Meet Sir Henry Royce: A Biography

The inspiring life of Sir Henry Royce is demonstrative of the hard work and craftsmanship that is synonymous with the Rolls Royce name. He was born in the English county, Huntingdonshire, as the youngest of five, and his early life was marked by trials and tribulations. Trials that he would work diligently to transform into triumphs.

The Royce family ran a flour mill that went out of business. The family relocated to London, where Henry Royce’s father died unexpectedly. Though young Henry had only had one year of schooling, he was forced to become a newspaper and telegram boy due to his family’s sudden dire financial circumstances. He worked hard and eventually joined London’s Electric Light and Power Company.

After years of dedicated work to the Electric Light and Power Company, Royce partnered with a friend to create F H Royce and Company, crafting dynamos and electric cranes. This was successful until competition from America made this business less lucrative– so he decided to take a risk and pursue his love of automotive mechanics.

In 1904, a mutual friend introduced Royce to auto dealer Charles Rolls. Rolls was so impressed with Royce’s design that he agreed to take all the cars Royce could build. Their resulting historic partnership worked efficiently due to Rolls’ business background and Royce’s technical expertise and his passion for cars.

That same year, they unveiled their Rolls Royce 10 hp (of which four still exist today), and a legend was born. The brand became renowned for its spirit and mechanical prowess.

The iconic duo of Sir Henry Royce and Charles Royce lives on at Braman Rolls Royce­. We believe that Rolls and Royce would agree that the modern-day Rolls Royce is in its natural element in West Palm Beach. They have come a long way since the historic 1904 10 hp vehicle–check out the new Ghost, Wraith, and Dawn at Rolls Royce cars in Florida­ to see just how far.