A mother of two whose wrist was broken when the car she was in collided with Prince Philip’s Land Rover has told friends she is “unhappy” with the way Buckingham Palace has handled the accident. The Telegraph can reveal that Emma Fairweather, 45, was the passenger in the Kia car last Thursday when it struck the Duke of Edinburgh’s Land Rover near the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk. Ms Fairweather has since complained of feeling “overwhelmed” by the experience of being involved, firstly, in a crash and, secondly, in one involving the husband of the monarch. Friends and relatives described Ms Fairweather as a “warm and caring woman”, as well as a devoted mother of two teenage children. They said she had told of how “she still has not been cleared” by doctors as fit and well after suffering the injury to her wrist. Others have claimed Ms Fairweather, as well as the 28-year-old female Kia driver who suffered cuts to her knee, had felt “unhappy” because they said they had been “advised” by police not to talk about the collision. No-one from Norfolk Police was available for comment on Saturday. The younger woman’s nine-month-old baby was in the back of the Kia and survived without any injuries after the vehicle struck the Duke’s two-tonne car on the A149 sending it rolling across the road. Ms Fairweather has told friends she is unhappy with how Buckingham Palace handled the crash There was no suggestion the car was speeding. The two women and the Duke were breathalysed but neither was over the drink drive limit. A source has since confirmed that the Duke took and passed a police eyesight test, as part of the ongoing investigation. Four people had to help the visibly shaken prince out of the Freelander. Others went to the aid of the two women and baby in the Kia amid fears that smoke coming from vehicle could lead to an explosion or fire. A source who knows Ms Fairweather and spoke on condition of anonymity said the mother of two was “frustrated” with how the episode had been handled as she was caught up in a crash that has made headlines around the world. The woman explained: “She said, ‘It’s suddenly become so overwhelming that I’m quite tempted to simply go home. I’m just wondering if I’m out of my depth and should retreat.” While Ms Fairweather has not yet elaborated on exactly why she felt unhappy, there has been considerable dismay locally that the police took a day to reveal that a nine-month-old baby was also in the Kia vehicle. The scene of the crash last week Buckingham Palace revealed earlier that “contact had been made privately with the passengers in the other car and well-wishes had been exchanged”, however it remains unclear whether the prince made that approach or if it been an aid. Meanwhile, some locals have complained that it required an accident involving a member of the Royal Family on a notorious stretch of the A149 to prompt the council to lower the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph. Among those killed on the road is Sandra Greenacre, a 51-year-old police community support officer, who died after being involved in an accident on her way to work in 2013. Her son, Danny Child, 27, from King’s Lynn, told The Telegraph: “Personally, I feel like it is disrespectful to everyone who has had a road traffic collision on the A149. "It’s been an issue for the last five to six years but now a royal has had a crash something has been done. I just feel like it’s disrespectful.” It is not the first time the prince has been involved in a collision. In January 1996, Prince Philip, then 74, was involved in an accident in Brandon, Suffolk, while travelling from Sandringham. Both vehicles were damaged in the prang. Ms Fairweather also told friends how she had been moved by the “numerous” family members and former neighbours eager to ensure she was safe and well. The Duke of Edinburgh returned to the road in a new car on Saturday Credit: Geoff Robinson One neighbour in Kings Lynn, where Ms Fairweather lived for three years before moving out last year, said she was a “wonderfully warm” woman and a “fantastic mother” who was seen regularly walking her dog. “She will be terribly shocked to be caught up in this whole thing. I can’t imagine how she feels about it all,” he said. Ms Fairweather had lived in a two-up-two down semi-detached house, along with her two teenage children, Alex, a 19-year-old fine art student at York University, and a teenage son. It is understood Ms Fairweather summoned a relative, Samantha Fairweather, 38, to the scene of the accident to comfort her. They were photographed alongside the prince’s Land Rover which had rolled onto its side, as well as the Kia car in a hedge. The Duke was reported to have said “I’m such a fool” to a member of the public who had helped him out the car. Victoria Warne, 72, who stopped at the scene with her husband, Roy, 75, said the prince “looked so worried”, adding: “I’m such a fool.” It is understood a bidding war has broken out among tabloid news outlets for Ms Fairweather’s account of the crash and her treatment by the authorities in the aftermath. Additional reporting by Helena Horton and Mike Wright.
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