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Original poster

Prince Philip back on the road

277 replies

Widgeon · 19/01/2019 19:53

I'm annoyed to read that he allegedly has a brand new Range Rover bad is back on public roads without a seatbelt today.

With elderly parents I know it's difficult but he's being a fool. OP post edited by MNHQ

OP posts:
480Widdio · 20/01/2019 02:43

He was seen driving on a Public Road today with no seat belt on,he has been spoken to by the Police according to BBC News.

SaucePansLabyrinth · 20/01/2019 03:14

Imagine getting out of your car after an 'incident' and seeing him! 😏

Jiggins · 20/01/2019 03:50

The slavish fangirls on this thread would probably consider it an honour to be in a traffic collision with Old Pip.

Jiggins · 20/01/2019 04:03

I see the passenger from the Kia has gone for her 15 minutes of fame/pocket full of cash by selling her story to the tabloids.

Well good for her quite frankly. Are you one of those people who thinks it should be an honour to be in a traffic accident with a member of the royal family?

How very Brexit of you.

Defenbaker · 20/01/2019 04:23

I sympathise with elderly people who find it difficult to give up driving, but the DofE has plenty of people around to take him anywhere he wants to go, so is much luckier than many old folk. Many old people get very stubborn about things, and go into denial about their health issues and the limitations of old age, so it's always tricky for families to manage this type of situation.
I wonder if the DofE has dementia? It's very common in that age group, and if his short term memory is bad then it's possible he has already forgotten the accident completely, so will not be in a position to learn from his mistake (not meaning the accident was necessarily his fault, but from reports it seems likely it was). He may stubbornly refuse to believe the facts when repeated to him, especially if he doesn't want to (it takes effort to make a memory when dementia is involved). My elderly father completely forgot my mother's death, just 2 days after he attended her funeral, due to dementia. He just never made the memory properly, but could recount all sorts of things from his youth. Sidetracking a bit, but royal privilege doesn't protect anyone from dementia.
IME, whilst many elderly drivers are rather doddery and slow, I've never seen one of them tailgating on the motorway or driving dangerously at high speeds - that seems to be mostly done by young men. That said, I doubt that many people in their 90s have the mental alertness and physical agility required for today's very busy roads, so something needs to be done about the thorny issue of elderly people driving when they are no longer safe to do so.

squeekums · 20/01/2019 06:46

It shows pure arrogance on his part and the royal family as a whole.
He is clearly not fit to drive, no 97 year old has the same reaction time or vision they did when they were younger
A person of his age should be resitting his test every single year.
Driving is a privilege, not a right.

squeekums · 20/01/2019 07:13

Caught this grab from news on australian tv
So back on the road and looks like he already run over something.....
Like a verge or something, plants dangling from under his car
On my tv front wheels were covered in mud but not the rear, dont know if the camera caught that well in pic
No seatbelt and can barely see over the wheel, not fit to drive and not a good look that the royal family allow him to continue driving.

Prince Philip back on the road
NicolaStart · 20/01/2019 07:39

To add to Ginormous list below:

The other driver was not driving a ‘small car’ , it was a people carrier.

He’s been deemed fit to drive

He showed concern for the people in the other car

It’s been reported that breath tests were negative

THERE WERE NO RANGE ROVERS INVOLVED

NicolaStart · 20/01/2019 07:44

Squeekums:

Maybe he uses his 4x4 to actually, you know, go OFF ROAD.

Maybe the main use for his car is driving himself around the huge estate. Tnis weekend he was hosting a pheasant shoot for Prince Andrew. They go on fields and down tracks.

Not everyone used their Land Rover 4x4 to tackle Sainsbury’s car park.

I am no supporter of Roysls, but all this unfounded speculation is ridiculous whoever it is about.

countrygirl99 · 20/01/2019 07:56

The thing we have noticed with our elderly parents is that doctors are very reluctant to advise not driving. My father was nearly 90 with age related macular degeneration and cataracts in both eyes. It was only when he made a comment about the car park to a young doctor and saw his jaw drop that he gave up driving. Not one doctor had said anything before.
Ditto my father in law. He has severe tremors with Parkinsons (among other complex health issues) but insists on driving. He was talking about giving up years ago, then MIL had a stroke and it will take a bad crash or a policeman to stop him. I have no doubt he would lie about his health to keep driving. I watched him attempt to turn round at the wide entrance to a close at Christmas. It took him 6 attempts shunting back and forth. Try talking to him about it and he has a hissy fit.

