Open this photo in gallery Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip photographed at The Royal Windsor Horse Show on May 11, 2018. KGC-178/STAR MAX/IPx via AP We need the British monarchy. Not to set values or inspire us, nor for our culture or heritage. We need the monarchy because whenever a member of the Royal Family makes news, it brings important issues to the forefront. Case in point: 97-year-old Prince Philip’s recent car crash. On Jan. 17, the Duke of Edinburgh collided with a Kia near the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in England while driving his Land Rover. The two women in the Kia sustained minor injuries; an infant was unharmed. The Prince’s Land Rover flipped over. In a letter to the accident victim published Sunday in London, Prince Phillip wrote that a low sun disturbed his vision. “In normal conditions, I would have no difficulty in seeing traffic coming from the Dersingham direction, but I can only imagine that I failed to see the car coming, and I am very contrite about the consequences,” he said. Of course, it made international headlines. Story continues below advertisement And so the debate about the elderly and driving was once again raised. Should anyone over the age of 80 be allowed to drive? Should we start monitoring anyone over 65? What’s to be done? As is typical in this golden age of reason, two extremes weighed in. Those who believe elderly drivers are a highway menace – let’s call these people "the young”– argued that we need stricter conditions. They noted that as we age, our vision worsens and we can suffer from conditions that can impair our ability to drive. It seems as if each week we read about a senior driver involved in a spectacular accident. In Boston recently, a 90-year-old crashed into an ice cream shop. In British Columbia, a 74-year-old launched her vehicle off an embankment. In Ontario, anyone over 80 must renew their license by passing a vision test and written test every two years. They must also attend group education classes and can be required to take a road test. The young wonder, “Is that enough?” The opposing side – let’s call these folks “the seniors” – countered that while Canadians older than 65 account for the highest proportional rate of highway fatalities, it’s the young who are really the most potentially lethal. Those 25 to 34 suffered more collision-related fatalities and serious injuries than for those older than 65 in 2016, the last year for which stats are available: 2,186 compared with 1,878, according to Transport Canada. Adding the 20-24 group to the 25-34 group, young people incurred 30.4 per cent of overall serious injuries and fatalities, compared with 12.2 per cent for seniors. And seniors may argue that they die in collisions because their bodies are less able to withstand the physical trauma, not because they are poor drivers. Let’s deal with Prince Philip first. He gets away with slamming his Land Rover into a Kia carrying two women and a baby because he’s the Duke of Edinburgh. It’s one of the perks. Now, the young. One of the great joys of being younger than 65 is judging those who are older than 65. In the same way that a 17-year-old sees anyone over 30 as almost ancient, those under 65 see the over-65 set as sometimes adorable semi-invalids who need to be protected from themselves. Which means telling them not to drive. Story continues below advertisement What the young fail to understand is that when it comes to insight, seniors have the advantage because they not only know what it’s like to be old, they know what it’s like to be young. That’s also why older drivers are much less likely to speed, drink-and-drive, drug-and-drive or succumb to road rage. They’ve been through that phase. They’re not worried about impressing the guy in the car next to them. They don’t have time for games. Want to hear the cold, hard, unvarnished truth? Ask anyone over 65 what they think of your hair. With that insight, however, comes responsibility. Seniors must also acknowledge that the need to continue to drive into one’s twilight years has little to do with transport and a lot to do with psychology. Driving, especially for those who learned in the 1960s and 1970s, means independence. It means mobility. It means life as an adult. Let’s just say that human beings don’t experience the same exhalation when buy their “last” car and move into their “last” apartment as they did when they bought their first. For a lot of seniors, being told they can’t drive any more is essentially being told they’ve got one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel. Not fun. As a society, we must give mobility for seniors the same importance as we do other aspects of that period of life. There are more than 3.5 million drivers over the age of 65 in Canada. We need to develop effective and humane ways to help those who are safe drivers stay active and assist those who are no longer able to retain a comparable level of mobility. Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price. Story continues below advertisement Stay on top of all our Drive stories. We have a Drive newsletter covering car reviews, innovative new cars and the ups and downs of everyday driving. Sign up for the weekly Drive newsletter, delivered to your inbox for free. Follow us on Instagram, @globedrive.