THE happy couple drove away in a very British Jaguar. He looking like James Bond, she a million dollars. Which is around what it cost.

Family looked on, tears rolled as dad fumbled to see how wide his cheque book now was.

Nothing quite says wedding like a top-notch Jaguar.

Anyway, enough about my daughter's shin-dig and a nod of approval to the manner of Harry and Meghan's departure to the nighttime disco and dad dancing festival in a battery powered E-type.

Obviously they can't pull as much rank as my wife and I. We travelled by XJL Autobiography, not a meretwo-seater but something big enough to lug all of the older relatives around and do a bit of funeral work while the papers were signed.

If you are looking for stretched luxury ignore some of the faux Euro stuff with little class and go for the real thing.

This is a limited market but for a successful company it shows taste and confident style.

I worked for a newspaper which had two, in these chastened times replaced by Space Hoppers.

That does not preclude private ownership even if the final bill tops £101,000 for the joy of owning 305bhp and five-litres of powerful leg room.

Well come on, it's only the same as treating yourself to a Range Rover.

The 280bhp three-litre diesel option starts at £65,000 and good sense says this is a good place to be.

At this level the car sweeps to 60mph in 5.9 seconds and can return 40mpg, as if you are bothered.

The five-litre is something else - the eight-speed automatic sees 60mph arrive in 4.7 seconds and while the aim is swift forward momentum it remains firmly planted on the road.

The thing is you just wouldn't sling such a car about. Very likely spill the champagne.

It is clearly a car most likely to be in the hands of a chauffeur but that is not to say it is lacking in any way as a personal drive.

Get into the rear comfort zone, however, and everything is there.

Now, I don't want you to think less of my mother-in-law by this, she is often described as a real duchess, but her first take on the car was: "Oh good, a telly, we can watch the racing."

Yes, queen mother-in-law.

Indeed there are screens in the rear headrests. There is no reason to miss any royal weddings while making haste for the first race at Kempton Park.

And that probably sets the tone for a car with absolute luxury embossed on every hide panel of its leather seats.

For your comfort there is probably too much to list but highlights include full connectivity and navigation via a 10.2-inch touch screen, all-surface progress control, four-zone climate control, heated and cooled seats front and back, surround camera monitoring, traffic detection a total parking assist package and five massage programmers for the driver's seat.

Other features include traffic sign recognition and adaptive speed limiter. The difference with the XJL is in the rear.

Business tables, well that are hardly for picnicking, drop from the front seats and the center arm rest will hold a post board meeting sharpener.

There is more leg room than a better quality aeroplane ticket gives and my freeloading passengers assured me the rear ride was beyond good and could I pass the nuts.

Life in the cheap seats is also total refinement. We headed off into the sunset after the rigors of the day for a parental break and the pleasure was immense over a good motorway haul.

Space for luggage is excellent and obviously there is nothing so crude as manual boot opening.

In its sector this cannot be bettered for style, comfort and performance. If a business needs a corporate limousine this should be the one.

In the meantime beware wedding dancers. There is always one. Ours was a neighbour, a man of some standing in the law who, should I release the video, has as much chance of making QC as I do of renting Windsor Castle.