Prince Philip Says He's 'Deeply Sorry' About His Recent Car Accident

Caroline Hallemann
Photo credit: Mark Cuthbert - Getty Images
Photo credit: Mark Cuthbert - Getty Images

From Town & Country

Prince Philip has sent a written apology to Emma Fairweather one of the women injured in a car accident he was involved with earlier this month near Sandringham. In the letter, which was first published in the Sunday Mirror and confirmed to be real by Buckingham Palace, the Duke of Edinburgh said he was "deeply sorry" and shared that he was "somewhat shaken" by the accident but also "greatly relieved" that no one was seriously injured.

He also seemingly took responsibility for the collision, writing "I can only imagine that I failed to see the car coming, and I am very contrite about the consequences."

The letter is dated January 21, five days after the incident took place, though it was only made public today, January 27. It appears to have been signed by the Duke of Edinburgh in his own hand.

Fairweather, who sustained a broken wrist in the accident, told the Mirror that she was "pleasantly surprised" by the signature.

"He asked how I was and said sorry that I was in pain. I was chuffed," she told the publication. “I thought it was really nice that he signed off as ‘Philip’ and not the formal title. I was pleasantly surprised because of the personalised nature."

Two other people were also involved in the accident. The driver of Fairweather's car 28-year-old woman, suffered cuts as a result of the crash. A 9-month-old baby was also in the car and was uninjured.

Fairweather has been critical of the Duke in recent weeks for not directly reaching out to those involved in the accident. But she appears to be appreciative of this gesture. "A lot of people said it was unrealistic that I wanted that human kindness from Prince Philip – which is what I saw this letter as," she said.

According to the Mirror, she has also "instructed solicitors to pursue a compensation claim" following the accident.

Read the full text of his letter below:

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