Cyclist killed in London named as Italian prince

Filippo Corsini, 21, was heir to a noble family in Florence

Mr Corsini had reportedly been on his way to Regent's University London when he was fatally hit by a HGV (Facebook)

The eighth cyclist to die on the roads of London this year has been named as a young Italian prince.

Filippo Corsini, heir to a noble family in Florentine, was killed on Monday after being run over by a HGV near Knightsbridge tube station.

The 21-year-old had reportedly been on his way to study at Regent's University London, where he was studying for a Bachelors degree in International Business.

According to witnesses, Mr Corsini died of "catastrophic injuries" after being dragged 30 yards across a box junction.

Bystanders reportedly "rushed to try to save" the young man, but he was pronounced dead at the scene just over half an hour later.

Lucia Ciccoli, another Italian cyclist, died while on her bike in London just a week earlier after being hit by a lorry during rush hour.

Mr Corsini was a keen equestrian and friends remembered his passion for the sport and for his horse, named Claretta Bella.

One of his friends, a fellow equestrian, wrote on Facebook: “With your smile, with the laughter you gave us and the great undertakings you accomplished with your beloved Claretta Bella, we will never forget you. Bye, Prince. RIP.”

Another friend said: “I cannot believe it, he was a wonderful boy. I think about his mother Clotilde, his grandfather Paolo and all the other relatives whom I don’t know. I hug them all, with huge sadness.”

Erin Carmichael, who witnessed the aftermath of the incident, wrote on Facebook: "I arrived at the scene 20 minutes after the accident yesterday by chance, it was horrible we was there when he was pronounced dead. So very sad.

"So glad I did not actually whiteness the accident though thoughts are with his family."

The Corsini family is one of Florence’s oldest, whose lineage goes all the way back to the Middle Ages.

Their family tree includes Pope Clemente XII, who ruled from 1730 to 1740, founding Rome’s Capitoline Museums and commissioning the Trevi Fountain.