The Duchess of Edinburgh has said she is "praying" for an elderly lady who is in critical condition after being struck by her royal motorcade in London on Tuesday afternoon.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that the accident, which saw a police motorcycle collide with a pedestrian, took place in the afternoon, around 3.21pm, near the junction of Cromwell Road and Warwick Road in Earl's Court.
Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance attended the scene, and the woman was taken to hospital. She remains in a critical condition and her family have been informed.
Buckingham Palace has said the Duchess's "thoughts and prayers are with the injured lady and her family".
They added: "She is grateful for the swift response by the emergency services and will keep abreast of developments. Further comment at this time would not be appropriate while the incident is being investigated."
The terrible accident would have happened as the Duchess of her husband, Prince Edward, were on their way to Buckingham Palace to host a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
The royal couple were joined at the event by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Anne.
The party began at 4pm on Tuesday and was attended by 8,000 guests, who all gathered in Buckingham Palace's garden.
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Garden parties have been held at Buckingham Palace since the 1860s when Queen Victoria began what was known as "breakfasts", although they took place in the afternoon.
The garden party was held following a busy weekend of coronation festivities, in which Sophie and Edward played a part in, even appearing in an official portrait with the newly crowned King and Queen.
Royal fans were quick to examine the image – and spotted a very tender gesture from Sophie and her husband. The couple are seen discreetly supporting Princess Alexandra so that she can stand for the photograph.
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"The care that Sophie and Edward are taking over Princess Alexandra…," one fan noted. A second agreed: "I just adore Sophie. She is just pure class, kindness, and elegance!"
"What a splendid photo. I love zooming in to see all the details on all the outfits. What a lot of hard work! I have no idea who the old lady is but it is wonderful to see she is supported by both the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Fabulous!" a third remarked.
It comes after fans got to see a very different side of Sophie during her attendance at the coronation concert on Sunday night.
She was spotted by cameras having a solo dance to 'All Night Long' by Lionel Richie, which you can see in the video below - and viewers were quick to comment on how relatable she is, and praising her for "letting her hair down".
Other royal accidents
Back in 2019, a grandmother was seriously injured after being hit by a police motorcyclist in Prince William and Kate's royal motorcade.
Irene Mayor, then 83, was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after she reportedly broke her pelvis.
The incident happened when the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were travelling to Windsor to join the Queen at the Order of the Garter ceremony in Windsor Castle.
William and Kate were left "deeply concerned and saddened" by the incident and reached out to Irene's family, Kensington Palace confirmed at the time.
The royal couple even sent flowers with a handwritten note and told Mrs Mayor's daughter Fiona that they wanted to visit the church-going grandmother if she was willing to see them.
Duchess Sophie's coronation fashion
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