Queen Elizabeth II's 97-year-old husband Prince Philip emerged unscathed after a vehicle he was driving was involved in a traffic accident that injured two people near the monarch's Sandringham Estate Thursday, according to Buckingham Palace and police.

“The Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a road traffic accident with another vehicle this afternoon,” a palace spokesman said.

“The Duke was not injured. The accident took place close to the Sandringham Estate. Local police attended the scene.”

A palace spokeswoman confirmed to Britain's Press Association that the duke was driving, alongside a passenger in the vehicle, when the accident happened.

The agency said it was likely the duke was travelling with his close protection officer.

Norfolk Police said officers were called to the estate shortly before 3pm (1500 GMT) “following reports of a collision involving two cars”.

A spokesman added that ambulance crews also attended and two people in one of the vehicles suffered minor injuries.

The royal couple spend most of the winter at the residence in Norfolk, south east England, which continues to operate as a sporting estate.

Philip, known for his forthright manner and off-colour jokes, formally retired from public life in 2017.

Born a prince of Greece and Denmark, he married then princess Elizabeth on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey in London.

On their golden wedding anniversary in 1997, she said of him: “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.”