<p class="title">Prince Philip, the 97-year-old husband of British Queen Elizabeth II, has voluntarily surrendered his driving licence, weeks after the duke miraculously escaped unhurt in a terrifying accident that injured two women in another car.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"After careful consideration, the Duke of Edinburgh has taken the decision to voluntarily surrender his driving licence," Buckingham Palace said in a brief statement. He surrendered his licence on Saturday, the palace said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Prince's decision to hand over his driving licence was entirely his own and he will be driven from now on, it added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The move means the royal is likely to escape being charged and prosecuted for careless driving after injuring two women in a crash outside the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk on January 17.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Norfolk Police confirmed that the duke had surrendered his licence to officers and it would now be returned to the DVLA.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We will follow the standard procedure and return the licence to the DVLA. The investigation file for the collision has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)," a Norfolk Police spokesperson said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The CPS said it would take the latest development into account. It is believed that bringing a prosecution over the crash will not be deemed in the public interest.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Officers from local Norfolk Police have been investigating the crash since January 17, when the Duke pulled out of a side road onto the main road and collided with a Hyundai Kia driven by Ellie Townsend.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The impact of the crash flipped his Land Rover onto its side. Townsend, a 28-year-old teacher, suffered cuts to her knee, while her friend and passenger Emma Fairweather, 46, broke her wrist. Townsend’s nine-month-old son escaped without injury.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though Philip was unhurt, the accident stirred up a debate in the UK about old age and driving and raised questions over the duke still driving himself on public roads.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Two days after the accident, the duke was pictured back behind the wheel of the new Land Rover without a seatbelt, which is illegal in Britain.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Later, Norfolk Police gave him "suitable words of advice".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Philip, who formally retired from public life in 2017, has been seen behind the wheels on numerous occasions over the decade.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Duke later sent a note to Fairweather apologising for his part in the accident.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I would like you to know how very sorry I am for my part in the accident," he wrote.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The sun was shining low over the main road. In normal conditions I would have no difficulty in seeing traffic coming... but I can only imagine that I failed to see the car coming, and I am very contrite about the consequences."</p>.<p class="bodytext">At present, there is no upper age limit for driving in the UK. However, a person's driving licence expires once he or she reaches the age of 70.</p>.<p class="bodytext">If the licence expires and they fail to renew it, then they legally are not allowed to drive. But if they apply for a renewal they may continue.</p>
<p class="title">Prince Philip, the 97-year-old husband of British Queen Elizabeth II, has voluntarily surrendered his driving licence, weeks after the duke miraculously escaped unhurt in a terrifying accident that injured two women in another car.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"After careful consideration, the Duke of Edinburgh has taken the decision to voluntarily surrender his driving licence," Buckingham Palace said in a brief statement. He surrendered his licence on Saturday, the palace said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Prince's decision to hand over his driving licence was entirely his own and he will be driven from now on, it added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The move means the royal is likely to escape being charged and prosecuted for careless driving after injuring two women in a crash outside the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk on January 17.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Norfolk Police confirmed that the duke had surrendered his licence to officers and it would now be returned to the DVLA.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We will follow the standard procedure and return the licence to the DVLA. The investigation file for the collision has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)," a Norfolk Police spokesperson said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The CPS said it would take the latest development into account. It is believed that bringing a prosecution over the crash will not be deemed in the public interest.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Officers from local Norfolk Police have been investigating the crash since January 17, when the Duke pulled out of a side road onto the main road and collided with a Hyundai Kia driven by Ellie Townsend.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The impact of the crash flipped his Land Rover onto its side. Townsend, a 28-year-old teacher, suffered cuts to her knee, while her friend and passenger Emma Fairweather, 46, broke her wrist. Townsend’s nine-month-old son escaped without injury.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though Philip was unhurt, the accident stirred up a debate in the UK about old age and driving and raised questions over the duke still driving himself on public roads.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Two days after the accident, the duke was pictured back behind the wheel of the new Land Rover without a seatbelt, which is illegal in Britain.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Later, Norfolk Police gave him "suitable words of advice".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Philip, who formally retired from public life in 2017, has been seen behind the wheels on numerous occasions over the decade.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Duke later sent a note to Fairweather apologising for his part in the accident.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I would like you to know how very sorry I am for my part in the accident," he wrote.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The sun was shining low over the main road. In normal conditions I would have no difficulty in seeing traffic coming... but I can only imagine that I failed to see the car coming, and I am very contrite about the consequences."</p>.<p class="bodytext">At present, there is no upper age limit for driving in the UK. However, a person's driving licence expires once he or she reaches the age of 70.</p>.<p class="bodytext">If the licence expires and they fail to renew it, then they legally are not allowed to drive. But if they apply for a renewal they may continue.</p>