2019 Prince Philip Road Accident and Licence Surrender

File:Prince Philip March 2015 (cropped).jpg

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 2015

Land Rover Freelander, similar to that driven by Prince Philip

Kia Carens, similar to the second car involved

On 17 January 2019, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, aged 97, was involved in a two-car accident whilst driving his Land Rover Freelander, near the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, England. The accident occurred when he drove out onto the A149 from a minor road. An official statement said that he was uninjured. Philip subsequently surrendered his driving licence.

Collision

The Land Rover, driven by Philip, was pulling out of a B-road at the time of the crash and reportedly did not stop at the junction. The Land Rover was hit, on the passenger side, and flipped multiple times before coming to a rest on its right side. The other car was a Kia Carens No royal bodyguard accompanied Philip at the time of the crash. Philip claimed he was dazzled by the sun but the occupant of the other car reported that the sky was overcast.

An eyewitness, who came to the prince's aid, described having to wipe blood off his hands. A nine-month-old child, who was traveling in the Kia, was not injured. Philip's right trapped leg was freed and he was helped out of the vehicle theorugh the sunroof. He was tested for drink driving and not found to have blood alcohol. He was taken to hospital as a precaution and was later discharged.

The driver and a 49-year-old passenger, Emma Fairweather, of the other car were injured and taken to hospital, with Fairweather sustaining a wrist fracture which required casting. The driver sustained a knee injury. The passenger was reported to have criminal charges brought against Philip. The driver was tested for blood alcohol and found to have none present.

Aftermath

Philip was later photographed driving near Sandringham Estate two days after the collision without a safety belt leading to the police giving him a verbal warning. Philip had a replacement Land Rover Freelander delivered to Sandringham the next day.

The prince's Land Rover was overturned, scattering debris on the road. This debris was collected and offered for sale on eBay before the advertisement was removed by eBay, citing a restriction of profiting from human misery. Bidding had reached £65,900 after 139 bids with proceeds going to Cancer Research UK.

Philip had been in a collision in June 1964 when he reportedly drove a car into another. The driver of the other car was later interviewed on film.

Anne, Princess Royal, when interviewed later, remarked that she was unaware of her father's condition, adopting a position which was judged to be "cold and miserable". Philip was examined in hospital the day following the collision and reported to have "no injuries of concern"

The collision sparked public debate on the safety of elderly drivers.

Apology

On 27 January it was reported that Philip has sent a letter to Fairweather with "a touching apology". According to the Sunday Mirror, the letter read: "I would like you to know how very sorry I am for my part in the accident at the Babingley cross-roads... The sun was shining low over the main road. In normal conditions I would have no difficulty in seeing traffic coming from the Dersingham direction, but I can only imagine that I failed to see the car coming, and I am very contrite about the consequences. I was somewhat shaken after the accident, but I was greatly relieved that none of you were seriously injured."

Initially, there were reports that no apology was given to the victims by Philip. This led some news editorials to question whether the apology, written ten days after the collision, was too late.

Surrender of driving licence

On 9 February 2019, Philip surrendered his driving license to the Norfolk Constabulary, who would be sending it to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. The Crown Prosecution Service received the investigative file of the collision. The police were considering whether there was enough evidence to charge him with careless driving. Surrender of licence may be taken into account on a decision of whether or not to prosecute.

References

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