<doc-sep>Get our daily royal round-up direct to your inbox Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice The woman who broke her wrist in a car crash with Prince Philip has revealed her “pain, shock and upset” – and says the Duke has NOT apologised to her. Weeping Emma Fairweather tells how the horrific collision unfolded “in slow motion” and says she “couldn’t stop screaming” as Philip’s Land Rover crunched into her friend’s Kia. Mum-of-two Emma, who turns 46 on Sunday, says she has heard nothing from Buckingham Palace – despite officials saying that contact had been made “privately and well wishes exchanged”. Speaking for the first time, Emma tells the Sunday Mirror of the terrifying moment the 97-year-old Duke’s 4x4 Land Rover Freelander pulled out of a side road and hit them. She was in the Kia with her friend – who was driving – and the friend’s nine-month-old baby. The Duke was reported to have said he had been dazzled by the sun – but Emma insists she recalls it being cloudy. She tells the Sunday Mirror: “I’m lucky to be alive and he hasn’t even said sorry. “It has been such a traumatic and painful time and I would have expected more of the Royal Family. “It could have been so much worse. Prince Philip apparently said to a witness that it was the sun that dazzled him but I can’t see how that could be true when it was overcast.” (Image: Stan Kujawa/Mirrorpix) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now The accident happened on Thursday near Sandringham – where Emma often visits on Christmas Day to catch a glimpse of the royals. With her arm in plaster, the shaken mum went on: “I love the royals but I’ve been ignored and rejected and I’m in a lot of pain. “It would mean the world to me if Prince Philip said sorry but I have no idea if he’s sorry at all. “What would it have taken for him and the Queen to send me a card and a bunch of flowers?” Emma claims she received a phone call from police but had heard nothing from the royals or their household. She says: “I was just advised not to speak to anyone and told to expect a call from the Palace yesterday. “I know the Queen is a busy lady but I was really excited at the idea she might phone me. “Instead, I got a call from a police family liaison officer. “The message he passed on didn’t even make sense. He said, ‘The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh would like to be remembered to you.’ That’s not an apology or even a well-wish.” (Image: Getty Images) (Image: Stan Kujawa/Mirrorpix) Emma says she was left confused by the message and unsure what it meant. She adds: “I thought I’d at least have got a note and maybe some flowers but I’ve heard nothing. “The police haven’t given me any emotional support either.” Emma reveals how the crash came after a year of hell in which she lost her job and her marriage broke down. She had even jokingly texted her mum Helen before the accident, saying: “It’s almost been a week and nothing bad has happened.” Emma adds: “The last year has been very difficult. I’ve had a lot of bad luck but I finally felt my life was going in the right direction.” Emma, from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, felt things were finally looking up for her as she enjoyed a day at the beach in nearby Hunstanton on Thursday. Hours before the accident she and her 28-year-old pal had a coffee, and Emma sent a text to a another friend saying it had been a “slow day” so far. (Image: Stan Kujawa/Mirrorpix) (Image: Getty Images) That was all about to change. They set off for home at around 2.30pm and horror struck just 30 minutes later. Emma recalls: “We could see the Land Rover about 150 yards away from us at a junction, then it started to move. “The speed limit was 60mph but my friend was doing no more than 50mph. I kept thinking he was going to stop but he didn’t. "It all went into slow motion as I watched the other car. As we approached I could make out that it was an elderly driver. “My friend was braking and seemed so in control but I was terrified. “But then we crashed. I don’t think the vehicle spun, it just pushed straight across the road. “Then it was just disbelief. I was in shock.” In the aftermath of the accident, terrified Emma tells how she repeatedly screamed from the front seat: “Get the baby out!” (Image: MEGA) (Image: PA) She says: “It must have been seconds, but it felt like half a lifetime. I had no idea at that time that it was Prince Philip, I was just thinking of the baby. "I don’t think I realised that my side of the car had taken most of the impact. “A man opened the door and I screamed that there was a baby in the back that needed to get out first. “But then everyone went over to the other car and I was panicking that they were going to forget about me. “I felt trapped, it’s so hard to think about now. “I’d never broken a bone before but I knew my wrist was broken, I was in so much pain.” Emma was eventually helped from the car by a passerby. Then witness Victoria Warne, 72, told her the identity of the other driver. (Image: East Anglia News Service) As Mrs Warne’s husband Roy helped the Duke out of his overturned car, the royal is said to have been heard blaming the dazzling sun for the collision. Mr Warne has told how he had a small amount of the prince’s blood on his hands – presumed to have been from minor cuts.<doc-sep>Prince Philip crash was a 'PR disaster' says royal commentator FREE now and never miss the top Royal stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top Royal stories again. When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Prince Philip’s car crash earlier this month near Sandringham saw him flip his Range Rover and crash into a Kia carrying two women and a nine-month-old baby. The passenger, Emma Fairweather, suffered a broken wrist, while driver Ellie Townsend escaped with cuts and bruises and her young son was uninjured. Podcast “On Heir” featured royal experts Omid Scobie and Emily Andrews, who gave their opinion that the Palace’s response in the days following the car accident was a “PR disaster”. Ms Andrews began: “The Palace put out a press release, which was quite bland, to say the Duke of Edinburgh had been involved in an accident, which I actually thought from a PR point of view was very sensible.” However, she said: “When I read the press release I thought, goodness, it’s massively being underplayed here.” Mr Scobie agreed: “Really minimised.” Ms Andrews continued: “It sounded as if it was just a prang. “Two women had been injured and there was a nine-month-old baby in the back of the car, and that does augment