An 83-year-old woman is in a serious condition in hospital after a road accident involving the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s police escort.
Prince William and Kate were travelling from London to Windsor when the crash, involving a police motorbike in the convoy, happened on Monday. The royal couple are “deeply concerned and saddened” by the incident, said Kensington Palace.
The woman “was thrown into the air by the impact and landed awkwardly”, The Sun says. The Daily Mail points out that the accident is the “fourth involving a royal in just seven months”.
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The accident took place at around 12.50pm on Monday on Upper Richmond Road, Richmond, south-west London. The royal couple were travelling to Windsor for the St George’s Chapel service commemorating the Order of the Garter.
The elderly victim, was taken to hospital where she is in a serious but stable condition.
Her daughter, who lives with her mother just 300 yards from the scene of the crash, told the Daily Mail: “She’s got lots of injuries. They are just keeping her stable at the moment.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct says it is investigating the circumstances of the incident, which involved a motorcycle attached to the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command.
A spokesman said: “Our staff attended the scene of the incident and after careful consideration, we have launched an independent investigation.
“The investigation is in its very early stages and the officer involved is assisting our enquiries as a witness. Our immediate thoughts are with the injured woman and her family and those affected by the incident.”
The headlines are uncomfortable for the royals after the Duke of Edinburgh’s crash Sandringham earlier this year, which led to him giving up his driving licence at the age of 97.
In March it was reported that a receptionist from Birmingham was locked in a legal fight over a repair bill for her Peugeot 107 after her car was hit by a police driver chauffeuring a royal, thought to be the Countess of Wessex.
As recently as last week it emerged that the Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Kent, could face a police investigation over allegations that the 83-year-old pulled out in front of another driver, causing her to crash her car.
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