Prince Philip’s driving, once described as “a bit crazy”, has resurfaced in public debate following comments made by veteran broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. As reported by the daily mailThe late Duke of Edinburgh’s decision to voluntarily give up his driving license in 2019 came after a serious car accident that could have had much worse consequences.
In January 2019, at the age of 97, Prince Philip was involved in a terrible accident near the Sandringham estate. His Land Rover collided with a Kia and overturned. Inside the Kia were a 28-year-old woman, a 45-year-old passenger and a nine-month-old baby. Fortunately, the baby was unharmed, but the women suffered injuries, including a broken arm and an injured knee.
Witness Roy Warne responded quickly to the scene and helped Prince Philip out of his overturned vehicle. According to Warne, the duke immediately became concerned for the welfare of the other people involved and asked if anyone had been injured. Warne also noted that Philip had told his wife that he was “dazzled by the sun” as he left an intersection, which caused the collision.
After the incident, Buckingham Palace issued a statement confirming that Prince Philip was unharmed. “The Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a road traffic accident with another vehicle this afternoon,” the Palace reported. While Philip was unharmed, the incident marked a turning point for the duke, who soon after decided to give up his driving license.
Weeks later, on February 9, 2019, Buckingham Palace announced that “after careful consideration, the Duke of Edinburgh has made the decision to voluntarily surrender your driver’s license.” This decision followed significant public discussion surrounding the accident and concerns about the Duke’s age and his ability to drive safely.
After the accident, Prince Philip wrote a personal letter of apology to Emma Fairweather, one of the women injured in the accident. In his letter, he explained that he had crossed the street “many times” and normally had no problem seeing oncoming traffic, but that day, the “low sun” had obscured his vision. Fairweather shared his reaction with the Sunday Mirror, expressing his surprise and gratitude at the personal nature of the letter. “I thought it was very nice that he signed as ‘Philip’ and not with a formal title,” he said. “I was pleasantly surprised by the personalized nature.”
A similar letter was sent to the driver of the Kia. Although the incident was reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service, it was ultimately determined that prosecuting the duke was not in the “public interest.”
Prince Philip’s decision to stop driving was met with approval from Fairweather, who called it “the most sensible and correct thing to do”, although he expressed that it was unfortunate that the decision had not been made sooner. Norfolk Police later confirmed that the duke had surrendered his licence, which was returned to the DVLA as part of standard procedure.
The Daily Mail too reported that Queen Elizabeth reportedly stopped driving on public roads two months after Philip’s accident and opted to be chauffeured, although she retained the option of driving on private roads if she so desired.
Despite stopping driving in public, Prince Philip was seen behind the wheel again in April 2019, cruising around the private grounds of Windsor Castle. This sighting occurred shortly after the Duke’s decision to stop driving, while the Queen was attending the Holy Service at nearby St George’s Chapel.
Some may have considered Prince Philip’s driving habits “a little crazy”, as Sir Trevor McDonald said, but his eventual recognition of the need to stop driving demonstrated his practicality and concern for safety, even in his later years.
