She is the only person in the UK permitted to drive without a licence — but her time behind the wheel is finally over.
The Queen is understood to have agreed to give up driving on public roads on the advice of her security team after the Duke of Edinburgh’s car crash earlier this year. The monarch will be chauffeured on public roads.
Her decision is likely to have been a reluctant one. Despite having access to drivers her entire life, the Queen, who will be 93 next month, is known to enjoy driving herself in her fleet of Jaguars, Land Rovers and Range Rovers.
Since Prince Philip’s car crash in January near Sandringham, however, it is understood there has been concern in royal circles about whether the Queen should continue to drive.
After the accident, Philip, 97, relinquished his driving licence, but not before taking to the road again two days later without a seatbelt, prompting a warning from the police.
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The Queen also raised eyebrows the day after the collision when she was spotted driving on a public road near Sandringham also without a seatbelt.
Most of the Queen’s passengers have appeared to enjoy being chauffeured, although she is said to have “terrorised” the then Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in 1998 at a time when women in his country were not allowed to drive.
According to Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, the former ambassador to Saudi Arabia who published the anecdote in his 2012 memoir: “After lunch, the Queen had asked her royal guest whether he would like a tour of the estate. To his surprise, the Queen climbed into the driving seat, turned the ignition and drove off . . .
“Abdullah was not used to being driven by a woman, let alone a queen. Through his interpreter, the Crown Prince implored the Queen to slow down and concentrate on the road ahead.”
It is thought the Queen may continue to drive on private roads. Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
