LONDON (Reuters) – Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s 99-year-old husband, was hospitalized on Tuesday as a precautionary measure after feeling unwell with a condition unrelated to COVID-19.
The prince, whose official title is the Duke of Edinburgh, entered London’s King Edward VII Private Hospital without help after feeling ill for a short time, a royal source said.
The 94-year-old queen remains at Windsor Castle near London, where the couple stayed during the British coronavirus pandemic. Both received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in January.
“The Duke’s admission is a precautionary measure, on the advice of His Royal Highness’s doctor, after he felt ill,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
“The duke is expected to remain in hospital for a few days of observation and rest.”
A royal source said that Philip does not have a disease related to COVID-19 and that it is not an emergency.
An hour after his arrival, film and photo crews from Britain, Australia, France and Germany had gathered in front of the hospital where police were on guard.
“I am sorry to hear that His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh is in hospital,” said British Health Secretary Matt Hancock. “I send him my best wishes for a speedy recovery.”
A former naval officer famous for his manner and sometimes sudden humor, Philip married Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became queen. He is now by far the longest-lived consort of any British monarch.
The couple’s marriage, the legacy of the British throne sooner than expected and family life with four children have been drawn in recent years by the Netflix drama The Crown.
Philip is now rarely seen in public. He gave up his official commitments in August 2017 after completing over 22,000 solo events and thousands more with the queen.
During the pandemic, the royal family visited hospitals and front-line workers, either online or in person, to thank them for their efforts. Prince Charles, heir to the throne, visited the staff of a hospital in Birmingham on Wednesday.
The royal family has also been in the news in recent days after Philip’s nephew, Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan, announced that they were expecting their second child and had agreed to a residency interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Among the topics they will discuss are why the couple gave up the royal family to spend more time in America last year.
Philip, born in Greece, has had several hospitalizations in the last decade, including treatment for an infection in 2017 and hip replacement surgery. He was previously hospitalized at the end of 2019.
The duke will turn 100 in June. The tabloids reported that he did not want any public unrest.
Additional reporting by Michael Holden and Kate Holton; edited by Guy Faulconbridge, Giles Elgood and Mike Collett-White