Duchess of Edinburgh ‘deeply saddened’ by death of woman hit by police escort

The Duchess of Edinburgh has been left “deeply saddened” after learning about the death of a woman who was hit by a police escort that was taking her across London, a palace official has said.

Helen Holland, from Birchanger in Essex, tragically passed away after being in a coma for two weeks in hospital following the horrific incident in London on May 10.

Helen was hospitalised and comatose following the crash at the junction of West Cromwell Road and Warwick Road in Earl's Court, west London.

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Her son, Martin Holland, told the BBC that his mother suffered ”multiple broken bones and massive internal injuries" as a result of the horrific crash.

Her family said that while she fought hard to overcome her injuries, “irreversible damage to her brain finally ended the battle today.”

The Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The Duchess of Edinburgh is deeply saddened to hear that Helen Holland has passed away.

“Her Royal Highness’s deepest condolences and sympathies go to all of Ms Holland’s family.”

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It is understood that Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, will privately reach out to the deceased woman's family.

The Met Police, which has a special unit dedicated to protecting members of the Royal Family as they travel across London, is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct [IOPC] over Helen’s death.

"Officers know that their actions, both on and off duty, are open to scrutiny and following our referral of the incident, the IOPC launched an independent investigation,” chief superintendent Richard Smith, head of the Met Police's Royalty and Specialist Protection unit, said.

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“We continue to cooperate with and support that inquiry," he added.

The top cop said the "tragic outcome is being felt by colleagues across the Met" and "thoughts are very much with the woman's family and loved ones at this sad time."

The IOPC previously said that, as part of its investigation into the incident, CCTV from nearby properties and police body camera footage would be examined.

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