Prince Philip, 97, gives up driving licence after car crash

Published: February 10, 2019 13:33:19 | Updated: February 13, 2019 12:44:14

Prince Philip was seen driving a replacement Land Rover two days after the car crash — via BBC

The Duke of Edinburgh is to voluntarily give up his driving licence, Buckingham Palace has said.

It comes after the 97-year-old duke apologised over a car crash near the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, in which his Land Rover Freelander landed on its side after a collision with a Kia.

Two days later Norfolk Police gave him "suitable words of advice" after he was pictured driving without a seat belt, according to a BBC report Sunday.

Buckingham Palace said that he surrendered his licence on Saturday.

In a statement, the palace said: "After careful consideration the Duke of Edinburgh has taken the decision to voluntarily surrender his driving licence."

Norfolk Police confirmed that the duke had surrendered his licence to officers and it would now be returned to the DVLA.

The investigation file for the collision has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service, which said it would take the latest development into account.

BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond, said the decision to give up his licence was entirely down to the duke, according to Buckingham Palace.

"The duke is reported to have acknowledged that the collision last month was his fault," he said.

"There was a fair deal of criticism of his decision to drive just two days after the crash. Now he has chosen to give up some of his independence and will have a driver from this point on."

The duke wrote to a woman injured in the crash, which happened on 17 January on the A149 near the Queen's country estate.

He escaped injury, but Emma Fairweather, a passenger in the Kia, broke her wrist.

The Kia was carrying three people, including a nine-month-old baby boy, his mother who was driving and Ms Fairweather, 46.