Queen's Husband Prince Philip Crashes Land Rover Into Kia

Jan. 18, 2019 9:50 AM ET by Martin Bigg Crash / 22 Comments

Luckily, nobody was seriously hurt. But should the 97-year old still be driving?

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has been involved in a crash near the Queen's Sandringham estate in the UK. The 97-year old was driving a Land Rover Freelander when he collided with a Kia at an intersection, causing the SUV to roll over and land on its side.

Remarkably, the 97-year old regent walked away from the crash unhurt, but was "obviously shaken." Reports suggest he told police he was blinded by the sun before the accident happened.

The 28-year old female driver of the Kia was treated for cuts and her 45-year-old female passenger broke her wrist and suffered cuts to her knee in the accident. A nine-month-old baby in the Kia was also unhurt in the accident, and the duke saw a doctor as a precaution.

It isn't known how fast the duke was driving the Land Rover when the accident happened, but an eyewitness told the BBC how he saw the SUV "careering" across the road. "I saw it careering, tumbling across the road and ending up on the other side. It would take a massive force [to have done that]."

"I went to the other car. There was a baby in the back and, with another man, we got the baby out," he said after witnessing the accident. "Then I went to the black car to help and realized it was the Duke of Edinburgh."

Prince Philip was trapped inside, but the eyewitness helped the duke escape the overturned SUV.

"I asked him to move his left leg and that freed his right leg and then I helped him get out," he said. "He was obviously shaken, and then he went and asked if everyone else was all right." No doubt this accident will reignite the debate of whether elderly people over a certain age should be allowed to drive.

Photo credits: KLFM, The Mega Agency, Archant, Rex Features.