A woman who broke her wrist in a crash with Prince Philip has said ‘roads will be safer now’ after the Duke surrendered his licence.
Emma Fairweather, 46, has said the Duke’s decision was "sensible" and "the right thing to do," adding that it was a ‘shame he didn’t make the decision sooner’.
The Duke of Edinburgh , 97, today voluntarily handed in his licence after "careful consideration," Buckingham Palace said.
The Queen is believed to have had “reflective discussions” with her husband and is a key factor in the decision.
It came three weeks after the accident on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, when his Land Rover Freelander collided with another car, leaving two women needing hospital treatment.
Kia driver Ellie Townsend, 28, and her nine-month-old son were unhurt.
But passenger Emma Fairweather broke her wrist.
The mum-of-two told the Sunday Mirror: “He’s making the most sensible decision he can.
"It’s a shame he didn’t make it a bit sooner but it’s the right thing to do.
“Undoubtedly the roads will be safer now. It won’t have been easy for him to make as it is a loss of independence. But he can work around it.”
She said she had done “nothing but cry” this week after having an operation to screw a metal plate into her arm.
Two weeks ago care support worker Emma, of King’s Lynn, Norfolk, told the Sunday Mirror how Philip belatedly sent a letter of apology to her.
Following the announcement of Prince Philip giving up his licence, a senior palace source said: “Philip is a very proud and principled man but it’s fair to say the Queen was hugely instrumental in his decision to give up his driving licence.
"It’s often said the monarch is the only person Philip ever listens to and on this occasion that’s very true.”
The Duke claimed he was dazzled by low sun when he pulled out on to a busy road at Sandringham and hit a car on January 17.
But despite giving up driving the Duke may still face a court case.
Norfolk Police confirmed the Duke had handed them his licence and said it had passed a file on the crash to the CPS.
A statement by Norfolk Police released today says: "Norfolk Police can confirm that the 97 year old driver of the Land Rover involved in the collision at Sandringham on Thursday 17 January 2019 has today (Saturday 9 February 2019) voluntarily surrendered his licence to officers.
"We will follow the standard procedure and return the licence to the DVLA.
"The investigation file for the collision has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for their consideration."
A CPS spokesperson said: "We review each file carefully before a decision is made and will take this development into account."
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