Prince Philip: Duke of Edinburgh admitted to hospital ‘as a precaution’ after feeling unwell

The Duke of Edinburgh has been admitted to hospital as a “precautionary measure” after feeling unwell.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the 99-year-old is “expected to remain in hospital for a few days of observation and rest”.

He was taken to hospital on advice of his doctor and is said to be in good spirits.

A royal source said Prince Philip does not have a coronavirus-related illness and walked into hospital unaided on Tuesday evening.

The source added he travelled there by car and was not an emergency admission.

It is understood the decision to admit him was taken with an “abundance” of caution.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital in London, on Tuesday evening.

“The Duke’s admission is a precautionary measure, on the advice of His Royal Highness’s Doctor, after feeling unwell.”

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The prime minister sends his best wishes to the Duke of Edinburgh as he undergoes a few days of rest in hospital.”

Philip retired from public duties in 2017 and rarely appears in public.

He was last seen in public in July 2020 when he transferred his role as colonel-in-chief of The Rifles to his daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

He has been staying with the Queen at Windsor Castle since coronavirus restrictions were first introduced last year.

Philip has suffered a number of ailments over the years, including being treated for a blocked coronary artery at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire in December 2011.

He was later treated for a bladder infection in June 2012, forcing him to miss the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Exploratory surgery on his abdomen followed in June 2013 and he began to use hearing aids by 2014, aged 93.

He later pulled out of a Battle of Jutland anniversary event in June 2016 citing a minor ailment which was followed soon after by his retirement from public duty in 2017.

Philip was involved in a car accident near the royal estate in Sandringham, Norfolk, in January 2019 but was unhurt and did not go to hospital.

He spent four nights at the King Edward Hospital in December 2019, where he was treated for a “pre-existing condition” and was later discharged on Christmas Eve.

Earlier this month, the palace confirmed the Queen and Prince Philip had both received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Analysis: Buckingham Palace’s statement tells us very little
By Rhiannon Mills, royal correspondent

It is understood the Queen decided the information should be made public to prevent inaccuracies and speculation.

In the summer the Duke of Edinburgh was a picture of health as he unexpectedly ventured out of retirement for a rare public engagement to hand over one of his longest-standing military titles.

Prince Philip walked down the stairs at Windsor Castle without any help and joked with one of the soldiers about the young man looking unfit.

But even for a spritely looking 99-year-old, health problems are inevitable.

The palace statement tells us very little, nothing about what is wrong with him or his symptoms. And that’s hardly surprising when we know members of the Royal Family like to keep their health matters as private as possible.

The King Edward VII hospital is one the Duke is very familiar with after being treated there on several occasions before, most recently Christmas 2019 when he was taken in for a pre-existing medical condition, possibly a reoccurrence of the urinary tract problems he’s had in the past.

But since then he’s looked relatively well, in photographs released for his 99th birthday, another for his 73rd wedding anniversary, and one taken at Princess Beatrice’s wedding.

In a sign that the family don’t appear unduly worried, Prince Charles and Camilla visited a vaccination hub in Birmingham on Wednesday. And the Queen is still at work.

A photo was released on the Royal Family’s social media sites this afternoon showing the First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy on the phone to Her Majesty at Windsor.

As media from around the world gather outside the hospital, as they have done on previous occasions, the palace is keen to calm down any sense of serious concern about this hospital admission.

Prince Philip, they say, is in good spirits as he receives the best possible care.

(c) Sky News 2021: Prince Philip: Duke of Edinburgh admitted to hospital ‘as a precaution’ after feeling unwell