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Prince Philip surrenders driving licence as prosecution considered

Prince Philip has surrendered his driving licence as prosecutors decide whether to take further action after the 97-year-old royal was involved in a car crash that sent two women to hospital.

The Duke of Edinburgh handed over his licence to Norfolk Police on Saturday, local time.

He apologised following the Sandringham estate accident last month after his Land Rover Freelander was upturned in a smash with a Kia.

Two women in the car required treatment in hospital, while a nine-month-old baby boy escaped injury.

The Duke was photographed driving without a seatbelt two days later.

Norfolk Police at the time of the crash said he was “given suitable words of advice” in response.

prince phillip

Prince Philip was pictured driving days after the January 17 incident without a seatbelt. Photo: AAP

Norfolk Police confirmed Philip voluntarily surrendered his licence to officers over the weekend.

“The investigation file for the collision has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for their consideration,” a police statement said.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said the department would “review each file carefully before a decision is made” and will take into account that Philip surrendered his license.

One of the women injured in the January 17 crash – 45-year-old passenger Emma Fairweather, who broke her wrist – welcomed the news over the weekend.

“Undoubtedly the roads will be safer now. It [the decision] won’t have been easy for him to make as it is a loss of independence. But he can work around it,” she told the Sunday Mirror.

The driver of the Kia suffered cuts to her knee.

Both women were discharged from hospital on the same day of the incident.

The Duke was uninjured despite his car overturning.

Both drivers were breath-tested and provided negative readings.

The Duke retired from public life in 2017.

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