Prince Philip to spend second weekend in hospital in longest-ever stay

Prince Philip, in July 2020, arrives for a ceremony for the transfer of the Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifles from himself to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at Windsor Castle
AP
Leah Sinclair26 February 2021

The Duke of Edinburgh will spend his second weekend in hospital as he recovers from an infection, royal sources have said.

Last night was the duke’s tenth night at the King Edward VII clinic in central London but he is expected to stay in over the weekend, according to The Sun.

In 2013, he spent 11 days in hospital after an operation on his abdomen. On Saturday it will be his longest ever stay as an inpatient.

Prince Philip, who turns 100 on June 10, was admitted into hospital last Tuesday as a precautionary measure after feeling unwell.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the duke walked in unaided and was in “good spirits”.

In the last update on Tuesday, the palace said: "He is comfortable and responding to treatment but is not expected to leave hospital for several days."

During a visit to a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Norfolk, the Duke of Cambridge gave a reassuring wink when asked about the health of his grandfather.

“Yes, he’s OK, they’re keeping an eye on him,” he said.

In an interview with Sky News, Prince Edward said he had spoken to his father on the phone and he was feeling "a lot better".

"As far as I’m aware, well I did speak to them the other day, so he’s a lot better thank you very much indeed, and he’s looking forward to getting out, which is the most positive thing,” he said.

"So we keep our fingers crossed."

The Earl of Wessex added: "We’ve had some brilliant and lovely messages from all sorts of people and we really appreciate that and so does he, I’ve been passing them on.

Since his admission to hospital, the duke has received a visit from his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, who was seen arriving last Saturday afternoon.

The duke’s last stay in hospital was in December 2019 when he spent four nights at the King Edward VII hospital and was treated for a “pre-existing condition”. He was discharged on Christmas Eve.

Describing his and Meghan’s decision to leave the UK, he said: “It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down.

“It was a really difficult environment, which I think a lot of people saw. So I did what any father or husband would do and thought ‘how do I get my family out of here’.

“But we never walked away and as far as I’m concerned, whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away, I will always be contributing”.

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