THE son of Princess Anne told an inquest of the horrifying moment his friend was killed in a quad bike crash on his mother's estate.

Peter Phillips described how he was first on the scene of the crash, which killed 19-year-old Daniel Brookman, from West Kington near Chippenham.

Mr Phillips had been driving the same quad bike, with Mr Brookman as his passenger, just moments before the tragedy in August last year.

Gloucester coroner Alan Crickmore recorded a verdict of accidental death at the hearing on Wednesday, as he said the evidence was not consistent enough for him to record a verdict of unlawful killing.

Witnesses told the hearing the quad bike driver, Nicholas Pearce, 21, had been performing reckless' and dangerous' stunts, including doughnut turns, on a Yamaha Rhino quad bike at the Gatcombe estate when it overturned on a sloping field.

Mr Brookman, who was a passenger, suffered severe chest injuries when the powerful bike rolled over him.

The inquest heard the Queen's grandson Mr Phillips had been trying out similar doughnut moves just minutes before.

Giving evidence, Mr Phillips described seeing the quad bike go up in the air and crash to the ground.

He said: "I saw my two friends being thrown.

"Realising something had happened I immediately went to the scene. I think I was first there.

"I saw Nick and Dan get up. Dan was clutching his chest. He took a few steps and then collapsed. Other people also arrived and attended to Dan."

He told the hearing he had been trying out some "tight turns" on the quad bike with Mr Brookman as his passenger before handing the quad bike over to Mr Pearce.

Taking the stand in tears, Mr Pearce, of Fosse Farm Cottage, Nettleton, said at no time did Mr Brookman show concern or ask to get off.

He said: "Dan and I were having a laugh at the time.

"We were spinning it about and we were putting it through its paces. We were doing it in the same fashion as other people had done."

He admitted he had made an error on the slope, which had a gradient of 1:7.

Another onlooker, Benjamin Goss, 28, said Mr Pearce's driving had made him feel uncomfortable. "Once at the top of the field Nick really started to go for it," he said. "He did several doughnuts. Dust was being thrown up and there was a lot of revving. I was glad I was not in the passenger seat."

Describing the crash, he said: "They (Mr Brookman and the quad bike) seemed to roll together simultaneously. As he hit the ground part of the rollbar structure struck him.

"It took 30 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. During this time Dan's condition seemed to deteriorate and 10 minutes before the ambulance arrived he had worsened to the extent that people were performing mouth to mouth and cardiac resuscitation."

The inquest heard although the quad bike was fitted with seatbelts, Mr Brookman, Mr Pearce and Mr Phillips were among those not to use them.

Coroner Mr Crickmore said there had been "motorised high jinks" on the estate at the end of the annual British Festival of Eventing. He said Mr Pearce's driving had led to "catastrophic consequences".

After the inquest Mr Brookman's father Jon said the verdict was one he had expected. "I do believe that whoever carries out doughnuts and harsh turns as was described during the inquest has performed acts of dangerous driving," he said.

"I still do believe it was an unnecessary death through what I consider to be some dangerous and irresponsible treatment of the vehicle by everyone using it that day."

Mr Pearce has already appeared before magistrates in Gloucester, where he pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention. He was fined £200.