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Princess Anne Had a Surprising Response When Asked About Her Dad Prince Philip’s Car Crash

Princess Anne is not here for chit-chat!

The royal, 68, stepped out for an official royal outing in Lancashire on Friday, and as the first royal family member to be seen in public since Prince Philip’s car crash, she was asked about her father’s condition.

“I’ve no idea. You know where I am? Same place as you,” she told reporters with a laugh. She then quickly made her way inside the event.

As she left, a bold reporter asked: “Any word on the Duke, Your Highness?

“Not since I’ve been in there,” she quipped.

Anne, who is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, was named the hardest working royal of 2018 with 447 domestic appearances and another 71 outings overseas. But she has strict rules for fan interaction during her outings — and even avoids shaking hands with fans.

Samir Hussein/WireImage; REX/Shutterstock
Samir Hussein/WireImage; REX/Shutterstock

“It’s become a shaking hands exercise rather than a walkabout,” she said in the recent HBO documentary Queen of the World. “Phones are bad enough, but the iPads — you can’t even see their heads. No idea who you’re talking to.”

“I either don’t bother or just say, ‘Look, if you want to ask…I suggest you put that down,’” she continued. “It is weird. People don’t believe they’ve experienced the event unless they’ve taken a photograph.”

Princess Anne | Guy Bell/REX/Shutterstock
Princess Anne | Guy Bell/REX/Shutterstock
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On Thursday, the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a car crash in Norfolk. The 97-year-old royal was uninjured, although those who were on-hand said there was blood at the scene after Philip overturned his Land Rover following a collision with a Kia driven by a 28-year-old woman with a 9-month-old baby in the backseat.

RELATED: ‘Pragmatic’ Prince Philip Will Grudgingly Give Up Driving If He Is Advised to Do So Following Crash

The Kia driver suffered cuts to her knee while a 45-year-old woman sitting in the passenger seat broke her wrist. The 9-month-old baby was uninjured in the incident, local police in Norfolk said Friday.

A palace spokeswoman said: “Contact has been made privately with those traveling in the other car and well wishes exchanged.”

On doctor’s advice, Philip visited the hospital on Friday morning for a “precautionary check-up.”
“His Royal Highness had no injuries of concern. The Duke has returned to Sandringham,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

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MEGA

RELATED: Prince Philip Has Another Land Rover Delivered to Sandringham Estate One Day After Crash

“It was an astonishing escape for everyone,” Roy Warne, a retired lawyer, told reporters outside his home in Norfolk on Friday, adding that it appeared as if there “had been extraordinarily severe injuries. But fortunately the injuries were very light. People could have been killed the impact must have been enormous.”

Warne added, “He was obviously shaken and then he went and asked if everyone else [in the other car] was alright.”

Philip was able to stand after he was helped from the vehicle. “There was a little bit of blood and one of the royal entourage gave me a wipe to wipe my hands,” Warne said.

Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock
Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock

An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

“As is standard procedure with injury collisions, the incident will be investigated and any appropriate action taken,” police in Norfolk said. “We are aware of the public interest in this case, however, as with any other investigation it would be inappropriate to speculate on the causes of the collision until an investigation is carried out.”