Queen visits Duke of Edinburgh in hospital after Prince misses Trooping the Colour ceremony

Left to right: The Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of York, Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice and the Duke of Kent, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace (PA)

The Queen visited Prince Philip at the London Clinic today, after attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony without him.

Instead of attending with the Prince, the Queen invited her cousin, the Duke of Kent, to join her in her glass coach for the short journey from Buckingham Palace along The Mall. Thousands of people, including friends and family of more than 1,000 soldiers taking part packed into seats and stands to watch precision marching by hundreds of Guardsmen.

The Duchess of Cambridge also attended the parade as part of her last public engagement before giving birth to her first child, expected in July.

The Queen took the royal salute as members of the royal family looked on. It is thought to be only the third time that Prince Philip has missed the event after not attending in 1962 and 1968 when he was away on royal tours.

The Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, the Princess Royal, Colonel of the Blues and Royals, and the Duke of Cambridge, Colonel of the Irish Guards took part in the ceremony, which is held to commemorate the Queen's official birthday.

Prince Philip received ongoing visits yesterday and at one point had the Prince of Wales and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry with him. Earlier in the day, his granddaughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie made a trip to the hospital.

As Prince Charles left the hospital, after a visit lasting 35 minutes, he looked relaxed and smiled, and when asked by the waiting media how his father was, said “much better”.

The royal brothers stayed on after their father and stepmother left and spent around 40 minutes with their grandfather. They left without making any comment to a large crowd that had gathered outside the central London hospital.

As well as missing the Trooping the Colour ceremony today Prince Philip, who turned 92 on Monday, will also be unable to attend next week's events including the traditional Garter service at Windsor Castle and Royal Ascot.

Additional reporting by PA