Norfolk Police to investigate Duke of Edinburgh crash

The Duke of Edinburgh’s car accident, which left two people needing hospital treatment, will be “investigated and any appropriate action taken”, Norfolk Constabulary has said.

Norfolk Police said they were following standard procedure where a road traffic collision resulted in injuries.

Eyewitness Roy Warne has described how Philip asked if everybody was all right in the aftermath of an accident which saw his car “tumbling” over the road.

The duke, 97, was driving a Land Rover Freelander, which flipped over after it was hit by another car when he pulled out of a driveway near the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, on to a busy A-road.

The woman driving the other vehicle, a Kia, and her female passenger, needed hospital treatment, and there was also a baby in the car.

Norfolk Police confirmed in a statement that the baby was a nine-month-old boy.

“The driver of the Kia, a 28-year-old woman, suffered cuts to her knee while the passenger, a 45-year-old woman, sustained a broken wrist.

“Both casualties were treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn and were discharged last night.

“Police can also confirm a nine-month-old baby boy was in the Kia at the time of the incident and was uninjured.

Investigations continue into Sandringham collision – https://t.co/ZzVyagD40m pic.twitter.com/YBgSZEllRn

— Norfolk Police (@NorfolkPolice) January 18, 2019

“The male driver of the Land Rover was uninjured.

“Both drivers were breath tested and provided negative readings

“As is standard procedure with injury collisions, the incident will be investigated and any appropriate action taken.

“We are aware of the public interest in this case, however, as with any other investigation it would be inappropriate to speculate on the causes of the collision until an investigation is carried out.”

The police are expected to take statements from the duke, the female driver of the Kia involved in the crash and any other relevant witnesses during their investigation.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on whether Philip had given a statement or on his state of health, after some witnesses said the Queen’s consort had been left “very, very shocked” after the accident.

Asked if he held a driving licence, a spokeswoman said: “The duke has got a driving licence and follows all the usual DVLA procedures.”

Motorist Roy Warne, who helped the duke from the car, told the Sun newspaper he overheard the duke tell police he had been “dazzled by the sun”.

Nick Freeman, the lawyer dubbed Mr Loophole, said the duke could be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention if he was deemed to have made a mistake.

But he added: “If the sun was so low and right in your eyes, sometimes it’s impossible to see, and that may well have been the case and that would afford him a defence.”

The duke, who retired from public duties in 2017 but remains active, could also avoid prosecution by surrendering his licence, said the lawyer known for representing celebrity clients like David Beckham.

Mr Warne said he helped the duke get out of his wrecked Freelander through either the sunroof or windscreen after it had rolled all the way over before coming to rest on its side.

The motorist told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I was driving home and I saw a car, a black Range Rover, come out from a side road and it rolled and ended up on the other side of the road and there was a huge collision with another car.

“I went to the other car. There was a baby in the back and, with another man, we got the baby out.

“Then I went to the black car to help and realised it was the Duke of Edinburgh.”

Asked if Philip was trapped, Mr Warne said: “Yes, he was. I asked him to move his left leg and that freed his right leg and then I helped him get out.”

He added: “He was obviously shaken, and then he went and asked if everyone else was all right.”

Mr Warne said the duke was able to stand and walk immediately after getting out of the car, but he appeared to suggest the duke may have been cut, possibly by broken glass.

“There was a little bit of blood and one of the royal entourage gave me a wipe to wipe my hands,” he said.

Buckingham Palace has said that after the accident the duke “saw a doctor as a precaution and the doctor confirmed he was not injured”.

Commenting on the circumstances of the crash, Mr Warne added: “I think there’s no doubt that it was hit (by the duke’s car). That’s my recollection.

“I didn’t see it come from the side road, I saw it careering and tumbling across the road and ending up on the other side.

“It would take a massive force and it had rolled on the other side as well.”

Asked if he meant that the Freelander had “rolled right over”, Mr Warne said: “Yes.”

Mr Warne was still on the scene when the ambulance arrived, but did not hear anyone talking about whether Philip should be taken to hospital.

“I didn’t hear any discussion like that, but I was told he was taken to Sandringham House for assessment,” he said.

The motorist suggested the duke may have been accompanied by an entourage in another car, which is likely to have included police officers.

He told Today: “A lot of people arrived very quickly.”

The crash happened at the Babingley crossroads on a stretch of the A149 which runs between the town of King’s Lynn and the north Norfolk coast.

It is single carriageway and has a 60mph speed limit.

Concerns had previously been raised about road safety on the A149 near Sandringham.

By coincidence, Norfolk County Council is scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss plans to reduce the speed limit on the road from 60mph to 50mph and install safety cameras.