Sophie Winkleman recalls the kindness of a stranger who 'thought she was dying' after horrific crash

Sophie Winkleman, Lord Frederick Windsor

In December 2017, Sophie Winkleman was involved in a terrifying accident whilst on the way home from work, after an oncoming car swerved into hers to avoid a deer.

Claudia Winkleman's sister, and the wife of Lord Frederick Windsor, Prince Charles' nephew, was left with serious injuries from the crash, sustaining a broken back, foot, and internal injuries.

And now, she's opened up about the the kind stranger who came to her aid in the aftermath of the accident, revealing that he did his best to help her before medics got to the scene, covering her in his coat to keep her warm.

MORE:Prince Charles makes incredible gesture after family member Sophie Winkleman is involved in a near-fatal car crash

However, he has since told Sophie that he thought she was dying, as she lay in the road after the horrific crash.

Sophie confessed to the Sunday Express, “He was magnificent. He found it awful as well. He admitted later that he thought I was dying while he speaking with me.

“He was trying to keep me alive until the paramedics arrived.”

Thankfully, Sophie made it through, and after weeks in hospital, was later reassured that she wouldn't face any long-term problems as a result of her injuries. However, it was a long road to recovery for Lady Frederick Windsor, as she is officially known, which saw some tough times at home with her two daughters.

Sophie and Frederick have two daughters, Maud, five, and Isabella, three. In the aftermath of the accident, actress Sophie revealed that heartbreakingly, she couldn't even pick her daughters up.

She said, “I couldn’t pick up either of my daughters for a year, which is very hard to explain to two toddlers.”

But luckily it appears that things are finally returning to normal for the family.

Sophie continued, “But it’s finally getting to the point now where I can pick up the girls without even thinking about it, which is a massive deal. So I’m just starting to be a fully-functioning mother.”

The mum-of-two also spoke again about how Prince Charles helped her and her family in a very practical way in the months after the accident.

She said, “So Prince Charles took care of us in such a very big way. For three months he got his cook to take care of us instead of him.

“It was an act of great generosity and friendship.”

In a previous interview with Hello!, Sophie revealed how meals would be prepared and cooked at Clarence House, Charles' London home, and delivered to their home.

Amy Hunt

Amy Hunt is an experienced digital journalist specialising in homes, interiors and hobbies. She began her career working as the features assistant at woman&home magazine, before moving over to the digital side of the brand where she eventually became the Lifestyle Editor up until January 2022. Amy won the Digital Journalist of the Year award at the AOP Awards in 2019 for her work on womanandhome.com.