The Queen and Prince Philip are often photographed attending Sunday worship, which is always encouraging to other Christians. But surely it’s a little disappointing that Philip didn’t do the Christian thing and immediately apologise for the way in which his road accident had resulted in broken bones for another driver. Emma Fairweather suffered a broken wrist, and her arm is currently in plaster, as a consequence of the Duke of Edinburgh’s collision last week in Norfolk – when his Land Rover hit the Kia in which she was travelling, along with another woman and a baby. Both women were hurt, though the infant escaped unharmed. Ms Fairweather complained that she received no personal apology from Prince Philip, and, for some time after, no direct contact with the Royal Household. The Royal Household, for its part, claimed it had made every attempt to contact Ms Fairweather. It seems that the Queen’s lady-in-waiting, Mary Morrison, sent a message saying: “The Queen has asked me to telephone to pass on her warmest good wishes following the accident.” But Ms Fairweather felt a direct apology from the Duke should have been forthcoming. Much of the focus has been on the issue of whether any 97-year-old should be driving in the first place. (The Duke was subsequently photographed behind the wheel of another car, and without a seat belt.) That’s a health and safety issue – not a moral one – and simple enough to resolve: ageing drivers should be judged on their capacities, not just on their age. But Ms Fairweather is entitled to feel aggrieved that no direct apology, or expression of remorse, came from Philip, who said that dazzle from the sun was at fault for the collision. When the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, published a prayer invoking a post-accident blessing on the Duke – and added, as an afterthought, a reference to others involved – it caused a ripple of offence on social media. There are, sometimes, legal restraints on issuing an apology following a mishap. Apologising can imply an admission of guilt or liability, which lawyers will usually advise their clients against. But even so, a note expressing regret would have been the Christian thing to do – and graceful, too. Ms Fairweather said she’d have liked a bunch of flowers from the royals. Why not? It would have been the kind thing to do.