Revealed: Fan who knocked down Queen Mary with mobility scooter is an elderly man who wanted to shake the royal’s hand – but accidentally accelerated his vehicle instead
The driver of the mobility scooter that hit Queen Mary during a gathering in Greenland earlier this month is an elderly man who wanted to shake hands with the royal family.
Recently, footage of the incident has surfaced again, raising concerns and leading some Danes to call for extra security for the royal family.
In a short video obtained by Danish news agency Ekstra Bladet, the 52-year-old can be seen nearly being thrown to the ground as he greets fans.
The elderly driver of the scooter, who appeared even more shocked than the Queen after the incident, said he “didn’t know what had happened”.
He added that his intention had been to extend his arm to the Queen, hoping that she would accept it.
Queen Mary greeted fans at a rally in Greenland last month (pictured, left) before a motorized scooter hit her, prompting her security team to intervene and stop the vehicle from moving any further (pictured, right)
The royal (pictured) is said not to have fallen after being hit by the scooter, but she was pushed forward, causing her to lose her balance
However, he claims he accidentally hit the gas pedal, causing the queen to fall over and she screamed as she was pushed forward and lost her balance, but did not fall over.
The clip shows shocked bystanders crowding around the scooter, while the mother of four’s guards quickly take action and stop the scooter.
Fortunately, the wife of King Frederick X of Denmark was soon back on her feet and managed to keep her composure.
Although the accident did not seriously injure the Queen, the situation does raise questions about why a member of the Danish monarchy would have found himself in a situation where he or she could have been harmed in this way.
Kim Bach, Extra BladeAccording to the royal family commentator, the Danish National Security and Intelligence Service (PET) is to blame.
“They had a vehicle get very close,” they added.It’s strange that they’re not more vigilant just because they’re in Greenland… Strange if it’s a vehicle. I know it’s not a Ferrari or a Bentley, but still.’
MailOnline has asked PET for comment.
Meanwhile, royal expert Kenth G. Madsen called for stricter security measures for public appearances by monarchs and politicians, citing another recent incident, in which Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was attacked by a drunken man in Copenhagen.
Resurfaced footage of the accident involving Queen Mary (pictured) has raised questions about why the scooter was allowed to get so close to the royal family.
He told FEMAIL: “First of all, threat assessments must be updated regularly so that they reflect the current security situation,” he said.
‘This includes increased surveillance and intelligence, as well as closer cooperation with local and international authorities.
‘In addition, the number of bodyguards and security personnel should be increased and safe zones should be created around public events.
‘Crisis response plans should also be regularly updated and rehearsed to ensure rapid and effective handling of contingencies. At the same time, there should be clear lines of communication between all units involved to ensure a coordinated effort.’
Both palace security and police were satisfied with the old man’s explanation and judged the incident to be an innocent mistake.
However, some royal observers have raised doubts about her safety, especially since she likes to get close to the public during her walks.
The incident occurred while the royals were on an official visit to Greenland (pictured arriving in Sisimiut on July 2)
While fans are happy about the 52-year-old’s close involvement with the audience, they are also concerned about it.
Footage of the accident was reposted by the Instagram account @denmarksqueenmarywhich prompted some to share their thoughts on the situation.
In the comments below the post, someone asked: ‘Why was someone allowed to get so close on a motorized scooter?’
Another added: ‘Very weak security. Luckily this only seemed like a strange incident. Hopefully more sensible measures will be taken by the security team.’
And a third wrote: ‘I know everyone wants to be close to her… but a bit of common sense would be appreciated.’
Other fans of the royal were concerned that she had suffered an injury from the collision, but they kept her pain private.
Someone surmised, “If she hadn’t been in pain, she would have been the next day.”
Another said: ‘She’s really good now, like everything is great, that’s her job.’
However, some commentators were sympathetic to the scooter user, one of whom wrote: ‘Aactually it looks like a mobility scooter, not a recreational one. So the disabled person was there, just like everyone else, around, as part of the gathered crowd.’
Mary’s youngest children (pictured), Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, were just metres away when the monarch was struck down
A spectator who speaks to The Australian revealed how shocked the crowd was after the incident.
“I could see how much it hurt her, her eyes started watering immediately. It must hurt to be hit at that speed. The police immediately barricaded her and removed her from the situation,” they said.
According to reports, Mary was visibly shaken after the incident. Her youngest children, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, were just metres away when the frost struck.
Frederik was also greeting fans nearby when the dark gray scooter hit his wife, causing her to lose her balance.
However, the Palace media team confirmed that Mary was not injured in the incident and was able to continue with her planned activities.