Preparing to leave for work, Lady Diana Spencer, later Diana, Princess of Wales, is surprised by assembled paparazzi outside her London apartment after getting into her car. It was November 1980 and press speculation about her relationship with Prince Charles was rife. In fact, Diana became the 'most hunted person of the modern age,' with her son Prince Harry later revealing that he is haunted by paparazzi who later took pictures of her "dying in the back seat" after the 1997 car crash in Paris.

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh -

Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921–2021) at the wheel of a Land Rover driving Queen Elizabeth II with Charles, Prince of Wales, and Anne, Princess Royal during a visit to the Isles of Scilly in 1967. The Isles of Scilly are an archipelago off the Cornish coast, in southwest England.

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Queen Elizabeth II -

Driving since her late teens, Queen Elizabeth II has always been handy behind the wheel of an automobile. She's pictured here in 1957 steering a Daimler with Prince Charles and Princess Anne as passengers.

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Charles, Prince of Wales -

Prince Charles turns go-kart driving instructor for younger brother Prince Edward in this playful April 1969 snapshot. Their sister, Princess Anne, gives chase.

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Queen Elizabeth II -

Queen Elizabeth II is all smiles as she arrives by car to watch a polo match at Windsor Great Park in August 1958.

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Diana, Princess of Wales -

Diana, Princess of Wales gets tanked up on a June 1988 visit to the Royal Hampshire Regiment during maneuvers at Tidworth in Wiltshire, England. She's trying her hand at driving an armored vehicle.

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh -

Equally at ease on two wheels, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh takes to riding a mini 'Easy-Rider' motorbike as he attends the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Windsor in May 2006.

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Prince Harry -

Prince Harry gives a thumbs up as he drives an Aston Martin during a track day for The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry at Goodwood Motor Circuit in February 2014 in Goodwood, England. Prince Harry left the foundation after his marriage to Meghan Markle.

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Charles, Prince of Wales -

Charles, Prince of Wales driving his Aston Martin DB6 Volante convertible sports car with his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, in the passenger seat. It was July 1984 and the couple were leaving Smiths Lawn Polo Grounds in Windsor Great Park in Berkshire.

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Prince Harry -

The Ayrton Senna Institute in São Paulo hosts Prince Harry during his visit to Brazil in June 2014. The young royal is pictured in the seat of a Formula One driving simulator.

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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge waves for the cameras as she arrives with Princess Charlotte for a Christmas lunch for members of the royal family hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in December 2019.

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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex -

Having tied the knot, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave to well-wishers as they leave Windsor Castle in a Jaguar E-Type after their wedding to attend an evening reception at Frogmore House, hosted by the Prince of Wales on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. In January 2020, the couple stepped down as senior members of the royal family.

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Charles, Prince of Wales -

A highly amused Prince of Wales at the wheel of his Aston Martin DB6 convertible whizzing down London's Strand in February 1971.

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Anne, Princess Royal -

Anne, Princess Royal operates a JCB digger during a visit to a urban housing project in Kingham, Oxfordshire, in July 2001.

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Charles, Prince of Wales -

Prince Charles takes matters into his own hands during a visit to the Royal School of Military Engineering at Chattenden Barracks near Rochester, Kent, in 1985. He is pictured at the wheel of a medium wheeled tractor, from which he ripped apart a full size replica of his own Jaguar car.

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Prince Andrew -

Prince Andrew (he was created Duke of York after marrying Sarah Ferguson in 1986) indulges in a little rest and relaxation during shore leave from the British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes in January 1980. The duke, a naval officer at the time, visited the Disneyland resort in Orlando, where he is pictured driving an electric powered car on a race track accompanied by a Disneyland employee.

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Anne, Princess Royal -

Princess Anne with daughter Zara finds use of a Land Rover as a handy viewing platform at the Windsor Horse Show in 1985.

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Princess Beatrice -

Princess Beatrice, the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, drives herself to attend a Christmas lunch for members of the royal family hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in December 2012 in London.

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Charles Spencer, Viscount Althorp -

A young Charles Spencer, Viscount Althorp (later 9th Earl Spencer), a godson of Queen Elizabeth II and brother of Lady Diana Spencer, behind the wheel of a beach buggy in 1980 at Althorp House, the family seat in Northamptonshire. His sister Diana married Prince Charles the following year.

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Edward, Prince of Wales -

Edward, Prince of Wales is seen here in a Daimler car in front of Highcliffe Castle during a stay there in 1899. The eldest son of Queen Victoria, Edward (1841–1910) was heir apparent to the British throne for almost 60 years. He became King Edward VII in 1901. He is sitting with the owner of the car, John Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu (later 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu). Montagu's son, also called Edward, would go on to found the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire.

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Prince George, Duke of York -

Pictured with friends in 1900, Prince George, Duke of York, the future King George V, is about to leave The Hendre in Monmouthshire, Wales, for a countryside spin. The Hendre is the ancestral home of the Rolls Estate and childhood home of motoring and aviation pioneer Charles Rolls, co-founder of Rolls-Royce. In fact, on this occasion Charles Rolls is at the wheel of the vehicle, a 12 hp Panhard motor car.

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Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught -

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (1850–1942), the third son of Queen Victoria, pictured in July 1904 in a car with military staff while serving as a field marshal in the British Army.

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Edward, Prince of Wales -

Edward, Prince of Wales (1894–1972), later King Edward VIII, behind the wheel of a vehicle in 1913. In 1936, Edward VIII famously abdicated the British throne in favor of marrying American socialite and divorcée Wallis Simpson.

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Edward, Prince of Wales -

Edward, Prince of Wales had joined the Grenadier Guards in June 1914 and is seen here the following year in his car with passenger Prince Alexander of Teck on the Western Front.

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Prince Albert, Duke of York -

Forsaking a car on this occasion, Prince Albert, later King George VI, stands behind the controls of a tram during a visit to Glasgow in Scotland in the early 1920s. Prince Albert (1895–1952) married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923, and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret.

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Queen Mary -

Horse power yields to steam as Queen Mary (1867–1953) tries her hand at driving the Great Western Railway (GWR) No 4082 locomotive Windsor Castle during a royal visit to Swindon in Wiltshire. Standing beside her on the footplate is King George and GWR officials.

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King George V -

An ailing King George V seen in the early 1930s at Craigwell House near Bognor Regis in England steering his own buggy. Queen Mary stands dutifully beside him.

Sources: (Imperial War Museum) (The Independent) (BBC)

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Royals behind the wheel

See what happens when royalty takes to the driving seat

08/11/21 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY British royal family

Queen Elizabeth II has often been pictured behind the wheel of an automobile, preferring to drive herself to meetings, get-togethers, and other royal engagements. Her late husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, also enjoyed driving, and in fact became synonymous with the Land Rover. While an obviously convenient way to get around, taking to the driving seat has on occasion also offered up an ideal photo opportunity, with some members of the British royal family even snapped in tanks, trains, and trams.

Click through, buckle up, and enjoy a drive through this gallery of royals in the driving seat.