Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh 'not at fault' over death of elderly woman

The family of the elderly woman killed by Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh's motorcycle escort said they blame the police for the tragedy and not the royal.

Helen Holland, 81, of Birchanger in Essex, was in a coma in the hospital and fought for her life for nearly two weeks after the accident. She had reportedly suffered massive brain trauma, internal injuries, and multiple broken bones after she was thrown 40 feet down the road in west London. She was on a "safe route of [a] pedestrian crossing" at the intersection of West Cromwell Road and Warwick Road in Earl's Court when the collision happened.

She had been in the city to visit her sister when the tragedy took place. After being in a coma, her family made the difficult decision to turn off her life support on Tuesday last week. News of the pensioner's death drew mixed reactions from the public, with some blaming the Duchess of Edinburgh.

But Helen's son, Martin Holland insisted that the 58-year-old royal is not at fault. He told the Daily Mail, "It's not Sophie's fault. We don't blame her – the police did it."

"This is not anti-royal, no way. My mother loved the royals," he added.

The 57-year-old, who is a project director for a building firm, has reportedly been calling for reforms to police escorts since the collision, describing motorbikes regularly "racing" in the area.

He said, "It's outriders going at high speed to stop traffic at lights [before the VIP sweeps through]. They've got to think of a better way. I know the royals need to be protected but they need to do it so it doesn't endanger the public."

Martin, along with Helen's 88-year-old sister Dorothy and daughter-in-law Lisa-Marie paid a visit to the scene of the tragedy last week. They left a bouquet of flowers on a lampost by the crossing and placed a single stem on the road in her memory.

Helen was struck by the Duchess of Edinburgh's motorcycle escort at a junction in Earl's Court on the afternoon of May 10. Eyewitnesses said she had edged into the road to peer around black screens that had been placed around a brick junction box for King Charles III's coronation a few days earlier.

Dorothy said her sister knew of the risks presented by the busy three-lane route in Earl's Court as she has been there "many, many times" and "knew how dangerous it was."

"She wasn't in any hurry. She wanted to leave early because the trains were funny that day and she didn't want to rush," she shared, adding that her younger sister "was a cautious person and very conscious of the road."

Dorothy revealed that she "flagged a police car down" after she struggled to get a taxi following the collision. She recalled telling the police officer that her sister was dying and that she "couldn't find a taxi." But the driver responded, "We're not a taxi service" before driving off.

"I don't blame them. He didn't know who I was and I was probably incoherent. I expect I was crying at the time. I can't remember," she said.

In the meantime, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOC) is conducting an investigation into the tragic accident. The officer involved has reportedly also been placed in a "non-public-facing role" amid the investigation.

The Duchess of Edinburgh has since released a statement via Buckingham Palace to express her "deepest condolences" to the Holland family. She said she is "deeply saddened to hear that Helen has passed away." She is expected to reach out to the bereaved family privately. Helen was a mother of four, a grandmother to ten, and a great-grandmother to seven.