Safety first, Ma’am! The Queen wears a seatbelt one day after she was criticised for not buckling up in her Range Rover following Prince Philip’s crash
- Queen spotted driving with seat belt after she was seen without one yesterday
- She wore a headscarf as she drove out of the Sandringham estate, Norfolk today
- It comes as Prince Philip recovers on Wood Farm after Thursday’s horror crash
The Queen has been spotted driving with her seat belt on a day after she was criticised for not wearing it in the aftermath of Prince Philip’s horror crash.
She was seen behind the wheel of her Range Rover as she drove out of the Sandringham estate ahead of police protection officers shortly after midday today.
It comes after she was seen driving along a public road without a seat belt on yesterday – less than 24 hours after Prince Philip’s dramatic crash.
The Queen was wearing a headscarf and bright red lipstick and was accompanied by a companion as she drove out of the Sandringham estate today
The Duke of Edinburgh was left bloodied and shaken when he collided with a Kia on the A149 in Babingley, Norfolk on Thursday.
Two women in the Kia, who were travelling with a nine-month-old baby, were taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries.
Palace officials admitted last night that Philip was taken to hospital on doctors’ advice, despite initially insisting he was unhurt.
The Queen was followed by police protection officers as she drove her Range Rover at midday
It comes after she was seen driving along a public road yesterday, less than 24 hours after Prince Philip’s accident, without wearing a seat belt
New aerial pictures show Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate where Prince Philip is recovering after the crash.
The drone photos reveal the cottage is in a secluded corner of the Royal estate surrounded by fields and trees.
The Duke enjoys reading, writing letters and painting watercolours at Wood Farm, which is a spacious, but modestly furnished cottage.
He is attended at the cottage by one of his two pages, a footman, chef, housekeeper, valet and his police protectors.
Witnesses yesterday revealed the 97-year-old prince was shaking and pleading ‘get me out’ after his Land Rover crashed while he was out driving alone without a protection officer
The female driver of the Kia, 28, can be seen sitting in a police car cradling her nine-month-old (circled) baby in the aftermath of the crash
It comes as another motorist claimed Prince Philip almost crashed into her near the Sandringham estate before the shocking smash.
Helen Staines said the Duke of Edinburgh nearly ran her off the road as he drove in Fring, Norfolk, just six miles away from where his car flipped after the collision.
She questioned why the 97-year-old is still driving after he was left bloodied and shaken after the horror smash, according to The Sun.
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In a now-deleted Facebook post seen by The Sun, Helen wrote: ‘How’s he still driving he nearly ran me off the road at Fring about time he stopped’.
Ms Staines did not say when the alleged near-crash happened but Buckingham Palace has now been put under pressure to intervene over Prince Philip’s determination to keep driving.
Witnesses yesterday revealed the 97-year-old was shaking and pleading ‘get me out’ after his Land Rover crashed as he drove without a protection officer.
The Duke of Edinburgh is recuperating at Wood Farm (pictured) after Thursday’s dramatic crash
The Royal was not injured in the crash, which also involved a Kia car, but doctors are closely monitoring him
A motorist who swerved around the wreckage said the duke was ‘hanging from his seat’ and saying ‘my leg is trapped’. Four rescuers had to free him from his upturned vehicle.
It has also emerged that the female driver of the Kia, 28, sat in a police car wrapped in a paramedics jacket while cradling her nine-month-old son in the aftermath of the crash.
The shocked mother hurt her knee which had to be wrapped in a dressing.
Her 45-year-old mother suffered a broken wrist and was taken to hospital but was later discharged. The baby, who was rescued from the Kia’s back seat, appears to have been unhurt.
Philip is believed to have just left Sandringham, marked in red, and was turning on to the A149 at this junction when he collided with a Kia and his car cartwheeled on to the other side of the road, circled blue
It has also emerged that Prince Philip once threatened to throw the Queen out of a car he was driving because she kept ‘yelping’ in terror, according to a friend of the royals.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s friend and biographer, Gyles Brandreth, spoke to BBC’s Today Programme about the horror crash, saying that he was fond of driving ‘fast’.
He claims Philip’s cousin, Countess Mountbatten, told him that her father witnessed the prince snapping at the Queen while he drove.
Mr Brandreth claims the Queen had ‘yelped’ under her breath and as they raced through Cowdray Park in West Sussex, causing Philip to shout ‘Look, if you do that once more, I will put you out of the car.’
He believes the Duke of Edinburgh wouldn’t ‘react too well’ to giving up his licence, but added ‘But if you can’t do it any more, you can’t do it anymore.’
A motorist who swerved around the wreckage (aftermath of crash pictured) said the duke was ‘hanging from his seat’ and saying ‘my leg is trapped’. Four rescuers had to free him from his upturned Land Rover
Witnesses yesterday revealed the 97-year-old was shaking and pleading ‘get me out’ after his Land Rover crashed (aftermath pictured) while he was alone and without a protection officer
However he is now facing a police probe over the accident – which could lead to a charge of dangerous driving – and could be forced to surrender his driving licence.
Dr Robert Davis of the Road Danger Reduction Forum said: ‘He shouldn’t be driving at 97 – I don’t care if he likes to drive. He has had a crash and should be investigated, charged if necessary and prosecuted.’
Norfolk’s former roads policing chief, Chris Spinks, said there could be no favouritism, adding: ‘He will be dealt with like any other driver.’ Royal sources yesterday said the elderly royal, who is still at Sandringham, was in ‘deep shock’ over the incident.
Motoring experts said it was likely police would ask Philip (pictured at the wheel near Balmoral last year) to voluntarily surrender his driver’s licence because of his age
Family members, including Prince Charles, were ‘worried’ for all parties involved. The Palace would not say whether either the Queen or Prince Charles had tried to persuade Philip to give up driving.
As the full dramatic details of Thursday’s crash became clear it emerged that:
- Philip did not have a police officer in the car with him and may not even have had a back-up vehicle following him closely;
- Norfolk Police pledged to investigate the crash and take ‘appropriate action’ if the prince is found to have flouted motoring laws;
- Legal experts say he could be forced to hand over his driving licence in order to escape prosecution for careless driving;
- Officials said the prince had a ‘precautionary’ hospital check-up yesterday but his ‘routine in the coming days would continue as normal’;
- Buckingham Palace confirmed contact had been made with the two injured women and ‘well-wishes exchanged’ but there was no confirmation of any apology;
- Council officials voted to lower the speed limit on the road involved in the crash amid a row over a failure to heed warnings in the wake of crashes on it before;
- The prince was involved in a 1996 crash on East Anglia’s roads, with a businessman ending up in neck brace and with whiplash.
Norfolk Police said the force would investigate the crash, meaning the duke is likely to be interviewed by officers.
A statement said: ‘As is standard procedure with injury collisions, the incident will be investigated and any appropriate action taken.’
Prince Philip’s car was towed away following the incident, but a wing mirror and glass from his broken windscreen are still at the scene today.
A replacement black Land Rover Freelander was delivered to the Duke at Sandringham on Friday.
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