King Charles and his heir, Prince William, had to ditch some of their most expensive vehicles for a potential threat over their safety.
The monarch and the Prince of Wales have long supported causes meant for bettering the environment. They have even switched to electric cars while they are in the expansive Palace, to move around from once place to another.
However, a life-threatening risk emerged after it was discovered that the technology used in the cars in not completely safe for the royals.
“Electric cars are more vulnerable because they have more technology,” Robert Pritchard, who has briefed ministers and the late Queen Elizabeth on cyber issues, told The Sun.
“If the car is manufactured by a Chinese firm, then the Chinese government can probably get access to location data.”
Charles has been spotted driving the Eletre SUVs made by Norfolk-based Lotus, of which 51 per cent is Chinese-owned. Kate and William also have been loaned one similar car.
The King was even considering to drop his electric Audi after using the new car at Balmoral this summer. However, the tech is reportedly “more vulnerable to hackers” despite it self-drive function is disabled in the UK.
The hackers could not only track the vehicle’s location but can also take control of the wheel remotely.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman did not want to comment on the matter.
