Land Rovers are a common sight at the weddings of leading families. At the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a few weeks ago, Range Rovers and Discoverys were used in many support roles throughout the day. So perhaps it’s natural that Game of Thrones cast members Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie – also known as Jon Snow and Ygritte – would use Land Rovers in their wedding ceremony, including an well-worn Defender 90 getaway car.
Harrington and Leslie met on the set of the hit HBO series in 2012, where they fell for each other during filming in Iceland. They announced their engagement last year, and the wedding was held in Aberdeenshire, where Leslie’s father owns a castle and land.
It’s pretty safe to assume that that’s where the 1991 Defender 90 that they used as their getaway car came from. While Defenders are often used in weddings these days, especially family-owned trucks, it’s a little less common to use one as well-loved as this one. The blue paint is either faded or bright, depending on how original the panel or paint job is. The rear door is an entirely different shade of blue from the rest of the vehicle. The steel front bumper and white wheels have quite a bit of surface rust, and the white paint on the roof is faded.
The best patina (and doesn’t every old Land Rover benefit from patina?) comes from the faded striped decals down the side of the truck – red, white, and blue with “DEFENDER 90” in big letters. These decals were common on 1980s and 1990s Land Rovers, and the iconic photograph of the wedding that hit newspapers around the world had it prominently displayed.
Of course, Land Rovers are some of the world’s absolute best off-road vehicles. Perhaps starting their married life in one is a good omen for the newly wed couple. After all, Winter is Coming, and nothing handles snow and ice like a Defender.
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