Duke of Edinburgh leaves hospital after four-night stay for 'pre-existing condition'
The Duke of Edinburgh has left hospital after being admitted on Friday.
Prince Philip left King Edward VII’s hospital in central London just before 9am on Christmas Eve after spending four nights there for observation and treatment relating to a pre-existing condition.
The royal, who is 98, got into a car in a secluded street behind the private hospital and was driven away sitting in the front seat.
It is thought he will now be travelling to Sandringham to spend Christmas with the Queen.
On Friday Buckingham Palace confirmed that Philip had travelled from the Royal Family’s Sandringham estate to London as a “precautionary measure”.
In a statement, the Palace 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.”
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Prince Philip has suffered a number of ailments over the years, with major operations including surgery for blocked coronary artery at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire in December 2011.
He was also admitted for bladder infection in June 2012, which forced him to miss the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The Queen is already at Sandringham, after arriving by train from London on Friday.
She and the Duke will be joined by other members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince William and Kate Middleton and their children.
On Christmas Day Britain will tune in to the Queen’s traditional message to the nation, which will acknowledge the “bumpy path” experienced by her own family as well as the wider nation in 2019.
