Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, involved in car crash near Sandringham Estate
An eyewitness has revealed Prince Philip’s first words after the car crash as royal watchers said it has sparked urgent royal talks.
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97-year old Prince Philip uninjured after car crash
Car was T-boned and rolled after pulling out from a driveway
Bodyguard and three passengers in other vehicle all uninjured
Prince Philip had to be pulled from car
Prince Philip has been taken to hospital for a check-up, the day after he cheated death in a nasty car accident outside the Queen’s country estate Sandringham at Norfolk.
Prince Philip, 97, was taken to the nearby Queen Elizabeth Hospital at King’s Lynn on Friday, the day after his car overturned in a smash with another car.
He had been seen by a doctor at Sandringham immediately after the accident and declared to have no injuries, but given his advanced age, it was decided to send him for a hospital check-up.
Buckingham Police released a statement, saying: “On doctor’s 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 Highness had no injuries of concern. The Duke has returned to Sandringham.”
Their statement that the Prince had “no injuries of concern’’ slightly contradicts Thursday’s night statement, which said he was “not injured.’’
Police are still investigating the accident, which happened as Prince Philip was pulling out of a side-road onto the A149.
OPINION: The suprising thing revealed by Prince Philip’s crash
A Kia travelling along the A149, which had the right of way, “T-boned’’ the driver’s side of the Prince’s Land Rover, which overturned.
A first responder at the scene said the Duke cried out “my legs” as he was pulled from the wreckage.
He was trapped inside his overturned Land Rover after it collided with the Kia carrying two women and a baby.
PHILIP’S FIRST WORDS AT CRASH SITE
The Sun reports that a witness recalled how Prince Philip groaned: “I’m such a fool” after being pulled from the wreckage of his Land Rover.
Victoria Warne, 72, said: “He asked, ‘Is everyone all right?’ I said, ‘Not really’.”
Mrs Warne, 72, after she tended to the injured Kia occupants. “The prince steadied himself for ten minutes after the crash then started worrying about the others.
“He walked slowly down the path towards the crashed car without his protection officers and said, ‘Is everyone all right?’
“I wasn’t going to lie to him, so I said, ‘Not really’.
“I told him the baby was fine - but we thought the passenger had broken her arm.
“He looked so worried and told me, ‘I’m such a fool’.”
She added: “The passenger from the other car told me, ‘I always wanted to meet a royal - but not this way’.
“The two women and the boy were coming along the main road and Prince Philip’s car came out of the side road.
“Prince Philip told me later, ‘The sun was low and I couldn’t see’ but he still came out and collided with the ladies’ vehicle.
“It was their right of way. It’s not a fast road but it’s a 60mph speed limit on the A road.
“If you’re coming off the Sandringham estate, as Prince Philip was, he should have stopped but it seems as if he drove straight out into the road. The impact sent him rolling and spinning all over the road.
“The other driver reacted extremely well after the impact and steered her car into the path at the side of the road.”
CRASH SPARKS ROYAL TALKS
The crash has been described as a “major blow” to the Duke, and has reportedly sparked secret royal talks about his future behind the wheel.
Victoria Arbiter, a royal commentator for CNN told USA TODAY she expects that “serious conversations” are taking place about whether Philip should be restricted to driving within the grounds of the royal estates.
“He’s a proud man and it’s difficult to tell anyone to hang up their keys, but for a royal with so few opportunities to lead an independent life, this will come as a major blow to the duke,” Arbiter said.
Ms Arbiter’s father once served as the queen’s press secretary.
‘I HAD THE PRINCE’S BLOOD ON MY HANDS’
Witness Roy Warne, 75, told The Sun that he helped to free the royal from the crash and claims the Duke told rescuers: “My legs! Where should I put my legs?”
It was also claimed he told police after the crash that he had been “dazzled by the sun.”
The witness told The Sun he saw the car flip and thought “f***ing hell.”
“I rushed to the other car — there was smoke coming out as if it may explode. There was a baby in the back seat screaming.”
He also claimed that at one point: “I looked down and had the prince’s blood on my hands.”
The Duke’s Land Rover “came across the A149 like a somersault. It was turning on its side over and over,” he said.
“It was frightening to see a powerful car rolling like that,” the witness said.
The Kia driver, a 28-year-old woman, received knee injuries while her 45-year-old passenger suffered a broken wrist.
A nine-month-old baby escaped injury.
Prince Philip was badly shaken up but conscious after the accident, and a passer-by helped him climb out of the sunroof of his Land Rover, which lay on its side.
Given the force of the accident, and Philip’s advanced age, he is considered very lucky to have escaped serious injury.
Royal sources told the British media yesterday that Philip, known as the Duke of Edinburgh, had made private contact with the women from the Kia, who have both been released from hospital, and “exchanged well-wishes.’’
The Queen, 92, is thought to be with her husband as he rests up at Sandringham.
PHILIP TAKES DELIVERY OF NEW LAND ROVER
Meanwhile, a new Land Rover has been delivered to Sandringham House, barely 24 hours after Prince Philip’s crash.
According to The Sun the top of the range 4x4 Discovery, costing $122,000 was spotted arriving at the 97-year-old’s residence in Norfolk after his crash on Thursday afternoon.
Security stood by as the black vehicle was seen being loaded off a delivery truck outside the property before being taken inside.
The vehicle, is reported to be an exact replica of the car Philip was driving during the crash.
Police who attended the scene breathalysed Prince Philip and the driver of the Kia, and both returned negative blood alcohol readings.
