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British RoyalsPrince Philip

Prince Philip crash: Duke told witnesses “I’m such a fool”

Eyewitness details are emerging following the Duke of Edinburgh’s car crash near the Sandringham Estate on Thursday afternoon, with an onlooker saying Prince Philip could be heard remarking, “I’m such a fool.”

Victoria Warne, a retired NHS worker, told The Sun, “The Prince steadied himself for ten minutes after the crash then started worrying about the others” in the crash.

There were three people in the other car, a Kia: a 28-year-old woman, a nine-month-old baby boy, and a 48-year-old woman. The baby did not sustain injuries in the accident, but the two women required hospital treatment.

“He walked slowly down the path towards the crashed car without his protection officers and said, ‘Is everyone all right?’” according to Warne, who says she replied, “Not really.”

Warne told Prince Philip that they believed one of the passengers had broken her arm, which prompted Prince Philp to reply, “I’m such a fool.”

“He looked so worried,” Warne said.

Warne said she spoke to the occupants of the other car, and that one of the women told her, “I always wanted to meet a royal – but not this way.”

Describing the accident, Warne explained that the Kia was driving along the main road when Prince Philip’s car pulled out of a side road and collided with it.

“Prince Philip told me later, ‘The sun was low and I couldn’t see,’ but he still came out and collided with the ladies’ vehicle,” Warne said.

“If you’re coming off the Sandringham estate, as Prince Philip was, he should have stopped but it seems as if he drove straight out into the road. The impact sent him rolling and spinning all over the road.”

The women were treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn afterwards and discharged the same day. The 28-year-old woman suffered cuts to her knee while the 45-year-old woman broke her wrist.

Prince Philip was seen by a doctor Thursday evening at Sandringham, but visited Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Friday for a precautionary check-up. Buckingham Palace released a statement saying that “This confirmed His Royal Highness had no injuries of concern,” and that he had returned to Sandringham.

Norfolk Police have been investigating the accident and released a statement saying, “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.”

About author

Jess Ilse is the Assistant Editor at Royal Central. She specialises in the British, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Royal Families and has been following royalty since Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Jess has provided commentary for media outlets in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Jess works in communications and her debut novel THE MAJESTIC SISTERS will publish in Fall 2024.