They don’t pay their taxes, and are allowed to eat swans, but can the royals really flout the laws of the road when it comes to driving?

After Prince Edward’s 10-year-old son, James, was spotted behind the wheel of a Land Rover, taking the car for a spin around the grounds of Windsor Castle, many have questioned whether it’s one rule for the royals, and another for British citizens.

However, it has to be pointed out that James, or Viscount Severn, to give then 10-year-old royal his full title, was not breaking any law at all. There are no restrictions for minors driving a car on private land, and as Windsor Castle is technically in the realm of the Queen, then James, or anyone else with permission, regardless of age can drive their car.

It’s less unusual than you might think for youngsters to be behind the wheel of a car. Whilst you have to be 17 and in possession of a provisional or full drivers licence and be fully insured, to drive on the UK’s roads, there are a growing number of companies offering driving courses for children as young as ten, on private land.

The AA is one of those companies offering lessons to young drivers, with 11-16 year-olds offered the opportunity to get behind the wheel. Speaking to Mirror.co.uk an AA spokesman said: “There is a lot of evidence that suggests that young people who go through this kind of pre-17 tuition end up passing their driving test fairly quickly because they have build up a lot of skill in handling the car.

"And provided they are under supervision it can provide valuable experience in handling and managing a motorcar and understanding how it works and all the safety issues that go with that.

“The anecdotal experience is that young people who have built up this kind of experience end up having fewer accidents and fewer driving convictions than those who don’t which is interesting.”

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