Duchess ‘sad’ after death of woman hit by police outrider

THE Duchess of Edinburgh was “deeply saddened” to learn of the death of a great-grandmother hit by her police outrider, Buckingham Palace has said.

Helen Holland, 81, died on Tuesday, two weeks after she was “flung 40ft” by the motorcycle as she crossed a road in west London. The Duchess is understood to be making contact with Ms Holland’s family privately.

A palace spokesman said: “The Duchess of Edinburgh is deeply saddened to hear that Helen Holland has passed away. Her Royal Highness’s deepest condolences and sympathies go to all of Ms Holland’s family.”

The Metropolitan Police said an outrider collided with Ms Holland at the junction of Cromwell Road and Warwick Road on May 10.

Ms Holland’s family said on Tuesday that she fought “for her life for nearly two weeks... but irreversible damage to her brain finally ended the battle today”.

The Duchess is not believed to have seen the incident and her vehicle was not involved. She said after the crash that her “thoughts and prayers” were with Ms Holland.

The royal is thought to have been en route to Windsor Castle, where she attended evensong. It happened a few days after the Coronation and is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Ms Holland’s son, Martin, said his mother had died after “suffering multiple broken bones and massive internal injuries” while using the “safe route of [a] pedestrian crossing”.

On the day of the incident, Martin Hennessy, 62, told Mailonline: “This was an accident waiting to happen. The screens had been put up for the Coronation, but it meant that you had to step out a bit into the road to see any traffic.”

He added: “I was there soon after it happened and it was carnage. The poor lady was flung about 40ft along the road and paramedics were attending to her.

“She stepped out a bit to peer around the screens and was hit.”