Prince Philip, 97, Drives Without Seatbelt 2 Days After His Crash
Prince Philip is getting behind the wheel again.
Just two days after he was involved in a car crash near the royal family’s Sandringham Estate, Queen Elizabeth‘s 97-year-old husband was seen driving in the area on Saturday.
Philip, who was uninjured in Thursday’s accident, was operating a replacement Land Rover on a public road without his seatbelt fastened, the outlet reported. He appeared to be solo in the vehicle during his daytime outing.
Just one day earlier, Queen Elizabeth — who has been staying at Sandringham with her husband — was also spotted taking a drive of her own. Without wearing a seatbelt, the 92-year-old monarch was behind the wheel of her Range Rover on a public road more than a mile from where Philip’s accident occurred, according to photos published by the Daily Mail. However, in photos published by The Telegraph, the Queen is seen wearing a seatbelt while driving her vehicle on Saturday.
The Queen is the only person allowed to sit behind the wheel in Great Britain without a driver’s license. At age 19, the then-princess learned to master a vehicle at a training center while working in the wartime Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945.
On Thursday, the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a car crash in Norfolk that left him uninjured, although those who were at the scene of the accident said they saw blood. Philip overturned his Land Rover following a collision with a Kia driven by a 28-year-old woman with a 9-month-old baby in the backseat.
The Kia driver suffered cuts to her knee while a 45-year-old woman sitting in the passenger seat broke her wrist. The 9-month-old baby was uninjured, local police in Norfolk said Friday.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “Contact has been made privately with those traveling in the other car and well wishes exchanged.”
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On doctor’s advice, Philip visited the hospital on Friday morning for a “precautionary check-up.”
“His Royal Highness had no injuries of concern. The Duke has returned to Sandringham,” a palace spokesperson said.
RELATED VIDEO: Prince Philip’s Car Crash Involved 28-Year-Old Woman and 9-Month-Old Baby: ‘He Was Shaken’
Roy Warne, a retired lawyer, helped free Philip from the car.
“It was an astonishing escape for everyone,” Warne told reporters outside his home in Norfolk on Friday, adding that it looked like there “had been extraordinarily severe injuries. But fortunately the injuries were very light. People could have been killed — the impact must have been enormous.”
Warne added, “He was obviously shaken and then he went and asked if everyone else [in the other car] was alright.”
Philip was able to stand after he was helped from the vehicle. “There was a little bit of blood and one of the royal entourage gave me a wipe to wipe my hands,” Warne said.
When asked about her father’s crash on Friday, Princess Anne had a surprising response, telling reporters she had “no idea” about Philip’s condition.
“I’ve no idea. You know where I am? Same place as you,” Anne, 68 — who was the first royal family member to be seen in public since the crash — told reporters at an official outing in Lancashire.
As she left, a bold reporter asked: “Any word on the Duke, Your Highness?”
“Not since I’ve been in there,” she quipped.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
“As is standard procedure with injury collisions, the incident will be investigated and any appropriate action taken,” police in Norfolk said. “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.”
