An elderly woman has been taken to hospital in a critical condition after she was struck by a police motorbike escorting Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, in west London.
At around 3.21pm today, the motorcycle 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’s Air Ambulance rushed to the scene and a woman, aged in her 80s, has been taken to hospital.
She remains there in a critical condition. Her family have been informed.
Buckingham Palace says the Duchess of Edinburgh’s ‘thoughts and prayers are with the injured lady and her family’, adding she was grateful for the ‘swift response’ of emergency services. There are no reports of any other injuries.
Emergency services attend the scene of the collision in Cromwell Road in 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 in West Cromwell Road near Earl’s Court in West London
A SEG (Special Escort Group) police bike can be seen inside a police cordon
Pictures taken at the scene show a Special Escort Group police bike – commonly used to escort royals and high profile government officials – inside a police cordon surrounded by medical equipment.
The Met police state enquiries into the circumstances leading up to the collision are ongoing.
Road closures remain in place while the scene is dealt with.
A Met spokesman confirmed the force’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been alerted about the incident, as is routine.
Alongside her husband Edward, the Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, attended the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Saturday.
The pair then appeared with the Prince and Princess of Wales yesterday, to host the Buckingham Palace garden party.
They’re often regarded as two of the most popular members of the monarchy – and it seems Sophie, 58, and Kate, 41, are set to become the power duo of Charles’ new look firm
The Princess of Wales, 41, teamed up with Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, along with their husbands, to host the Buckingham Palace garden party yesterday
It’s far from the first time that the two groups of royals have teamed up. In 2020, Sophie celebrated her 55th birthday with Kate as she and Prince William hosted the UK-Africa investment summit at Buckingham Palace.
It also emerged the duo, along with Camilla, had been making phone calls to people who were elderly, self-isolating or vulnerable to check in on them during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to People, the trio took part in the NHS Volunteer Responders programme, which was coordinated by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), and saw participants ‘check-in and chat’ with people.
It’s far from the first time the duo have paired up – supporting one another publicly following the death of the Queen last September
Sophie and Kate have long appeared together at royal functions (pictured, at Eugenie’s wedding in n2018)
In recent months, the pair have been at the forefront of the slimmed down monarchy, with Sophie standing next to Kate at her second annual carol service last December (left) and the families arriving together for the Easter service (right)
The duo also made a joint public appearance last year when they attended the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
In a poignant move, Charles positioned Sophie and Kate side-by-side in his Coronation portrait, which was shared earlier this week
Monday saw the sovereign unveil his new ‘slimmed down’ monarchy, with his ‘hard-working and respected’ sister, Princess Anne and loving wife Queen Camilla firmly by his side.
Meanwhile royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam told MailOnline that King Charles had likely chosen very carefully how his coronation portraits were staged.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: ‘This one is a strong forceful portrait of a monarch who knows his own mind and is very experienced.’
Noting the family shot included only four people under the age of 70, Mr Fitzwilliams said this will be a ‘challenge’ for the King in the future, who will need to decide ‘how slimmed down he wants the monarchy to be’.
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