MyOtherProfile · 20/01/2019 08:07

I feel really sorry for the peiple in the other car. Lots of people have accused them of speeding like it must be their fault. The speed limit was 60 and they could well have been doing less than that yet still have hit his car as it came out of the drive.

MyOtherProfile · 20/01/2019 08:08

And now we know he has been back on the road already, yet people are insisting he might just be on private roads.

MyOtherProfile · 20/01/2019 08:17

One more thing. After quite a bit of googling I'm struggling to see how sun blinded him. The passenger in the other car said it was overcast, which is what the photos look like.

NicolaStart · 20/01/2019 08:21

Did lots of people ‘accuse’ the other driver of speeding?

People pointed out that alongside everyone making all sorts of conjecture about DoE (including insinuations in this thread that he was drinking, and managing to infer god knows what from the phrase ‘for his health’ which was assumed to be a ‘euphemism’.... there would be all sorts of things to be taken into consideration, including the speed of the other car. Because it will be looked at. Fact. Just as both drivers were breathalysed. Being breathalysed at the scene is not an accusation it is fact gathering.

Orchidflower1 · 20/01/2019 08:32

Just as young drivers must resist tests if points are accrued early on so must older drivers. It’s the extremes of driving life.

NaturalBornWoman · 20/01/2019 08:40

One more thing. After quite a bit of googling I'm struggling to see how sun blinded him

Luckily you and Google won't be required to see anything, as there were police and eye witnesses involved.

Cannings · 20/01/2019 08:44

Surely the easiest solution is compulsory re-testing throughout your driving time. Maybe every 10 years, then every 5 when over a certain age?

MyOtherProfile · 20/01/2019 08:45

"Did lots of people ‘accuse’ the other driver of speeding?"
Several people have commented on the different threads, including this one, that she was obviously speeding.

"Luckily you and Google won't be required to see anything, as there were police and eye witnesses involved."
And have these eye witnesses all said that there was dazzling sun?

As there probably won't be a police investigation into this, unless someone decides to prosecute, I imagine it will only be the insurers who investigate so we are unlikely to ever know what happened.

MissMisery · 20/01/2019 08:52

If people want Phil the Greek and others his age to lose their licenses, they need to have a look at the stats re road accidents by age group.
The first people to lose licenses based on these (and by a Long Way) are men aged 20 to 29.

showmeshoyu · 20/01/2019 08:59

He's old but he's not out of action. He won't stop, he can't be reasoned. It's what he does, it's all he does! Please save us from the lizardmen murder wagon. His lust for blood can clearly be seen in the photos, he's getting high on vehicular manslaughter and we're letting him.

NaturalBornWoman · 20/01/2019 09:01

And have these eye witnesses all said that there was dazzling sun?

The man who was interviewed after helping did say there was low sun which would have been right in his eyeline, yes.

I imagine it will only be the insurers who investigate so we are unlikely to ever know what happened.

As is usually the case in most car accidents which do not result in serious injuries or fatalities.

Cookit · 20/01/2019 09:03

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

MyOtherProfile · 20/01/2019 09:11

"As is usually the case in most car accidents which do not result in serious injuries or fatalities"
My point exactly.

NaturalBornWoman · 20/01/2019 09:18

It just comes across that he doesn’t care at all and is a stubborn old man.

Again, why a stubborn OLD man, not just a stubborn man? Are old men more stubborn than younger men? Honestly in his situation with what's been written in the press about it, constant rolling news, prying into his personal health matters, I can absolutely see why someone would send a strong signal to mind your own business.

Craft1905 · 20/01/2019 09:20

He may be at fault, he may not be. None of us know the facts other than that he and another driver had a collision, on a tricky road known for accidents.

The accident circumstances are well know and not disputed. He pulled out of a minor B road into the path of another car on a major A road. 100% his fault.