The Duke of Edinburgh is from a generation when some people did not need to pass a driving test to obtain a licence.

He was born on June 10 1921 but compulsory testing for new drivers to obtain a licence was only introduced in Britain on June 1 1935.

This applied to all drivers and riders who started driving on or after April 1 1934 – when Philip was 12.

Philip lived in both Europe and the UK as a boy, and enrolled at Dartmouth Naval College in 1939.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The duke has got a driving licence and follows all of the usual DVLA procedures.”

The Queen does not having a driving licence.

She is exempt from the law requiring all other citizens to pass a test and hold a licence if they want to drive.

The monarch learned to drive with the Army in 1945 when she was 19 after she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War.

She still drives herself around her estates.