal privilege, Her Majesty did learn to drive – and was trained as a mechanic – during the Second World War, when she drove an aid truck for the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service. She is said to love cars, her Land Rovers in particular, and has been seen behind the wheel recently in Windsor and Norfolk. She has amassed a fleet of ultra-rare vehicles – including magnificent twin Bentleys – that is worth tens of millions of pounds.
Museum pieces of the future are often the stars of royal weddings. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drove a vintage Jaguar E-Type to their wedding reception in 2018. The 1960s crowd-pleaser was dubbed Enzo Ferrari once called “the most beautiful car in the world”. The twist at the wedding was that this was the “E-Type Concept Zero”, a prototype zero emissions model.
It can only be imagined what this car – with its place in history, rarity, beauty and royal pedigree – might one day make at auction.
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Stree
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Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Specs
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Range: 400km
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
More on Quran memorisation:
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
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Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
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The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
