Queen Reportedly Gives up Driving on Public Roads Following Prince Philip’s Car Crash

At age 92, the Queen has followed the advice for her to stop driving on public roads and instead be driven around by a driver, despite her skillfulness behind the wheel. This is because of the car accident Prince Philip was involved in recently.

The Queen has recently been advised to stop driving by her security team and has agreed to revoke her privilege to freely drive on public roads, says the Sunday Times. Instead, her majesty will be chauffeured on public roads, while she may still drive on private ones.

The Queen is the only person who is allowed to drive without a license in the UK. As part of her monarch powers, she also never had to undergo a driving test nor have to have a plate number. However, protocol says she can’t do so to public engagements and should be taken by a driver instead.

The Queen’s has been a skilled driver for years. At the age of 18, she was already behind the wheel -- trained as a driver and mechanic for the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War 2.

“As instructed, the crown prince climbed into the front seat of the front Land Rover, with his interpreter in the seat behind. To his surprise, the Queen climbed into the driving seat, turned the ignition and drove off.”

One factor that probably contributed to the prince’s nervousness was the fact that women were not allowed to legally drive in Saudi Arabia at that time.

“His nervousness only increased as the Queen, an army driver in wartime, accelerated the Land Rover along the narrow Scottish estate roads, talking all the time,”

He added.

“Through his interpreter, the crown prince implored the Queen to slow down and concentrate on the road ahead.”

At age 92, she still enjoys driving a variety of her top of the line cars, such as her Bentley, Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover. In total, the Queen’s car collection is estimated to be more than $AU18 million.

Unfortunately, the time has come for the Queen to let go of driving since Prince Philip’s crash has scared many people last January. Concerns rose after this event and debates on whether the Queen should still drive went on.

Prince Philip, husband of the Queen was involved in a car accident last January, in which his Land Rover flipped over to the side. The 97-year-old was driving near the Sandringham estate in Norfolk when he collided with a Kia car driven by a woman with another woman and a baby inside the vehicle.

While the prince was not injured, the other party sustained an arm injury, resulting in a broken wrist which needed medical care. The prince, after investigation, disclosed that he was “dazzled by the sun,” hence the collision. He also voluntarily gave up his license after the incident.

One of the passengers involved in the accident was Emma Fairweather, 46, who revealed that the royal family hasn’t said an apology abruptly. She told the Sunday Mirror,

“I’m lucky to be alive, and he hasn’t even said sorry.”

“It would mean the world to me if Prince Philip said sorry, but I have no idea if he’s sorry at all,”

She added.