Kate Middleton 'on phone while driving'

Royal girlfriend Kate Middleton has apparently been pictured using a mobile phone while at the wheel of a car.

The 26-year-old, who is going out with Prince William, was photographed holding the handset to her ear and appeared to be travelling through countryside in Berkshire, the Sun newspaper reported.

If she was talking on the phone while driving the Audi A3 and had been stopped by the police, she could have received a £60 (€77) fine and had three points added to her driving licence.

Since December 2003 it has been illegal to use a mobile phone while driving in the UK.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said he could not comment on the alleged incident but highlighted the danger of using a handset while at the wheel.

He said: “It’s a serious issue and one of the big problems. Mobile telephones have become part of everybody’s lives.

“Some people can’t separate themselves from them but what the evidence shows is, as you drive along, you get sucked into the telephone conversation and pay less attention to the road.

“You start to tailgate, vary your speed and wander about on the road. All these things make you more likely to crash.”

He added: “The evidence shows with a hand-held or hands-free mobile you are four times more likely to crash.”