Last month the Duke of Edinburgh rolled his Land Rover after reportedly being “dazzled by the sun” at an intersection. There was backlash against the royal when it was discovered that he wasn’t wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, which also involved another car.
Now the Duke has decided that at 97, it’s time for him to stop driving altogether.
Buckingham Palace released a statement over the weekend stating, “After careful consideration the Duke of Edinburgh has taken the decision to voluntarily surrender his driving licence.”
Local police also provided him with the “suitable words of advice” due to his lack of seat belt during the incident.
Emma Fairweather, who was driving the other car, suffered a broken wrist. There was also an 9-month-old baby in the car that escaped unharmed. Ms Fairweather told the Sunday Mirror that “…the roads will be safer” now that the Duke of Edinburgh won’t be driving on them.
Prosecutors are still deliberating on whether to charge the Duke of Edinburgh over the crash.
Despite relinquishing his licecse, it’s understood that the Duke will still be able to drive on royal estates, such as the private roads around Sandringham. The Queen is known to regularly drive herself around her private property, and is the only person in the United Kingdom who isn’t required to have a drivers licence.