Risky behavior? Queen Elizabeth II was spotted driving without wearing a seatbelt while out and about in Sandringham one day after her husband, Prince Philip, was involved in a car accident.
The monarch, 92, went for a drive on Friday, January 18, near the scene of Philip’s wreck in photos obtained by The Daily Mail.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace assured Us Weekly in a statement that the Duke of Edinburgh, 97, “was not injured” in the two-car collision on Thursday, January 17. According to BBC News, he was pulling out of a driveway in his Land Rover and onto the A149 road before the crash. Eyewitnesses said the vehicle was overturned and Philip was shaken and shocked by the incident.
The 28-year-old driver of the other vehicle and her 45-year-old passenger were treated for cuts to the knee and a broken wrist, respectively, at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk police told Us. The women were discharged, while a 9-month-old baby boy who was also in the Kia at the time of the accident was uninjured.
The queen is the only Brit allowed to drive without a license. She learned the skill while aiding in World War II efforts.
Elizabeth’s former press secretary Dickie Arbiter opened up to Us about the monarch’s driving. “I can tell you, at times, the queen does have a heavy right foot, but she is a very safe and cautious driver,” he told Us on Friday.
Arbiter insisted that the queen “would never ask her husband to stop driving, nor even suggest it.” Philip went to the hospital for a precautionary checkup the day after the accident but Buckingham Palace said he has “no injuries of concern.”
Princess Anne got somewhat sassy when reporters asked about her father’s condition following the collision. “I’ve no idea,” she replied on Friday. “You know where I am? Same place as you.” The 68-year-old later told curious journalists she had not gotten an update on the duke “since I’ve been in there.”
