Britain S Prince Philip Gives Up Driving Licence After Crash

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Queen Elizabeth's 97-year-old husband Prince Philip has voluntarily given up his driving licence after a crash last month, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday

Philip escaped without injury on Jan 17 when the Land Rover he was driving flipped in a collision with a car close to the royals' Sandringham residence in eastern England
"After careful consideration, the Duke of Edinburgh has taken the decision to voluntarily surrender his driving licence," the royal palace said in a statement
The other driver, a 28-year-old woman, suffered cuts to her knee and a 45-year-old woman passenger in the car, which also had a nine-month-old baby on board, sustained a broken wrist
Witnesses said Philip pulled into a main road from a drive
Philip, who suggested low sun had affected his sight for the crash, also received a warning from police for driving without a seatbelt two days after the crash
Norfolk Police confirmed that Philip voluntarily surrendered his licence to officers on Saturday
It said it would forward the licence to Britain's licensing authority, the DVLA
"The investigation file for the (Jan 17) collision has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for their consideration," it added
Philip retired from public life in 2017, although he still occasionally appears with his 92-year-old wife at official events
There is no legal age in Britain to stop driving, but drivers over 70 must renew their licences every three years
Philip drove then-US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle to lunch at Windsor Castle during their state visit to Britain in 2016, prompting Obama to remark: "I have to say I have never been driven by a Duke of Edinburgh before, but I can report it was very smooth riding."The queen, a trained military driver during World War Two, is said to have shocked Saudi Arabia's late King Abdullah, then crown prince, by climbing into the driver's seat and taking him for a ride around her estate during a visit to Britain in 1998
At the time, women were banned from driving in Saudi Arabia
Outspoken yet intensely private, Philip developed a reputation for brusque comments and often headline-grabbing verbal gaffes during ceremonial events
- Reuters

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