Where Was Prince Philip Driving To? And Other Questions We’re Asking

The Duke of Edinburgh's Range Rover collided with a car and although the Prince is unhurt, we have some questions about HRH's royal driving habits...

Max Mumby/Indigo / Getty

by Sophie Wilkinson |
Updated on

Prince Philip has been involved in a car crash, and though he’s emerged totally uninjured, we can’t help but wonder…where was he driving to?

Caught in a road traffic collision with a Kia at a T-junction near Sandringham, on a 60mph road, the Duke of Edinburgh was said to be ‘dazzled by the sun’ at the time of the crash, before his car was seen ‘tumbling across the road’. His rescuer, Roy Warne, later explained how he first attended to the mother and baby inside the Kia before checking on the Prince’s Range Rover.

He didn’t know he was helping the Queen’s husband until he got very close, and later quipped that the infamously brash Prince ‘wasn’t rude’ as he helped him out of the sun-roof, ‘He was very shaken and he went and asked: 'Is everyone else alright?'.

‘He's a very brave man. He didn't make a big fuss about it’

‘I believe he was very sorry about what had happened,’ Warne told The Sun, ‘The sun was very low in the sky. Considering his age he got off much better than the people in the other car.’

The 28-year-old driver of the Kia suffered cuts to her knees, and a 45-year-old passenger suffered a broken wrist, according to Norfolk Constabulary, which is investigating the incident. According to Warne, there was no close protection officer with the Prince.

And once again we’re wondering, where was the Prince off to? Does Prince Philip go out for a pint of milk? Does he do the whole drive from Sandringham to Buckingham Palace, or Windsor? On his own? If so, which service station does he stop off at? Is he an M&S guy, or a Burger King sort of guy? Are there special service stations for royals, secret bunkers along the M1? What about petrol garages?

Or are we barking up the wrong tree because in fact, the royals probably get helicopters for any arduous journey and, really, Prince Philip was on his way to the Sainsbury’s in King’s Lynn to get some snacks?

The easiest theory we can come up with, considering that Prince Philip’s collision happened as he was attempting to turn right, as in, north east back towards Sandringham, is that the Duke of Edinburgh simply likes going for a drive.

Just like he is portrayed by Matt Smith in The Crown as a keen pilot, getting huge thrills from doing tricks in the air, perhaps he gets a rush from driving at the grand old age of 97? In a souped up car with all the necessary mod-cons, he can comfortably zip in the area around Sandringham Estate with no worries. That is, until something bad happens...

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