PRINCE PHILIP CRASH HORROR
Duke, 97, ‘very, very shocked’ after he is dragged from wreckage
PRINCE Philip was recovering at Sandringham last night after overturning his car in a crash with another vehicle close to the royal estate in Norfolk.
The Duke of Edinburgh, whose insistence on continuing to drive at the age of 97
has long worried his family, was at the wheel when he pulled out of a drive on to a main road and collided with another car.
His Land Rover overturned and came to rest on
the driver’s side, its windscreen smashed, by the edge of the road. The other car ended up in bushes a few yards away, pictures from the scene suggested.
Witnesses who dragged the Duke to safety said he was “conscious but very, very shocked and shaken”.
Norfolk Police said that both drivers involved in the collision were breathalysed and both provided negative readings.
The force said: “Norfolk Police can confirm officers attended a collision on the A149 at Sandringham.
“Officers were called to the scene shortly before 3pm after a Land Rover and Kia were involved in a collision.
“The male driver of the Land Rover was uninjured.
“The female driver of the Kia suffered cuts while the female passenger sustained an arm injury, both of them requiring hospital treatment.
“We can confirm both casualties from the Kia have been treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn and have since been discharged.”
Witness Berneen Caney, 25, who saw the aftermath of the accident, said: “It appeared to be quite serious, there was a lot of glass over the road as well as debris, I saw one of the cars was quite badly damaged.
“As for the car, its windows were smashed.”
The support worker from King’s Lynn added: “By the time I passed
‘He likes to drive around and potter about. He goes to the stables’
by, the car had been tipped back up on its wheels.
“I didn’t see that much as I was more concerned the car in front of me was braking to turn off and that there was glass and debris all over the road.
“There was a lot of people there including police, and there was a paramedic there too.”
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman confirmed Philip was driving at the time of the accident and that he was examined by a doctor at Sandringham.
She said: “He saw a doctor as a precaution and the doctor confirmed he was not injured.”
Palace officials refused to say if there was anyone else in the car with him but it is likely he was accompanied by a Scotland Yard bodyguard.
The crash happened on the A149 at Babingley, near the junction with the B1439, close to the British Orthodox church of St Mary and St Felix.
It is known by locals as the tin church.
People living in the area have become increasingly concerned about safety on the A149, which bissects the 20,000-acre Sandringham estate.
By coincidence, Norfolk county councillors are due to meet today to decide whether to install average speed cameras to cut accidents on the stretch of road where the accident happened.
There have also been calls for the speed limit to be cut to 50mph on the road through the royal estate. Philip’s driving has long worried members of the Royal Family.
Back in June 2014, when the Duke was approaching his 93rd birthday, Prince Charles admitted that he worried about his father.
Philip, who retired from public duties in August 2017, has been regularly spotted taking his car for a spin around the estate and neighbouring villages. “He likes to drive around and potter about. He goes to the stables, the stud farm, and the saw mills where they sell Christmas trees in December or pop into a shop,” a royal watcher said.
There was speculation last night that yesterday’s crash may mark the end of Philip’s driving days.
Until now, he has waved away his family’s concerns and remained stubbornly proud of his continued driving.
In April 2016 he drove a Range
Rover to collect the then US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle and take them and the Queen to Windsor Castle after the Marine One presidential helicopter landed close to the monarch’s Berkshire home.
The Obamas visited a day after the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations.
Edmund King, AA president, said: “We wish the Duke of Edinburgh well.
“Many commentators use high-
profile car crashes involving elderly drivers as a reason to call for bans or restrictions on older drivers.
“If driving restrictions based on age and safety were introduced we would be more likely to restrict young drivers rather than older drivers. “Young, predominantly male, drivers are much more likely to crash within six months of passing their test than older drivers within six months of hanging up their
keys. Older drivers often self restrict their driving by not driving at night and only driving on familiar roads.
“The decision to hang up your keys is a tough one but should be based on personal advice from your GP and family rather than being based on some arbitrary age. We all age differently and the car is an essential lifeline for many elderly people.”
OUR THOUGHTS are with His Royal Highness Prince Philip today as he recovers from the shock of the car accident he suffered near the Sandringham estate yesterday. It was a great relief to all of us who love our Royal family that the Duke of Edinburgh emerged unscathed and that the two people in the other car suffered only minor injuries.
In many ways it is a tribute to the Duke’s longevity and fortitude that he is still driving at 97.
Although he is officially retired from public duties, the Prince is still a great support to Her Majesty the Queen. They are a fantastic team and have served this country marvellously.
We wish him the very best as he recuperates.