The Queen once replied "absolutely not" when asked by Formula 1 champion Sir Jackie Stewart if she would like him to drive them to a barbecue.
The pair knew each other well and met often – the monarch even turned up to his 80th birthday party. Whilst many of us would defer to an F1 driver's expertise behind the wheel if we were ever to share a car ride with them, the Queen's reaction to such an offer was rather different.
Stewart revealed as much in an interview with Sky Sports, in which he recalled one occasion they met after he won the 1973 world championship. Asked if he had ever taken her for a spin, the three-time champion replied: "No, I didn't.
"But at Sandringham where we were up shooting and sometimes we would go up there for barbecues. The Queen loved barbecues. We used to wait for Her Majesty to arrive and we would go out in Range Rovers to the barbecue.
"It was the first time I had been there for a barbecue and I said to Her Majesty 'would you like me to drive Ma'am?' Because I'd just won the world championship for the last time. And she said 'absolutely not I'll drive, but you can navigate if you like'.
"She was a wonderful driver, a smooth smooth driver, everything was done the right way, the indicators went up at the right time. It was just impressive for me to sit beside the Queen driving in a manner which was so smooth, she would have been a very good racing driver."
Revealing how the Queen had come to be a guest at his birthday party, Stewart added: "The Royal Automobile Club, the chairman, had invited Her Majesty to come because of my birthday and hoped she would be able to attend. But the Palace had a message going back a week or two later saying unfortunately Her Majesty would be unable to attend.
"As it just happened thereafter I was at Sandringham, we were shooting and we were having afternoon tea and I said to the Queen 'I'm very sorry Ma'am you were unable to come to my birthday party' at the RAC. [The Queen replied] 'what birthday party?'
"And I said 'well, it's my 80th birthday party and the Royal Automobile Club, of which you are President, had hoped you might be able to attend. 'Oh let me look at it'. Two days later there was a message which came through from the Palace that Her Majesty would be very pleased to attend."
