The Duke of Edinburgh has exchanged “well-wishes” with the two women injured in the dramatic car crash that saw his Land Rover roll across a busy A-road.
Philip contacted the driver and passenger privately following the accident on Thursday, and Buckingham Palace said the duke underwent another medical examination, this time at hospital, as a precaution following doctor’s advice.
The Queen’s consort was found to have “no injuries of concern” after his check-up on Friday morning. He was first examined soon after the accident by a doctor at Sandringham who gave a similar verdict.
The duke was lucky to walk away unscathed following the crash when the Land Rover Freelander he was driving rolled following a collision with a Kia, close to the Queen’s Sandringham estate.
Despite being aged 97 and having had a hip replacement operation last year, Philip appears to have no lasting problems following the crash.
A source said: “The duke’s routine in the coming days will continue as normal.”
Norfolk Police said two women – the 28-year-old Kia driver, who suffered cuts to her knee, and a 45-year-old passenger who broke a wrist – were treated at the local Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn that day and discharged.
There was also a miraculous escape for a nine-month-old baby boy who survived unhurt in the Kia, police said.
A palace spokeswoman said: “On doctor’s advice, the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn this morning for a precautionary check-up.
“This confirmed His Royal Highness had no injuries of concern. The duke has returned to Sandringham.”
She added: “Contact has been made privately with the occupants in the other car and well-wishes exchanged.”
Eyewitness Roy Warne helped the stricken duke out of his car and said the royal, who was left very shocked by the accident, asked if everybody was all right and was overheard telling police he had been “dazzled by the sun”.
The crash happened on Thursday afternoon as Philip’s Freelander pulled out of a side road onto a stretch of the A149 which was earmarked by the local authority for possible safety measures.
At a meeting, coincidentally scheduled for Friday, Norfolk Country Council approved plans to lower the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph, backed by speed cameras.