Queen jokes with bobsleigh pilot who trains by pushing a car

The Queen has jumped onto another video call to speak with members of the UK Armed Forces and joked with one RAF sniper about how he has kept up his fitness during the lockdown by pushing a car.

She also sympathised with those who have been unable to see their families as the pandemic forced the military to cancel flights home.

Lance Corporal Shanwayne Stephens from the Queen's Colour Squadron in the RAF told her how he represents Jamaica in the nation's bobsleigh team.

The Queen replied, "Gosh!" and then laughed before saying, "it sounds a very dangerous job."

"So how do you train?" she asked.



Lance Corporal Stephens, who is the bobsledding team's pilot, replied: "During the lockdown... we have had to resort to unorthodox training methods. I've been pushing a car up and down the street!"

The Queen let out another laugh and said: "Well, I suppose that's one way to train.""It's bad luck that everything has been cancelled too, for such a long time," she told him.The Lance Corporal hopes to compete in the Winter Olympics in 2022.

The Queen also spoke to Lieutenant Colonel Barrie Terry who is in Bamako in Mali, where he had been stationed since November - missing his family during Christmas, Easter and the summer.

Her Majesty heard how Col Terry's wife, who trains nurses returning to the NHS, had been "abandoned" with their two children.

Able Rate Sophie Levy spoke to the Queen from her ship, the RFA Argus, which is sailing in Curacao in the Caribbean.

The Queen and Princess Royal as they take part in a video call with carers supported by the Carers Trust Credit: Buckingham Palace/PA

The connection to the ship was "very good" the Queen noted.

The Queen was reminded that the Royal Navy will have two ships in the region for the hurricane season.

She said she was "afraid" that the "hurricane season is about to come upon us".

The Queen was speaking to the military personnel from Windsor Castle, where she has stayed with the Duke of Edinburgh throughout the lockdown.

The identification label on the video call was "Windsor, UK".

The first ever video call the Queen appeared in was with carers during Carers Week when she joined her daughter Princess Anne on the screen.

The Queen ended the video call by saying: "I must say, it's very interesting to hear about all the deployments and obviously everybody has been extremely busy with the pandemic haven't they? And doing a wonderful job."

"I am very glad to have been able to meet all of you and the best of luck", she said.