‘Duke should face action over crash’

ROYALS: A mother-of-two hurt in the Duke of Edinburgh’s car crash has suggested he should be prosecuted if found at fault over the accident.

Emma Fairweather, 46, who broke her wrist in last week’s crash, spoke out against Philip yesterday after pictures emerged of the Duke driving without his seatbelt.

Either we both receive the same treatment or we don’t.

Emma Fairweather, who broke her wrist in last week’s crash near Sandringham.

A MOTHER-OF-TWO injured in the Duke of Edinburgh’s car crash has suggested he should be prosecuted if found at fault over the accident.

Emma Fairweather, 46, who broke her wrist in last week’s crash, spoke out against Philip during a television interview yesterday after pictures emerged at the weekend of the Duke driving without his seatbelt.

She questioned why she had not received any official support, and was still waiting to give a statement to police. Interviewed on ITV’s This

Morning programme, she criticised the Philip not using a seatbelt and said: “It’s highly insensitive and inconsiderate towards me and everybody involved.”

Ms Fairweather agreed with presenter Holly Willoughby’s suggestion that if the Duke is deemed to be at fault for the accident, he should be prosecuted – saying “absolutely”.

She added: “There needs to be a decision as to whether Prince Philip and I are from the same walk of life here or not, and we either both receive the same treatment or we don’t.”

The mother-of-two said she has still not been directly contacted by the Duke, but has received a message from the Queen’s ladyin-waiting Mary Morrison.

Norfolk Police officers are continuing their investigation into the crash, which happened on the A149 shortly before 3pm on Thursday near the Queen’s Sandringham estate, when Philip drove his Land Rover Freelander on to the busy A-road.

It was in collision with a Kia driven by Ms Fairweather’s 28-year-old female friend – whose nine-month-old son was also in the car.

Despite the 4x4 rolling over and the Kia being badly damaged, the Duke escaped without injury –- as did the baby, although the women involved required hospital treatment for their injuries.

Over the weekend, police spoke to the Duke about the legal requirement to wear a seatbelt and he also underwent an eyesight test, which he passed.

During the television interview, Ms Fairweather said: “I’ve had no support. The only support I’ve had is my very immediate family. In terms of support, I mean assurances that this has been dealt with. I don’t know what the situation is.”

Philip reportedly said “I’m such a fool” as he was pulled from the wrecked car by Roy Warne. The 75-year-old told The

Sun newspaper that he heard the Duke telling police he had been “dazzled by the sun”.

Ms Fairweather said yesterday that she had expected Philip to speak to her at the scene of the crash, adding: “I said ‘Where has he gone?’ Because surely he wants to speak to me and check I’m OK?

“Somebody said he did try to but was advised not to... I don’t think asking if you’re OK is accepting liability, but I do understand that.”

She added: “A quote from Prince Philip in the news yesterday ‘I was such a fool’ seems he’s prepared to admit some responsibility, just not to me, just to everybody else.”

Responding to reports the Duke said after the accident he was “dazzled” by the sun, Ms Fairweather said: “I would never want to put myself in a position where I would say that the Duke is not being honest. But I do not recall that that day was sunny. That’s all I can say.”