What The Royals Are Like Behind The Wheel

"They see me rollin', they hatin' / Patrollin' and tryna catch me ridin' dirty..." We can't help but hear Chamillionaire's 2005 hit "Ridin'" in our heads when we imagine King Charles III cruising down the road in the Rolls-Royce he was gifted for his coronation in 2023, cool as a cucumber, waving at adoring crowds, and then putting the pedal to the metal and speeding off. See, many of the royals are known for "ridin' dirty," so to speak. Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, and notoriously, Princess Anne, have been known for burning rubber a little too much.

The royals might be insanely famous, but unlike American presidents who forfeit the pleasure of driving themselves anywhere when they take office, members of the firm still get to drive themselves if they so wish — and fun fact, if you're the monarch, you're not even required to show your license to the cops when they pull you over because you don't legally need one. Or a number plate, for that matter. Sweet!

"He [Charles] doesn't need one as driving licenses and passports are issued in the name of the King's Government — so he's not required to have one," former palace aide Grant Harrold once explained in an interview, per PureWow. "He actually has one anyway, as he was obviously driving for decades before he became king," Harrold clarified, adding that the royals enjoy driving themselves places every so often because it provides them with a sense of "normality and freedom," both of which are in short supply when you're a resident of Buckingham Palace. It should come as no surprise that they're spotted behind the wheel regularly, but what's it like driving with them? We investigated, and you may want to fasten your seatbelt.

Queen Elizabeth II owned quite a few luxury cars, and enjoyed driving them too, sometimes a little too fast. Speaking to The Times in 2024, the queen's former personal assistant, Samantha Cohen, noted her love for driving. "She was gutsy," Cohen recalled. "She would drive her cars fast around Balmoral." She'd certainly earned the right. The queen could drive military trucks, thanks to her time working with the women's Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II. She did not only drive military vehicles, she also fixed them. Yes, the queen was a qualified mechanic.

Her Majesty certainly wasn't an ordinary woman, and her driving had even some men clutching their seatbelts anxiously. King Abdullah from Saudi Arabia was notably one of them. While visiting the U.K. in 1998, the then-prince received an invitation from the queen for lunch. What he didn't know was that he'd be getting a wild ride through the Scottish highlands for dessert. Saudi Arabia didn't allow women to drive until 2018, so one can imagine what a shock it must've been for Abdullah when the queen got behind the wheel to give him a tour of the landscape. Abdullah's shock soon turned to panic as Her Majesty drove as if she was operating a low-flying aircraft instead of an earth-bound Land Rover.

Former British diplomat Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles chronicled the incident in his memoir "Ever the Diplomat." He recalled how the queen was careening her way through winding mountain passes like it was nothing, all while making casual conversation, leading the panicked prince to tell his interpreter to ask her "to slow down and concentrate on the road ahead." The queen would later recount the story to Cowper-Coles, admitting that she thought it hilarious.

Birds of a feather stick together, and this was certainly the case with Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II. The two had plenty in common, including a love for cars. While many rumors made the rounds about Prince Philip during his lifetime, one thing that wasn't disputed was his love for speed. Like the queen, he owned various fancy cars, and he could drive any vehicle you handed to him, whether that was a double-decker bus, a vintage car, a motorbike, or an army tank. The queen loved driving with Philip, and unsurprisingly didn't mind his love for speed. In a 1939 letter she penned, the future queen noted her husband-to-be's tendency to step on it. "Philip enjoys driving and does it fast! He has his own tiny M.G which he is very proud of — he has taken me about in it, once up to London, which was great fun, only it was like sitting on the road, and the wheels are almost as high as one's head," she wrote, per the Daily Mail.

Philip could be careful behind the wheel as well. After all, former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, entrusted him with their safety when they drove with him and the queen during a visit to the U.K. in 2016. The prince was decidedly less responsible when it was just him behind the wheel, however. He was caught driving sans his seatbelt a mere two days after he crashed his Land Rover Freelander into a Kia in 2019. The prince later noted that he was blinded by late afternoon sun when the collision occurred. He took full responsibility for the accident and wrote a letter to the Kia's driver, apologizing for the accident. He gave up his license shortly after.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip might have loved speed, but it might be safe to say that their daughter, Princess Anne, absolutely adores it. The princess royal has gotten herself into a few confrontations with the cops over the years, thanks to her inability to stick to the speed limit. Princess Anne has proven that she's a total boss on numerous occasions, and while speeding should absolutely not be condoned, the princess' penchant for doing so fits her nonconformist personality.

