UK's Prince Philip returns to castle after health scare
Britain’s Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh leaves King Edward VII’s Hospital in central London on Tuesday.
Britain’s Prince Philip, the 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth, left a London hospital on Tuesday after a four-week stay for treatment for an infection and to have a heart procedure.
The Duke of Edinburgh, was admitted to the private King Edward VII’s Hospital on February 16 after he felt unwell and was given treatment for an unspecified, but not COVID-19-related, illness.
He was transferred briefly at the start of this month to a specialist cardiac center at another London hospital, where he underwent a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition.
“His Royal Highness wishes to thank all the medical staff who looked after him at both King Edward VII’s Hospital and St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and everyone who has sent their good wishes,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
A royal source said the prince was in good spirits.
Since being admitted, the duke has been publicly visited only by his eldest son Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.
The queen, 94, has remained at Windsor Castle where the couple have been staying during the coronavirus pandemic, and has continued to carry out her official duties by video.
Both she and Philip have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose.
The Greek-born prince, who turns 100 in June, has required hospital treatment a number of times in the last decade for a recurrence of a bladder infection.
At Christmas in 2011 he had an operation to clear a blocked artery in his heart after being rushed to hospital with chest pains.
During his hospital stay, the royal family has been embroiled in a crisis after Prince Harry and his wife Meghan gave a televised interview, criticizing their royal relatives.
Philip, who has been at the queen’s side throughout her 69-year reign, has always been considered the patriarch of the royal family privately.
However, since he retired from public life in 2017 he has taken more of a backseat role, with Prince Charles and Prince William, both future kings, taking on greater responsibilities.
