The Princess (model code A120) featured a body by the coachbuilder Vanden Plas and was a large saloon or limousine.

The "DM" or limousine type had a sliding glass partition between the driver and rear passengers plus picnic tables, and the "DS" was the saloon.

The 3993cc 6-cylinder engine was also fitted, as a petrol option seldom taken up, to the Austin and Morris normal-control (i.e. "bonneted") WEK and WFK commercial vehicles.

[9] The engine was the Austin D-Series straight six with redesigned cylinder head and was fitted with twin SU HD6 carburettors.

The engine was rated at 150 bhp (gross) and it returned a maximum speed of 98.7 mph, under the test conditions prevailing.

[4] The GM Hydramatic 4-speed automatic transmission and Hydrosteer power steering from Princess IV were fitted from 1956 as options.

[13] The long wheelbase models continued to be built by hand in limited numbers as the Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre Limousine, until 1968.

This had been foreseen in 1966 when British Motor Holdings (BMH) had brought BMC and Jaguar together, and stopped development at Vanden Plas of the potential successor car.

The limousine was luxuriously appointed with much polished wood, optional mohair rugs and radio with controls in the armrest.

The driving compartment was separated from the rear of the car by a division with an optional telephone for the passengers to communicate with the driver.

[citation needed] The car had independent coil suspension at the front with semi elliptic leaf springs and anti-roll bar at the rear.

According to their chauffeur/roadie, Mal Evans, the Princess was chosen because the wide coach doors opened allowing the Beatles to dive into the car to escape crowds of fans.

[14] John Lennon owned a 1956 Austin Princess Hearse which he bought secondhand from a mortuary in 1971 to use as his personal limousine for a few years.

[15] A 1964 Austin Princess was used during the state funeral of Winston Churchill, carrying his coffin through London from Festival Pier to Waterloo Station.

It was succeeded by the Austin Ambassador in 1982 and thus marked the end of the Princess marque, although the Vanden Plas name continued as the most luxurious trim level in the Rover SD1 range.