In 1990, Anne was in hot water with the powers that be because of her speeding habits. The Princess Royal had been caught speeding twice within the span of a week. She'd been hitting it at 77 mph and 90 mph, respectively, in a 60-mph zone. The subsequent $300 fine wasn't her only punishment. The court ruled that the unruly royal's driver's license be suspended for a month. Anne learned her lesson; for a while, at least, but memory has a tendency to fade. By 2001, she was back on the British police's radar after she floored it at 93 mph in a 70-mph zone. To make matters worse, Anne hadn't pulled off when police officers tailed her. Instead, she only sped up. She explained to the court that she'd thought the police cars were her escorts to the royal engagement she was heading to, and when they flashed their lights, she took it as confirmation. At no point did she realize they were trying to write her a speeding ticket. Said ticket totaled £400 (about $500 today).

Given her history of speeding, it should come as no surprise that Anne once snuck out of Buckingham Palace to take former racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart's sports car for a clandestine spin around the track.

As far as the public knows, King Charles III is a model citizen when it comes to his conduct on the road. Unlike his sister, Princess Anne, there's no record of the king ever getting a speeding ticket. Former royal staffer Grant Harrold once said in an interview that Charles is known to enjoy getting behind the wheel instead of relying on a chauffeur. "If he was going to an official engagement he would use a car, but apart from that he would just drive himself wherever he needed to go," Harrold noted, per PureWow.

Harrold once had the privilege of driving with Charles, describing the experience as "surreal," per Express. "He was a very good driver. It was quite bumpy because of the country lanes in Balmoral, but we all just had a normal conversation," he recalled. Thanks to having been in the monarch's car, Harrold also revealed the non-negotiables Charles keeps at hand when he hits the road. "[He] always had a cushion on his seat to support his back, we always had to make sure there was one in there for him," Harrold revealed, per Marie Claire. One thing Charles didn't keep in his car was snacks. "He really doesn't like mess, Harrold explained.

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, might be madly in love, but they have very different habits when it comes to driving. Ex royal butler Grant Harrold revealed in an interview that, while the king likes his car organized and squeaky clean, Camilla's is a bit of a mess, in part, because of her penchant for driving around with her dogs. He noted that the Queen Consort has three dogs who often get to ride shotgun. "Her car always had loads of hair in the backseat where they sat," Harrold noted, per Marie Claire. Charles, who doesn't even want snacks in his car, probably isn't fond of all the dog hair in his wife's, but as they say, it's funny what love can do.

Camilla also enjoys a ride in a fancy sports car every now and then. In 2003, she was spotted next to Charles in his 1969 Aston Martin DB Volante. The two royals had fans drooling over them as they cruised back to the palace after attending a polo match at Cirencester Park Polo Club. It was notably the same car Charles and his ex-wife, Princess Diana, were spotted driving in on numerous occasions before their marriage imploded.

If you thought Princess Anne was the most unruly driver out of Queen Elizabeth II's four children, you thought wrong. That title goes to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Anne might have racked up speeding tickets, but Andrew damaged property with his antics, and has proven to have a bit of a temper when he's behind the wheel.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has made history for all the wrong reasons, and his track record on the road proves to be rather questionable as well. In 2016, the prince found himself the subject of unflattering headlines when news made it into the public sphere that he'd damaged the Windsor Great Park gates. When the gate sensors failed to detect his vehicle, the impatient royal decided to simply drive his Range Rover right through them. It wasn't his only access route to his destination — there was an alternative one-mile road, but Andrew seemingly didn't have the patience to spare a thought for this option. There were calls for him to be prosecuted for his conduct, which fell on deaf ears. One of the park's staff told The Sun at the time that workers were calling the incident "ParkGate," noting, "[Andrew] has a bit of a reputation for roaring around like Toad of Toad Hall and he seems to think he can do what he likes" (via The Guardian).

Andrew also loves to speed, and threw a royal tantrum in 2025 when he was out horseback riding and came across city workers constructing a speed bump on the road leading to Royal Lodge, where he used to reside. An eye witness told The Sun that the former prince was very upset, yelling at the construction workers, "What the f*** are you doing now?" They noted that he was probably miffed that he'd no longer get to speed down the road. "Andrew likes to drive his car out of Royal Lodge quite fast and is obviously a bit peeved as one of the speed humps is right by the gate out of the park," they explained.

