Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Duke taken to hospital for check-up after crash
THE Duke of Edinburgh has been told he has “no injuries of concern” after undergoing a precautionary hospital check-up following his car crash.
Philip visited a local hospital on doctors’ advice yesterday after the collision, which left two people needing hospital treatment and is being investigated by Norfolk Constabulary.
The duke has also made contact with the driver and passenger of the other car, who were injured, and “best wishes” have been exchanged.
Philip, 97, walked away unhurt from the accident after the Land Rover Freelander he was driving rolled across a busy A-road following a collision with a Kia, close to the Queen’s Sandringham estate on Thursday.
A Palace spokeswoman said yesterday: “On doctors’ advice, the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn this morning for a precautionary check-up.
“This confirmed His Royal High- ness had no injuries of concern. The duke has returned to Sandringham.”
The Palace spokeswoman added: “Contact has been made privately with the occupants in the other car and well-wishes exchanged.”
A nine-month-old boy also survived unhurt in the Kia, police said.
Eyewitness Roy Warne helped the stricken duke out of his car and said the royal, who was left very shocked by the accident, asked if everybody was all right.
Norfolk Police said two women – the 28-year-old Kia driver, who suffered cuts to her knee, and a 45-year-old passenger who broke a wrist – were treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital that day and discharged.
The crash happened as Philip’s Freelander pulled out of a side road onto a stretch of the A149 which was earmarked by the local authority for possible safety measures.
At a meeting, coincidentally scheduled for yesterday, Norfolk Country Council approved plans to lower the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph, backed by speed cameras.
Norfolk Constabulary said in a statement: “As is standard procedure with injury collisions, the incident will be investigated and any appropriate action taken.
“We are aware of the public interest in this case. However, as with any other investigation, it would be inappropriate to speculate on the causes of the collision until an investigation is carried out.”
Theresa May has offered her support to the duke, who retired from public duties in 2017 but remains active, following the accident.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister has sent a private message wishing him well.”
The police are expected to take statements from the duke, the female driver of the Kia involved in the crash and any other relevant witnesses during their investigation.
Mr Warne, who was one of the first motorists on the scene, told The Sun newspaper he overheard Philip telling police he had been “dazzled by the sun”.
Mr Warne said he helped the duke get out of his wrecked Freelander through either the sunroof or windscreen after it had rolled all the way over before coming to rest on its side.
Asked if Philip was trapped, Mr Warne said: “Yes, he was. I asked him to move his left leg and that freed his right leg and then I helped him get out.”
He added: “He was obviously shaken, and then he went and asked if everyone else was all right.”
Mr Warne said the duke was able to stand and walk immediately after getting out of the car, but he appeared to suggest the senior royal may have been cut, possibly by broken glass.
“There was a little bit of blood and one of the royal entourage gave me a wipe to wipe my hands,” he said.
Buckingham Palace said that after the accident, the duke “saw a doctor as a precaution and the doctor confirmed he was not injured”.
Commenting on the circumstances of the crash, Mr Warne added: “I think there’s no doubt that it was hit (by the duke’s car). That’s my recollection.”
Speaking about Philip’s Freelander, he added: “I didn’t see it come from the side road, I saw it careering and tumbling across the road.”