Prince Philip, 97, The Duke of Edinburgh has been involved in a car crash while driving near the Queen’s Sandringham estate, Buckingham Palace on Thursday afternoon. He was not injured but ‘very shocked and quite shaken’ after car crash, which left two other people in hospital with minor injuries.
He was recovering at Sandringham with the Queen by his side, after being checked by a doctor as a precaution and found to have no injuries. The other car involved was a Kia. Two women in it needed hospital treatment – they have since been discharged.
Police confirmed that both the Duke and a female driver had been breathalysed at the scene and had not been drinking. A witness said the Queen’s husband appeared “shocked and shaken” after the crash, describing the fact he was uninjured as a “miracle”.
Eyewitnesses said the duke’s Land Rover overturned during the collision. They said they helped the duke out of the vehicle. He was conscious but very, very shocked and shaken, they added.
Norfolk police said it was force policy to breath test drivers involved in collisions and both had provided negative readings.
Edmund King, the president of the AA, 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.”
The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, tweeted a prayer in support to the duke, and later another one for the two other people involved in the accident.