Something you might not know about Prince William is that he's capable of pulling off some Hollywood-worthy maneuvers behind the wheel. Given his mother, Princess Diana's tragic death in a car accident as she was being pursued by paparazzi, it makes sense that the royal was given some additional training to help him get out of sticky situations, should it ever be necessary. Thus, when he was learning how to drive, William was taught how to execute what is known as J-Turn. This maneuver is often seen in films — you back the car up at speed, turn the wheel at the opportune moment, and floor it. This momentum turns the vehicle 180 degrees, allowing for a quick escape.

The prince has luckily never needed to perform a J-Turn, but he's certainly a good driver, having passed his driver's test the first time. The prince, like some of his family members, have been the subject of some headlines pertaining to his conduct on the road, however. In 2003, William found himself in hot water with the Earl of Bathurst, who claimed he and his police escorts were speeding on his estate. William overtook the earl, who was reportedly driving rather slow, and his escorts naturally followed.

"It was on Lord Bathurst's property and so he hit his horn and gave chase. He wanted to overtake the police car but, instead, it stopped him," a spokesperson told the BBC. "Prince William drove on but the police officer had strong words with Lord Bathurst." King Charles III apologized for the ordeal in the aftermath of the incident.

Princess Catherine might be the queen-in-waiting, but she's not above driving herself places. The royal had the internet talking when she drove herself to a royal engagement in January 2026. An onlooker managed to capture the princess arriving at Windsor Castle sans a driver. "The Princess of Wales drove herself to Windsor Castle this afternoon to host a reception for the England Women's rugby team — in an Alexander McQueen suit and stilettos. Iconic," the person who captured the video penned on X.

While it's common for royals to drive themselves, it is unusual for them to drive themselves to official royal engagements. However, Catherine likely opted to get behind the wheel for this one because Windsor Castle is so close to her and Prince William's home, Forest Lodge — about a 3-mile drive, to be exact. It seems the royal didn't want to bother her driver for such a short trip. Catherine has also frequently been spotted driving her three kids to school, so she clearly doesn't mind getting behind the wheel. In fact, she might actually enjoy it.

During a 2017 royal engagement in Birmingham, Catherine and William took part in an off-road driving course, and Catherine was all too happy to get behind the wheel. The couple's Instagram account posted some snaps of the adventure to its Stories that day, noting, "The Duchess completes the off-road driving course," per Vogue.

Prince Harry appears to be the antithesis of his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, when it comes to patience behind the wheel. Anyone who's ever had to teach someone else to drive knows just how much patience and self-restraint it requires, but Harry is clearly cool as a cucumber, because he took it upon himself to teach his wife, Meghan Markle, how to drive in the U.K. (for those unaware, cars drive on the left side of the road over there, not the right as in the U.S., and it takes some getting used to). Meghan was his fiancée at the time, and many would probably agree that giving your fiancée driving lessons can seriously test a relationship. Aside from having to teach Meghan to drive on the left side of the road, Harry was also faced with the daunting task of teaching her how to drive a stick. Of course, as we all know, their relationship survived those driving lessons.

Harry, like William, also received some additional driving lessons to ensure he could J-Turn his way out of an emergency, but unlike his older brother, Harry doesn't have a squeaky clean driving record. The prince was once caught speeding with his motorbike, according to Angela Levin's book, "Harry: Conversations with the Prince." While he was accompanied by his own police officers for the ride, the cops who pulled him over weren't about to let him off easy. Harry turned on the charm in an attempt to avoid getting a speeding ticket. "Harry lifted his visor and smiled at the police. His magic ability of making strangers instantly warm to him did not let him down and the officers decided that on this occasion a verbal warning was all that was needed," Levin wrote.

Given the fact that Meghan Markle let Prince Harry give her driving lessons in the U.K., it's apparent that she planned on joining her fellow royals in driving herself places. Of course, thanks to Harry and Meghan's abrupt exit from the U.K., royal fans never really got to see her put her new skills to use. As she readied to become a member of the firm, Meghan was also required to complete a tactical driving course so she could help herself in case of an emergency.

Before she became a royal, however, the duchess drove herself places all the time — in an old, tired Ford Explorer. During an interview on "The Ellen Degeneres Show" in 2021, Meghan recalled how the car's lock stopped working, which meant she had to find another way to get in behind the wheel. "So after auditions I would park at the back of the parking lot, and I would open the trunk and climb in and pulled it shut behind me and crawl over all my seats. That's how I would come to and fro," she shared. She was nothing if not innovative.