An elderly woman has been hospitalized in critical condition after being hit by a police motorbike escorting Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, in west London.
At around 3.21pm on Tuesday the motorbike collided with the woman at the junction of Cromwell Road and Warwick Road in Earl’s Court.
Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London Air Ambulance rushed to the scene and a woman in her 80s was taken to hospital.
She remains there in critical condition. Your family has been informed.
Buckingham Palace said the Duchess of Edinburgh’s thoughts and prayers are with the injured lady and her family, adding she was grateful for the “quick response” from emergency services. There are no reports of other injuries.
Rescue workers attend to the scene of the accident on Cromwell Road, west London
Buckingham Palace says the Duchess of Edinburgh’s thoughts and prayers are with the injured lady and her family.
Road closures are in place on West Cromwell Road near Earl’s Court in west London
A SEG (Special Escort Group) police bike can be seen in a police line
The accident happened at the A4 junction of Cromwell Road and Nevern Road in Earl’s Court, west London
The accident happened at a busy junction of Cromwell Road and Nevern Road on the A4 in Earl’s Court, west London, just a few minutes’ drive from Kensington Palace
Pictures taken at the scene show a Special Escort Group police bicycle – commonly used to escort members of the royal family and senior government officials – within a police cordon, surrounded by medical equipment.
A brown paper bag can be seen strewn on the street surface, along with other purchases including a face mask and a bottle of hand sanitizer.
Elsewhere, a single shoe – a sneaker – can be seen to the left of the police motorcycle, with a marker placed next to it. It is not known if this trainer belonged to the victim.
The accident happened on the A4, one of the busiest dual carriageways in west London, just yards from a large Tesco supermarket.
The Met Police investigation into the circumstances leading up to the collision is ongoing.
Road closures will remain in place while the accident is being investigated.
A Met spokesman confirmed that the Police Professional Standards Directorate was routinely briefed on the incident.
Along with her husband Edward, the Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, attended the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday. and Queen Camilla attended.
Then yesterday the couple arrived with the Prince and Princess of Wales to host the garden party at Buckingham Palace.
They are often seen as two of the most beloved members of the monarchy – and it appears Sophie, 58, and Kate, 41, will become the power duo of Charles’ new look company
The Princess of Wales, 41, joined the Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, and their husbands yesterday to host the garden party at Buckingham Palace
It’s far from the first time the two royals groups have teamed up. In 2020, Sophie celebrated her 55th birthday with Kate when she and Prince William hosted the UK-Africa Investment Summit at Buckingham Palace.
It also emerged that the duo, along with Camilla, had called elderly, self-isolating or vulnerable people to check on them during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to People, the trio took part in the NHS Volunteer Responders scheme, which was coordinated by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), and saw the participants “checking in and chatting to people”.
It’s far from the first time the duo have teamed up – they’ve publicly supported each other following the Queen’s death last September
Sophie and Kate have long appeared together at royal occasions (pictured at Eugenie’s wedding in 2018).
In recent months, the pair have been at the helm of the slimmed-down monarchy: Sophie stood alongside Kate at her second annual Christmas service last December (left) and the families arrived together for Easter service (right).
The duo also made a public appearance together last year when they took part in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
In a poignant move, Charles positioned Sophie and Kate side by side in his coronation portrait shared earlier this week
On Monday, the ruler unveiled his new “slimmed down” monarchy, with his “hardworking and respected” sister, Princess Anne, and his loving wife, Queen Camilla, firmly at his side.
Meanwhile, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam told Web that King Charles may have chosen the staging of his coronation portraits very carefully.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “This is a powerful, haunting portrait of a monarch who knows his own mind and is very experienced.”
Mr Fitzwilliams noted that the family reception involved only four people under the age of 70 and said it will pose a “challenge” for the king going forward, who will have to decide “how slimmed down he wants the monarchy to be”.
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