Queen Elizabeth II loved off-roading so much that even into her 90s she would ditch security and drive off solo

The late Queen Elizabeth II drove herself on public roads and off-road, usually in a Land Rover, from time to time before voluntarily giving up in 2019.

Queen Elizabeth II had been exposed to cars for much of her life. She served as an ambulance driver in World War II as well as a mechanic.

In fact, she loved driving so much; she regularly drove herself to various events in a Land Rover.

In 2019, she finally gave up driving herself around. This came after her husband, Prince Phillip, had been involved in an accident while driving.

DISCOVER OUR SUPERCAR AUCTION SITE – View live auctions on SBX Cars

Queen Elizabeth II loved to drive around

Incredibly, Her Majesty was the only person in the UK who did not need a driver’s license in order to drive on public roads.

She had been driving ever since she was a mechanic and ambulance driver in World War II.

That love of cars expanded beyond the conflict.

In an interview with The Times, her former aide Samantha Cohen said she loved to drive fast, particularly around the grounds of Balmoral Castle.

While more reserved in public, it was clear that she knew how to have fun when away from the public spotlight.

Queen Elizabeth II also took a relaxed view when it came to security; for example, she regularly took normal passenger trains across Britain rather than always using the Royal Train.

The Queen loved to drive herself instead of being chauffeured

While she didn’t exactly ‘give security the slip’, Elizabeth II preferred to drive herself to and from events, be it on public or private roads.

Land Rovers were synonymous with the Queen, and she regularly drove them to events and around the Sandringham estate.

In 2021, for example, she was driving a Range Rover to get to the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Queen Elizabeth II drove herself on public roads until her 93rd birthday, voluntarily giving up after Prince Philip surrendered his license following a 2019 car crash. l.
byu/zadraaa inHistoricalCapsule

In 2019, however, Prince Philip was involved in a road accident and had to surrender his driver’s license.

After this, the Queen decided to voluntarily give up driving, in order to avoid a further incident happening with her.

Before she died in 2022, the Queen confined herself to driving around her estates and private roads.

Even in her final years, she still loved to get behind the wheel and experience the joy of driving.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie