Prince Philip gives up his personal Metrocab London taxi

PRINCE Philip is handing over his private London taxi to the Sandringham Museum after 18 years of service.

Since 1999 the Duke of Edinburgh has travelled around London in the green Metrocab so that he can blend in with the ordinary traffic. However, he has never quite been incognito, with frequent sightings by tourists and the public over the years.

The taxi will now be parked alongside other royal vehicles at the museum which is showcasing the family’s vehicles from 1900 onwards.

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“HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s taxi, which he used for travelling to both official and private engagements in London, has arrived at Sandringham and has been added to the display in the royal garages,” the museum announced.

This does not mean that Prince Philip, 95, is to hang up his own car keys. The Palace said he would continue driving.

Last year he was photographed driving Barack Obama, then the US president, and his wife Michelle in a Range Rover from Air Force 1 to Windsor Castle.

The Metrocab had been in need of extensive repairs to make it roadworthy, prompting the Palace to decide that it was a good time to hand it over to the museum. It will join 20 other vehicles, including a Daimler owned by Edward VII from 1900 and the Queen Mother’s golf buggy.

Georgie Keate

This article first appeared in The Times

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