Prince William’s car proves he’s cooler than other royals

Typically when we see members of the British royal family, they're in the back seat of chauffeur-driven limousines, or tooling around the countryside in one of their trademark Land Rover SUVs.

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Recently, however, Prince William – Duke of Cambridge and heir apparent to the British throne – broke with tradition by not only getting behind the wheel himself, but also opting for a sleek, sporty electric vehicle.

While visiting his wife Catherine, who recently underwent abdominal surgery at a private hospital in the London suburb of Marylebone, Prince William got behind the wheel of a black 2023 Audi RS E-Tron GT (closely followed by his security team in a Land Rover Discovery).

An ultra-modern, all-electric sports car with a hefty price tag and proper performance chops? It's a far cry from the royal family's usual, more traditional rides, which include a Bentley State Limousine, a Rolls-Royce Phantom and, for special occasions, a gilded horse-drawn carriage.

In 2021, the environmentally-conscious royal was spotted attending an event in a similar Audi RS E-Tron GT, with media reports revealing the future King even installed a charging point at Kensington Palace.

Meanwhile, William's equally eco-friendly father King Charles has been spotted in an Audi E-Tron SUV and has been known to run the more conventional cars in his fleet – like his vintage Aston Martin DB6 Volante – on biofuels.

The Audi RS E-Tron GT costs around $250,000 when purchased new and offers roughly 447km of driving range (on a WLTP cycle).

Its silent presence makes it perfect for a royal flying under the radar, but its performance prowess is a little less timid – with combined outputs of 475kW and 830Nm (on boost mode), plus a 0–100km/h sprint time of just 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 260km/h.

Not exactly something the Prince can flex in the streets of London, but good to know it's there if he needs it.

The British royal family's relationship with Audi dates back decades, and William's mother Diana famously spent much of her '90s heyday in a now-iconic Audi A4 Cabriolet.