The surprising thing Prince Philip’s crash revealed

Think Meghan and Kate have modernised the royals? Think again. The aftermath of Prince Philip’s car crash showed they’re still dripping in privilege, writes David Mills.

The next time you hear some simpering royal correspondent prattle on about how the Queen or Kate Middleton or Prince Harry have done so much to “modernise” the Royal Family, consider what might have happened if somebody had died in the car crash involving the Duke of Edinburgh.

We know the 97-year-old Prince was driving the Land Rover at the time of the accident, and that according to an eyewitness account, he told police he was “dazzled by the sun” as he attempted to cross the A149 motorway.

A female motorist driving her Kia south on the motorway appears to have T-boned the Prince’s car, flipping it on to its side.

Nobody appears to have been seriously injured in the accident, which is a miraculous outcome, given what we’ve seen from photos of the scene, and the fact that the speed limit at the site is 60 mp/h (100km/h).

The Prince was reportedly left “shocked and shaken” and was bleeding, while a baby travelling in the Kia was screaming after the crash but was also thankfully unhurt.

Just imagine what would have happened if that baby had died.

Would the Prince be held accountable? If he was found to be at fault — which is as yet unknown — would he face the loss of his license, or manslaughter charges, or a possible prison term?

The overturned SUV being driven by Prince Philip after it crashed. Picture: Mega Agency

While these are hypothetical questions, the incident does throw into stark relief the difference between members of the royal family and commoners.

The UK Mirror reported that the Queen and her family enjoy astonishing legal protections not extended to Her Majesty’s subjects.

The Queen cannot be sued or arrested. And members of the Royal Family cannot be arrested if they are in the presence of the monarch, or within one of the royal palaces.

The Royal Family’s own website stresses that “The Queen is careful to ensure that all her activities in her personal capacity are carried out in strict accordance with the law”. This sounds reassuring, until you realise that it cannot possibly cover every eventuality.

The legal protections afforded to the Royals keep them in a bubble; a position that is both of this world and yet not of it. It is a netherspace denied to you, and to me.

But of course, bubbles burst, and the royals occasionally interact with the real world, and those interactions can have legal ramifications.

It is doubtful that Prince Philip’s car accident will prompt any kind of change to the laws that treat royalty differently — revealing that the often-heralded “modernisation” of the royalty is not just a cliche: it’s a myth.

Those laws are not going to change.

But I think it’s safe to predict that the days of Prince Philip driving his own car are over.

David Mills is a News Corp journalist.

@DavidMills1972

Originally published as The surprising thing Prince Philip’s crash revealed