Prince Philip leaves hospital to join Queen for Christmas
Prince Philip has left a London hospital just in time to celebrate Christmas with the Queen and the Royal Family.
Prince Philip has left hospital after being treated for what Buckingham Palace called a “pre-existing condition.”
The 98-year-old is expected to join the rest of Britain’s royal family for Christmas at Sandringham House in eastern England.
Live footage on Tuesday showed the prince leaving the hospital on foot and entering a vehicle unaided.
The 98-year-old Duke was flown by helicopter from Sandringham to London for “observation and treatment” for a pre-existing condition on Friday, The Sunreports.
His admittance was said to have been a “precautionary measure.”
Buckingham Palace would not go into details about Philip’s ailment or the nature of his treatment.
Philip’s decision to retire from public duties in 2017 was not health-related, Buckingham Palace said at the time.
The Prince of Wales added: “He’s all right — once you get to that age, things don’t work as well. He’s being looked after very well in hospital.”
Buckingham Palace has tried to downplay the Duke’s stay at the private King Edward VIII Hospital, insisting it was a “precautionary” measure only.
The Mirror has also reported claims that the Prince had been seen joking with doctors in hospital as he battled to be fit enough to spend Christmas with the Queen.
The Queen has not changed her schedule and was seen leaving Buckingham Palace for Norfolk by train to begin her traditional festive break at her private Sandringham estate, where she attended a church service yesterday.
The hospital dash follows a month of ill health for the Duke, including a nasty fall.
“The Duke had a bad fall and was confined to bed for a couple of days,” a royal source told The Sun.
“He didn’t break anything, but it gave everyone a scare. He suffers from gout, which makes him more irritable, and he lost his appetite.
“Those around him were worried as he’d stopped eating and didn’t want to go out. But he’s a 98-year-old man and this is all very common at this age.
“He’s been in good health generally but missed the Queen’s Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday for the first time.
“And for the first time in what feels like centuries he won’t be seen shooting anywhere this year, not even on the Sandringham estate which is a great shame.”
Another source told The Sun: “The Duke doesn’t want any fuss. He doesn’t want the family coming to see him in hospital.
“He wants to be in and out with minimal disruption to any festive plans and he certainly doesn’t want the family to spend time at Christmas traipsing to his sick bed.”
His health scares have included heart problems, arthritis, abdominal surgery and bladder infections.
In April 2018 he had a hip replacement operation but had recovered well for Harry and Meghan’s wedding a month later.
Palace sources last night said there was no “cause for immediate concern” after his admission. Buckingham Palace was also keen to play down the hospital trip.
It said he was not taken by ambulance and stressed it was a planned admission.
“The Duke of Edinburgh travelled from Norfolk this morning to the King Edward VII
Hospital in London for observation and treatment in relation to a pre-existing condition,” a palace statement said on Friday.
“The admission is a precautionary measure on the advice of His Royal Highness’s doctor.”
A friend of the Duke of Edinburgh also revealed that despite previously stating he didn’t wish for his life to drag on in old age, he was now very keen to make it to 100.
His decision to retire from public duties during 2017 was not health-related, Buckingham Palace said at the time of the announcement.
It comes after the royal family put on a brave face, with candid photos showing four generations making a Christmas pudding together.
Prince George, 6, was snapped taking the lead to mix the cake, watched on by dad Prince William, grandfather Prince Charles and great-grandmother the Queen.
They stirred the mixture together, a tradition said to bring good luck.
PRINCE PHILIP’S YEAR IN 2019
January 17: The duke is involved in a car crash when the Land Rover Freelander he is driving flips over after being in collision with another vehicle near the Sandringham estate.
January 18: The Duke undergoes a medical after the incident.
January 19: Photographs of the Duke emerge driving a Land Rover at Sandringham just two days after the crash. In the pictures, he was not wearing a seatbelt.
January 24: ITV News unearths archive interview footage of a man, known only as Mr Coopy, with whom the Duke was involved in a collision in 1964 in the village of Holyport in Berkshire.
January 27: The Duke writes to Emma Fairweather wishing her a “speedy recovery from a very distressing experience” after the crash on January 17.
February 9: Buckingham Palace announces the Duke has voluntarily surrendered his driving licence “after careful consideration”.
May 7: Prince Philip makes his first public appearance since the car crash when attending the Order of Merit lunch alongside the Queen at Windsor Castle.
May 18: Little more than a week later, the Duke attends the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle alongside other royals including the Queen.
December 20: The Duke travels from Norfolk to the King Edward VII Hospital in London for observation and treatment in relation to a pre-existing condition.
This story originally appeared in The Sun and has been reproduced with permission
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