Queen Elizabeth II was nearly involved in a car crash today, it has emerged. She was in the passenger seat of her black Range Rover when her driver was forced to swerve off-road to avoid crashing into oncoming traffic.
As the Range Rover pulled out of the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk, it nearly collided with a white car, believed to be a Nissan Juke. The white car had to swerve and stop, while the Queen's Range Rover was forced onto the grass next to the road, according to the Express.
A passer-by said the Queen was "very lucky", as cars in the area often travel much faster than the Nissan was on this occasion. They said: "The Range Rover should have stopped at the junction to let the car go by. We sometimes get cars going much faster along that road so the Queen was very lucky."
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The near miss came on the monarch's 96th birthday. She is believed to be staying at Sandringham's Wood Farm cottage, where Prince Philip called home after his retirement from public duties. She travelled there by helicopter on Wednesday.
The Queen has struggled in recent weeks and months with health issues. She has admitted she is suffering from mobility problems, and has had to pull out of a number of events.
Palace insiders told the Telegraph this week that the Queen's attendance at jubilee weekend celebrations is not guaranteed. A source told the paper: "The assumption must now be that the Queen will not be present at events. If Her Majesty does attend, it will be decided on the day, and she will be accompanied by another member of the Royal Family.”
A photograph has been released to mark the birthday, showing the Queen with two ponies.
The picture was taken at Windsor Castle, where the Queen now mostly stays.