it.” Prince Philip Mr Scobie added: “It was my first question, when I saw the statement. How are the other people involved? “I found it weird that there was no mention of other people in that statement or even the follow-up statement the next day.” Ms Andrews went on: “Buckingham Palace said he was uninjured. “This didn’t seem to be right because eye witnesses talked about having a small amount of blood on their hands. “Indeed, the next morning he was taken to King’s Lynn hospital on the advice of a doctor to be checked over.” The Queen and Prince Philip at Princess Eugenie's wedding last October The hosts also said the Palace initially briefed the press Prince Philip had been in touch with the car crash victims. Ms Andrews said: “It was really unfortunate. They briefed that Prince Philip had been in touch with the two ladies, and then of course it turned out he hadn’t at all. “Maybe there was just a bit of a breakdown in communication. “They wouldn’t have briefed that if they hadn’t thought it was true, but he hadn’t been in contact with them.” Prince Philip pictured behind the wheel last year Ms Andrews continued: “I think there were a number of problems here. “The Duke of Edinburgh is retired, I’m not even sure if he has a private secretary any more, and if he does, the private secretary is based in London. “Certainly the Queen’s private secretary, her old private Sir Christopher Geidt was effectively pushed out last year by Prince Charles. “There is no way that under Geidt’s watch this PR disaster would have happened. I don’t think anyone realised how this would pan out. Prince Philip crash: Aftermath of collision in Sandringham<doc-sep>LONDON — Prince Philip, the 97-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, has apologized to a woman who was injured in a car crash he was involved in this month, British news outlets reported on Sunday. The Duke of Edinburgh sent an apology letter to Emma Fairweather, who sustained a broken wrist when his Land Rover hit the Kia minivan in which she was traveling near the royal estate of Sandringham on Jan. 17. In the note, written on Sandringham stationery and dated Jan. 21, the duke said he was “deeply sorry” and wished Ms. Fairweather a “speedy recovery.” He also acknowledged that the accident had left him “somewhat shaken,” a rare admission from a member of the royal family. “I would like you to know how very sorry I am for my part in the accident at the Babingley crossroads,” Prince Philip said in the letter, acknowledging his share of responsibility. The note was first published online by The Sunday Mirror.<doc-sep>
Prince Philip has been warned not to apologise for the serious car crash he was involved with in Sandringham. A British lawyer has told The Mirror the Queen’s husband, 97, should issue a stern no comment if pressed about the circumstances. “A criminal investigation is going on so there’s no requirement for the Duke of Edinburgh to do anything or provide anything,” celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman - who is dubbed “Mr Loophole” - said, according to the UK newspaper. “If he apologises, he could be admitting he’s guilty.” Meantime, the passenger who broke her wrist in the car crash says she wants Prince Philip to face prosecution if he is found to be at fault. Emma Fairweather, speaking on British TV, called the Duke “highly insensitive and inconsiderate” after he was spotted driving while not wearing a seatbelt just days after the crash. “There needs to be a decision as to whether Prince Philip and I are from the same walk of life here or not,” she said. “I feel that his treatment has not been the same as mine.” Ms Fairweather added that she was still waiting to give the police a statement. “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,” she said. She added that she had received a message from one of the Queen’s ladies in waiting. “She left me a voicemail that was just an hour or two before my interview with the papers became known … to say that the Queen wished me well, and that she would like to call me back but she was going out for the evening.” RELATED: Driver unleashes at Philip after crash MORE: Queen attends church as Philip stays home It comes as the family of the driver and baby whose car was hit by Prince Philip’s Land Rover said: “They’re lucky to be alive.” A relative said teacher Ellie Townsend, 28, who was in the Kia with her nine-month-old son and friend Emma Fairweather, had suffered “a traumatic ordeal”, reports The Sun. The relative added: “It’s scary to think what could have happened. “She’s just still very shaken and wants to spend time with her son and husband Shaun. The pair of them are lucky to be alive. “They are doing as well as can be expected after a traumatic event. Ms Townsend’s family said she did not blame Philip for the smash, which occurred as he pulled onto a main road at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate, Norfolk. Her mum Deborah, 58, said: “We’re just trying to get through it.” Ms Townsend was taken to hospital for treatment to a knee injury. Ms Townsend told The Sun that she had received a voicemail from the Queen’s lady-in-waiting, Mary Morrison, who passed on her “warmest good wishes”. “The Queen has asked me to telephone you to pass on her warmest good wishes following the accident and Her Majesty is very eager to know how you are and hope that everything is going as well as can be expected,” Ms Morrison said in her message, according to The Mirror. “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.” Buckingham Palace also confirmed: “A full message of support was sent to both the driver and the passenger.” Prince Philip passed a breathalyser test and sight test following the smash. But two days later he was spotted driving a replacement Land Rover without his seatbelt. Norfolk Police later said they had spoken to the Prince about it, adding: “Suitable words of advice have been given to the driver.” — with The Sun