Prince Philip found a clever way to sneak out of Buckingham Palace without anyone noticing, a former royal staffer has claimed. The late Duke of Edinburgh was known to be a keen driver and continued to drive until later in his life.
He stopped driving in public when he voluntarily surrendered his licence in February 2019 after an accident the month before, but he continued driving on private grounds. But there were many times when the late Duke had to be chauffeured around, and according to a former royal butler, he had found the perfect way to do so incognito.
Paul Burrell, who worked for the Royal Family and served as Diana, Princess of Wales’s butler, revealed that Philip would sneak out into the crowds in a black cab he had converted without being recognised.
Mr Burrell claimed that Philip’s vehicle would be parked in the quadrangle next, and the late royal would go out with his protection officer.
Speaking to Coachhop, he explained: “They [the Royal Family] have a people carrier that seats about 12 people, and they tag that onto processions for minor royals and household staff.
“They will go to the venue in that vehicle, which you often see at state occasions. It was there for Kate and William’s wedding, and it was there for the Queen’s funeral.”
He added: “Prince Philip had a converted London taxi as well. It was converted to electric and very often it was parked by what we called the ‘Prince of Wales luggage door’ in the quadrangle.
“He would go out in that with his personal protection office into the crowd, and nobody would recognise him.
“If they did go to a big wedding and there was a coach transfer, they would probably get on, it’s the easiest way for them to get to A to B in a large number of people.”