The late Queen Elizabeth II's personalised registration plate, bearing the letters MYT, was a private joke shared with Prince Philip, according to a former royal insider. The plate, which puzzled fans for years because the letters appeared unrelated to her name, was reportedly a gift from her husband.
Ex-Butler Reveals the Story Behind the Plate
Grant Harrold, who served as the royals' butler, recalls the Queen driving her private vehicle around Sandringham with the MYT plate. He told Regtransfers: "It's never been officially confirmed, but there were a couple of rumours about the origins of it."
Harrold explained that the first rumour suggests the plate was a tongue-in-cheek present from Prince Philip. The late Queen's official title was "Most High, Most Mighty, and Most Excellent Monarch, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter."
A Personal Insight Into the Royal Marriage
"So the MYT plate is believed to take the 'Most Mighty' part of this," Harrold said. "Prince Philip had an incredible sense of humour, and they had many private jokes in their marriage - so this is something I could see him doing. He would have found it hilarious to see the Queen driving around with it. I think the plate is a perfect insight into the private side of their marriage, filled with 'in-jokes' and a lot of fun."
However, Harrold noted that some sources claim the plate was actually a present from the then Prince Charles to his mother, though he maintains the humour behind it stays consistent. He explained: "Regardless of who the gift was from, the message behind it is the same - and it shows a fun, lighthearted, behind-the-scenes version of the royals that we don't often get to see - which I think is really lovely."
The Plate's Legacy
The late monarch used variations of the plate - beginning with MTY 1 and progressing to MYT 2 and MYT 3 - from the 1960s onwards. The plates held such significance that they were even featured during her funeral, with vehicles displaying the plate following the hearse.