Questions continue about why the fiercely independent Prince continues to drive at such an advanced age, and why he didn’t have a royal protection officer with him.
Older drivers in the UK must renew their drivers’ licence every three years after they turn 70, although they are not required to sit a test.
The palace has said Philip has a driver’s licence and it is up to date.
The Queen, who also still drives herself occasionally on the royal estates, as well as still riding horseback, is the only member of the royal family who is not required to hold a driver’s licence.
CHARLES TO STEP UP, QUEEN ANGRY
Meanwhile, Prince Charles is said to be set to step up and help his mother following his father’s accident.
“Prince Charles will have input from now on, as it is stressful for the Queen to make major decision on her own,” a royal source told The Sun. “The only person who he will take heed of is the Queen, who at 92 will be horrified by this accident.
The source said that the Queen would likely give her husband a dressing down over the accident.
“A stern talking to Philip with rules from now concerning driving will be spelt out once Philip is over his shock at this potentially very serious car crash.”
“He will not be contained, he has a low boredom threshold and is now causing a problem with his wandering and off piste activities,” the source said/ “He is basically living in Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate and runs his own timetable, his trusted staff just tend to let him ‘get on with it.”
The Queen is due to leave Sandringham on February 6, with Prince Charles expected to have an input in what will happen with his father after that date.
ROAD KNOWN FOR DEADLY DESIGN
The A149 highway is an accident black spot zone, according to The Mail, with a speed limit of 60mp/h (100km/h).
There have been a number of accidents on the 137 kilometre-long coastal road, with some proving fatal.
It understood in the six years to May 2018, 40 accidents occurred on the A149, where five resulted in death.
A high speed limit and poor road design is blamed for the incidents.
According to a local councillor, the scene of the accident is “a dangerous stretch of road”, the Daily Mail reported.
Dramatic photographs taken after the crash showed the Duke’s dark-coloured Land Rover thrown onto its side.
A second car was seen upright, but facing front-first into bushes off the side of the road.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the accident in a statement, saying: “The Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a road traffic accident with another vehicle this afternoon.”
Prince Philip unhurt after car crash
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 17, 2019
This is footage from the scene close to the Queen's Sandringham estatehttps://t.co/N1wwZJs77Q pic.twitter.com/bO1pzf24cy
Eyewitnesses said they helped the royal out of the vehicle.
BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said one witness had reported Philip was “conscious” but very “shocked and shaken”.
It’s not the first time the Duke has been involved in a crash.
He once left a driver with whiplash after a prang in his Range Rover two decades ago.
In January 1996 he crashed into the back of a Mercedes at a zebra crossing.
The Mercedes driver, Pat Daynes, said: “There I was leading a normal life. Then whack! I’m part of the Royal soap opera.”
In the 1950s he crashed another car, his Aston Martin Lagonda, while leaving a lunch.
The auction house who sold that car in 2016 told The Sun the car was frequently touched up by mechanics.
DRIVING LAWS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
After the crash, commenters were quick to weigh in on whether the prince should’ve been driving at all.
The crash has also been used to ignite calls for restrictions on elderly drivers.
Philip has not shown any inclination to give up getting behind the wheel despite his age. Both he and Queen Elizabeth II share a strong passion for driving.
Buckingham Palace has been quick to clarify laws applying to the Duke’s driving.
The Palace has confirmed he still indeed does hold a valid driving licence, telling Express.co.uk: “Prince Philip followed all the usual DVLA practices.”
Interestingly, under British law, the only person who is allowed to drive without a licence is the Queen – because driving licences are in her name.
The Queen has never had to do a driving test and is the only person in Britain allowed to sit behind the wheel without a licence.
The same protections do not apply to other members of the Royal Family. But members of the family cannot be arrested if they are in the presence of the monarch, or in a royal palace, The Mirror reported.
The 92-year-old Queen has been driving since she was 19, learning to drive in 1945.
While royal protocol dictates a chauffeur, both the Queen and Philip appear determined to drive themselves around where possible
Drivers in the UK aged 70 and above need to reapply for their license every three years, for which there is a mandatory eyesight test. There is no upper age limit for driving a car in the UK.
THE DUKE’S LOVE OF DRIVING
Philip has become increasingly frail in his latter years, but is fiercely independent and still drives himself around the royal estates.
He also drives horse-drawn carriages, and walks without a stick, despite undergoing a hip replacement operation in May last year.
One of the Duke’s former body guards told Mail Online that he considered Philip to be one of the safest and most responsible royals behind the wheel.
Six months out from turning 98, he is also considered one of the oldest drivers in the UK.
The Duke is notoriously stubborn and is unlikely to give up his licence anytime soon however the Queen could revoke it if she wanted to.
The pair has been married 71 years and it’s expected that if she gave the word for him to stop driving, he would agree to it.
However insiders say that is unlikely as one of the reasons their marriage has stayed strong all that time is because neither force the other to do anything
As a younger man, he famously owned a former British black cab and used to sneak out for unaccompanied drives around London.
Philip also knows how to fly all types of aircraft but he hasn’t flown a plane since August 1997.
He gained his RAF wings in 1953, his helicopter wings in 1956 and his private pilot’s licence in 1959.
The Duke’s final flight on August 11, 1997 was from Carlisle to Italy.
He also loves to sail, making two round-the-world trips on Royal Yacht Britannia in his time.
Originally published as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, involved in car crash near Sandringham Estate
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