A mother-of-two who was injured in a dramatic car crash involving the Duke of Edinburgh has claimed no-one from the Royal Family has contacted her to offer an apology.
Emma Fairweather, 46, broke her wrist when the Kia she was travelling in hit a Land Rover being driven by the Queen’s consort near Sandringham on Thursday.
Separately, police have spoken to the duke after he was pictured driving a new Land Rover without a seatbelt just 48 hours after the crash with a car carrying Ms Fairweather, another woman and a nine-month-old baby.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said Philip exchanged “well-wishes” with the injured women following the collision on the busy A-road, but Ms Fairweather told the Sunday Mirror this was not the case.
She told the paper: “I still haven’t had any contact from the Royal household.
“Maybe he should prioritise that over test driving his new car.”
Ms Fairweather has questioned whether the duke should continue driving, and added: “It would mean the world to me if Prince Philip said sorry but I have no idea if he’s sorry at all.”
The duke reportedly said “I’m such a fool” as he was pulled from his wrecked Freelander on Thursday after it flipped on its side from the impact in the crash in Norfolk.
Investigations continue into Sandringham collision – https://www.norfolk.police.uk/news/latest-news/17-01-2019/investigations-continue-sandringham-collision
Posted by Norfolk Constabulary on Friday, January 18, 2019
The 72-year-old, from Norfolk, said: “The passenger from the other car told me, ‘I always wanted to meet a royal – but not this way’.
She said the duke asked after the welfare of the Kia occupants, adding: “He looked so worried and told me, ‘I’m such a fool’.”
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, according to the lawyer known for representing celebrity clients like David Beckham.
The crash happened as Philip’s Freelander pulled out of a side road on to a stretch of the A149 which was earmarked by the local authority for possible safety measures.
The duke appeared to be travelling without a police protection officer; individuals who guard all senior members of the Royal Family when at public and private events.
At a meeting, coincidentally scheduled for Friday, Norfolk County Council approved plans to lower the speed limit on the road from 60mph to 50mph, backed by speed cameras.
A Norfolk Constabulary spokeswoman said the force was aware of the photographs taken on Saturday and that “suitable words of advice have been given to the driver”.
She said: “This is in line with our standard response when being made aware of such images showing this type of offence.”
Buckingham Palace did not comment on the images.
