Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, is feeling extremely sad about the death of a woman who was involved in a terrible accident with a motorbike from the royal’s police escort. The accident happened at a junction in Earl’s Court, a place in west London, on Wednesday, May 10th. People who saw the accident said that the woman, Helen Holland, who was 81 years old, was thrown a very long distance across the road when the motorbike hit her.
Unfortunately, Ms. Holland fought for her life for nearly two weeks but, sadly, her brain was hurt too badly, and she couldn’t survive. She had multiple broken bones and very serious injuries inside her body. It’s been reported that Ms. Holland was actually using a pedestrian crossing, which is a safe place for people to walk. She had come to London to visit her sister.
The Duchess of Edinburgh is feeling really sorry and wants to express her deepest sympathies and condolences to Ms. Holland’s family. Someone who speaks for the royal family said that the Duchess is very saddened by the news of Ms. Holland’s passing. They also said that the Duchess will try to contact Ms. Holland’s family privately to offer her support. Right now, the police watchdog is investigating the accident to find out what happened.
The person in charge of the Metropolitan Police’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Unit also shared their condolences. Chief Superintendent Richard Smith said that the tragic outcome has affected all of his colleagues in the police force a lot.
He wants to let Ms. Holland’s family and friends know that they are in his thoughts. He also mentioned that police officers know that what they do, both when they’re working and when they’re not, can be looked at very closely. That’s why they’re cooperating with the independent investigation being done by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The investigation will look at security camera footage from nearby buildings and recordings from the police officers’ cameras. They will also talk to the officers who were there at the time. The police are asking anyone else who saw what happened to come forward and share what they know.
In other news, Sophie, who is married to Prince Edward, recently went on a very important trip to Baghdad, which is in Iraq. She went there to help people who have survived sexual violence during times of conflict. She became the first royal from the United Kingdom to visit the capital city.
During her trip, she met with important leaders of the country and visited a school for girls to hear about their experiences with education. Sophie and Edward have two children named Lady Louise Windsor and the Earl of Wessex (who used to be called James Viscount Severn). The whole family took part in the coronation of King Charles and stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch planes flying overhead.
