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In this file photo taken on December 25, 2012, Britain's Prince Philip waves to well-wishers as he leaves the UK royal family’s Christmas Day church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, England. Photo: AFP

Queen Elizabeth’s husband Prince Philip, 97, unhurt after crash that overturned his car

  • Royal was pulling out of a driveway in his Range Rover when another car smashed into it near the Sandringham estate
  • The prince was ‘very, very shocked’, but unhurt, while two people in the other car were slightly injured
Royalty

Queen Elizabeth’s 97-year-old husband, Prince Philip, has escaped uninjured from a car crash that overturned the car he was driving on Thursday near the royal Sandringham estate in eastern England.

Police said two people in a car that collided with the Range Rover driven by the prince, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, were both taken to hospital for minor injuries but later discharged.

Pictures from the scene showed a Range Rover overturned on the side of the road. The accident occurred when Philip was pulling out of a driveway onto a main road, the BBC reported.

He was helped out of the vehicle by witnesses who told the BBC the duke was “very, very shocked” and shaken, but conscious.

Britain’s young royals join queen for Christmas service, but Prince Philip absent

Philip drove then US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle to lunch during their state visit to Britain in 2016.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Thursday’s accident.

In this file photo taken on May 16, 2017, Britain's Prince Philip greets guests at a garden party at Buckingham Palace in London. Photo: Agence France-Presse

“The Duke was not injured,” it added in a statement.

A palace spokeswoman later confirmed Philip was at the wheel and was checked by a doctor afterwards. He did not go to hospital and was now back at Sandringham, the private country residence owned by Queen Elizabeth in the county of Norfolk.

Prince Philip, husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, ‘is recovering well from hip surgery’

Famous for verbal gaffes but generally regarded with wry affection by Britons, Philip married Elizabeth in 1947 and has been by his wife’s side throughout her long reign.

Since retiring from official solo duties in 2017, he has appeared in public alongside the queen and other members of the royal family at events and church services.

He had successful hip replacement surgery last year.

Debris and broken glass are seen near the Sandringham estate where Britain's Prince Philip was involved in a road accident on Thursday. Photo: AP

The former naval officer did not accompany the queen to a church service on Christmas Day last month though a royal source said he was in good health.

Kate Williams, a royal historian, said it would be a blow to Philip if the incident ended his driving days.

“He really loves driving and takes a great pleasure in it and were he not allowed to drive he would find that quite painful,” she said.

There is no legal age in Britain to stop driving, but after 70 people must renew their licence every three years.

In this file photo taken on October 12, 2018 Britain's Queen Elizabeth and husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, wait for the carriage carrying Princess Eugenie of York and her husband Jack Brooksbank after their wedding ceremony at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Photo: Agence France-Presse

Outspoken yet intensely private, Philip developed a reputation for brusque comments and often headline-grabbing remarks during ceremonial events.

A comment about “slitty eyes” during a visit to China in the 1980s became symbolic of his gruff and often unguarded manner. Even into his 90s, his off-the-cuff comments could still get him into trouble, such as when he swore at a photographer during an event in 2015.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Prince Philip, 97, escapes unhurt from car crash
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