Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has hosted a garden party in honour of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew

The 57-year-old royal called upon charity workers for a special garden party on the grounds of Buckingham Palace where they gathered to honour the centenary of the charity which aims to save lives and prevent injuries by leading the way on accident prevention.

RoSPA works to reduce the dangers linked to around 14,000 deaths a year which are caused by accidents, and has been instrumental in the fight for causes such as the introduction of compulsory seat belts, the campaign against drink driving, the cycling proficiency test, and the recent ban on handheld mobile phones behind the wheel.

The charity began in 1916 as the London "Safety First" Council, after the blackouts of World War I led to an increase in road accidents caused by pedestrians stepping out into the path of cars.

Whilst at the garden party, Prince Andrew met with RoSPA ambassadors Martin Roberts - who presents BBC show 'Homes Under The Hammer' - and Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell, who ended up in a coma after he was hit by a truck while cycling in the US in 2010.

The royal said to James whilst highlighting the importance of road safety: "It's always reassuring to hear the sound of a helmet scraping along the ground."

To which James replied: "I got smacked by a truck at 70mph and I didn't hear anything. I woke up in a coma two weeks later."

Prince Andrew also met with Joy Edwards, who has successfully campaigned for new safety standards for window blind cords since her 17-month-old daughter Leah died in 2010 after getting entangled.

Joy said after meeting the royal: "He was asking me why there weren't safer standards before and I was telling him it it was to do with trends. Most people had had curtains up to that point. It's an honour [to be here]. I feel quite humbled."

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