When you normally see photos of Queen Elizabeth II, she's usually waving to a crowd from some sort of balcony, or seated comfortably during a parade. But it turns out the British monarch loves nothing more than the open road.
Hello! magazine reports that Queen Elizabeth II played host to the Duchess of Cambridge, her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and of course, Prince William, at her summer residence in Balmoral, Scotland. The Queen played chauffeur to Carole as they returned from a grouse shoot, and earlier in the day she was spotted taking Kate to a picnic with William, according toPeople.
Here's the Queen with Kate by her side.
Here's the Queen with Carole:
PETER JOLLY/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
This is hardly the first time the Queen has been seen behind the wheel. Just two years ago, she was spotted driving the Range Rover to a horse show in Windsor:
GETTY
Here's the royal driving her Jaguar after watching a polo match in 2010:
GETTY
Would you mess with her behind the wheel of a four-wheel-drive Land Rover? Here she is looking intimidating in 1992:
In the 1970s, she was the picture of chic driving a Vauxhall Estate Car in Windsor Great Park:
And way back in 1957, she drove her kids, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, around at Windsor:
Fun fact: The Queen is the only person in the United Kingdom who can drive without a license. That's because all licenses are issued in the Queen's name, so she doesn't need to give one to herself; the same goes for registration plates on her cars and even passports.
But she knows her stuff, having driven a military truck during World War II. And she once took Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah on a drive in Balmoral, despite the fact that women aren't allowed to drive in his home country. Now that's behavior fit for a queen.
From: Good Housekeeping