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Home / Lifestyle

Crash victim believes Prince Philip should be prosecuted if responsible for crash

By Hannah Furness
Daily Telegraph UK·
21 Jan, 2019 07:20 PM5 mins to read

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Prince Philip crash victim on why she's upset with the Royals. / ITV

The passenger who broke her wrist in the car crash involving the Duke of Edinburgh says she wants Prince Philip to face prosecution if he is found to be at fault.

Emma Fairweather, 46, was a passenger in a Kia Carens which collided with the Duke's Land Rover on Thursday, and has said she is "very upset" by the treatment she has received from police and Buckingham Palace.

Claiming she has not even been asked to give a statement detailing what happened, she said she believed she was being treated differently to the Duke, who has since been photographed out driving again.

ITV This Morning: Emma Fairweather said she thought driving without a seatbelt was insensitive. Photo / ITV
ITV This Morning: Emma Fairweather said she thought driving without a seatbelt was insensitive. Photo / ITV

Fairweather has received a message of support from the Queen, delivered by a lady-in-waiting via a telephone message while she was away from home, but said of the approach of police and palace: "The support that I was offered initially hasn't really been the reality for me.

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"I've had no opportunity to discuss this in any formal capacity.

"I need somebody to understand that I still have medical concerns. I'm very worried that I haven't been asked for a statement from the police.

"When I contacted the Family Liaison Officer to say I have a number of questions, he hasn't been prepared to listen to those."

She added: ""There needs to be a decision as to whether Prince Philip and I are from the same walk of life or not, and we either receive the same treatment or we don't.

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"I haven't had a full medical check over yet, I just feel that his treatment or his experience hasn't been the same as mine."

An image of the crash scene from ITV.
An image of the crash scene from ITV.

A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "In any collision investigation our priority is to ensure medical welfare is addressed in the first instance before taking any statement.

"We can confirm arrangements were made on Friday (18 January) to take a statement from the passenger involved in the collision. This will take place tomorrow (22 January).

"Further contact was attempted on a number of occasions over the weekend but unfortunately these were not successful.

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"Family liaison officers are not normally deployed for collisions of this nature. However, recognising the level of public interest in this case we felt it appropriate to provide additional support.

"All family liaison officers give advice around handling media attention, and as part of this, it is made clear that it is a decision for the individual whether or not to speak to journalists."

Fairweather was interviewed on ITV's This Morning, following several interviews with the Daily and Sunday Mirror newspapers.

Prince Philip is in hot water over a car crash near the royal family's Sandringham estate. Photo / Getty
Prince Philip is in hot water over a car crash near the royal family's Sandringham estate. Photo / Getty

Her friend, the 28-year-old driver of the car Ellie Townsend, has chosen not to speak publicly, understood to be shaken by the experience after fearing for her nine-month-old baby son in the back of the car.

Fairweather claimed she has asked for car insurance details from Mrs Townsend "a number of times" in the aftermath of the crash, telling This Morning: "Finally yesterday afternoon I received a very formal email from her husband to share those details with me."

Asked what she hoped for from officials, she said: "I think an acknowledgement, not so much any admission of responsibility, but that somebody who would like to talk to me about how difficult this is going to be for me.

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"I've had no support. The only support I've had is my very immediate family.

"Neither party [the Duke or the second driver] have been forthcoming with very much information."

Asked about whether she had spoken to the Duke immediately after the crash, she said: "Somebody said he did try to but he was advised not to.

"[But] I don't think asking if you're OK is accepting liability."

When asked if she believed Prince Philip should be prosecuted if he if was at fault, Fairweather replied: "Absolutely, whether we're from the same walk of life or not."

The Duke was photographed on Saturday driving a replacement Land Rover near to the Sandringham Estate, without wearing a seatbelt.

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Fairweather said she had been "very upset" after seeing the pictures, adding: "Of course accidents happen, but there needs to be a period of reflection on what could be done differently to prevent the same thing happening again.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Photo / AP
Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Photo / AP

"It was highly insensitive and inconsiderate to me."

Mary Morrison, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, had telephoned Fairweather prior to the interview, saying in a message: "Hello, I'm ringing from Sandringham House.

"The Queen has asked me to telephone you to pass on her warmest good wishes following the ­accident and she is very eager to know how you are and hope that everything is going as well as can be expected.

"We're all thinking of you very much at Sandringham and I'll try you at a later date. Unfortunately I've got to go out quite shortly but I hope all is well as can be expected for you. Thank you very much indeed. Goodbye."

A senior Palace aide has also spoken directly to the driver.

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