World News
Prince Harry motorcade in high-speed crash: report─── 09:35 Fri, 12 Sep 2014
London - Britain’s Prince Harry was caught up in a dramatic high-speed crash on Thursday when one of his police outriders smashed head-on into a taxi as the royal’s motorcade headed to an official engagement.
The fourth in line to the throne looked on in shock as his bodyguards treated both the unconscious driver - who had to be cut free from the wreckage by firemen - and the police rider, catapulted about 10m down the road.
Pictures taken in the aftermath of the accident in central London show the police motorbike embedded in the white Toyota Prius, as the driver lies slumped in his seat surrounded by deployed airbags.
According to one witness, the prince’s Range Rover, which was taking him to an Invictus Games event in north London, took immediate evasive action. The driver, apparently fearing a potential terrorist attack, expertly steered through the damaged vehicles at speed before coming to a stop several hundred metres along the road.
The bystander said he saw Harry, 29, in the back of the car with his head in his hands, constantly looking backwards at the injured men with “concern etched on his face”. The prince was insistent they stopped but security advice was for his car to drive on. Other officers did stop to attend the incident.
On Thursday night, the rider from the Special Escort Group was discharged from hospital, while the driver was said to be in a “stable” condition.
The Metropolitan Police also began an investigation into the accident, which occurred at around 9.40am on Prince Albert Road, adjacent to Regent’s Park and London Zoo. A cyclist, who wishes to remain anonymous, saw the convoy of two blacked-out Range Rovers and four motorbike outriders pass him at “incredibly high speed”.
He said: “I decided to speed up to see if I could catch up with them. I really wanted to know who it was.
“I didn’t see the actual crash but came across it just seconds after it had happened. There was debris everywhere, steam coming out of the car bonnet. It was carnage.”
CCTV footage obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail appears to show the minicab driving down a side street, stopping at the junction and then pulling right across the main road - straight into the path of the police motorbike, which was on the wrong side of the road.
The bike had its police lights on, but there were no sirens.
The witness said: “The first thing that struck me was the motorbike rider in his high visibility jacket lying prone on the ground. He had been put in the recovery position and had his helmet off.
“He was definitely the focus of everyone’s attention. The motorbike was well and truly wedged in the bonnet of the Prius.”
Not wanting to get in the way of the emergency effort, the cyclist began to ride off when he noticed the second black Range Rover parked down the road.
“I could see Prince Harry clearly in the back of the car with his head in his hands,” he said. “He looked really distressed and was constantly looking back over his shoulder to see what was happening. It was clear that for security reasons he had to stay in the car.”
Royal aides confirmed on Thursday night that Prince Harry’s convoy had been involved in the crash but that he hadn’t been injured.
A source on the scene said: “The police were fantastic and sped into action, assessing those who were injured and treating them until the ambulances arrived.”
Safety of royals on the road is in the hands of Scotland Yard’s Special Escort Group (SEG).
Its officers are a common sight in the capital, where teams of outriders are used to ease a smooth path through congested roads.
Riding powerful Honda VFR 1200cc motorcycles, they use blue flashing lights and whistles - not sirens - to control the traffic. In many cases, the motorcycle team will be backed up by officers in a following command vehicle, often a Range Rover.
All SEG officers are advanced drivers and motorcyclists, and are among the few police motorcyclists who openly carry firearms.
Thursday’s crash will spark an urgent internal review - not least to reduce the chances of a repeat.
Daily Mail
Daily Mail
