In a rare sighting, the Queen was spotted driving without a security guard or personal protection officer as she travelled on a country road back to her home in Norfolk. Her Majesty almost went unnoticed on Tuesday, dressed down in a trench coat and floral headscarf. She was pictured at the wheel and made sure to buckle up after her husband Prince Philip was criticised for not wearing a seatbelt while driving last week.
The Duke was pictured without a seatbelt just two days after his car crash. A Norfolk Constabulary spokeswoman said the force was aware of the photographs taken last Saturday and that "suitable words of advice have been given to the driver". She said: "This is in line with our standard response when being made aware of such images showing this type of offence." The Duke had also undertaken a police eyesight test on Saturday morning, which he passed.
© Photo: RexThe Queen drove without a security guard or personal protection officer
Philip has not been seen in public since the images surfaced, although his wife did attend Sunday church at St Peter Church in Wolferton that weekend. The monarch, 92, put on a brave face and kept her spirits up as she arrived at the service with her son Prince Andrew. She was noticeably not wearing a seatbelt in the back seat of her chauffeur-driven car.
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Much has been made over the royals and their decision not to wear seatbelts. And while many may question whether the Queen and her family are exempt from the law, this is not the case. There are simply exceptions and times when they are not required to wear one, including when a driver or passenger is in a classic car, which hasn't been fitted with seatbelts. Other legal exemptions include when "a person [is] involved in a procession organised by or on behalf of the Crown or which is commonly or customarily held".
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