Prince Philip taken to hospital for ‘treatment and observation’, palace says

Duke did not go via ambulance and went as a ‘precaution’

Prince Philip has been taken to hospital for a “planned visit” on advice of “His Royal Highness’ Doctor”.

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 as a “precaution”, Buckingham Palace said.

Prince Philip, 98, left Sandringham, where he spends much of his time since retiring from public life in August 2017.

The announcement came as the Queen arrived at the Norfolk estate after travelling from the capital on Friday.

A Buckingham Palace statement said: “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.

“The admission is a precautionary measure, on the advice of His Royal Highness’ Doctor.”

The Duke is expected to be in hospital for a few days.

He was not taken by ambulance and it was a planned admission.

Since his retirement, the Duke has reportedly remained active despite his health condition.

He missed the royal Christmas services in 2011 after it was revealed he was recovering from emergency surgery after suffering from a blocked artery.

Although he made a quick recovery, he was hospitalised again in 2017 after becoming ill with an infection linked to his pre-existing heart condition.

In April 2018 he was admitted to London’s King Edward VII Hospital to undergo a hip replacement.

The Duke has also missed several public events in previous weeks before the operation including an Easter service.

The Independent contacted Buckingham Palace for comment. They couldn’t ”go into details about the nature of the Duke’s condition” but they stressed that “the Queen has not changed her plans” due to the hospital admission.

Additional reporting by agencies