LONDON (AP) – 99-year-old Prince Philip, Britain, has been admitted to a London hospital after feeling unwell, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday.
According to the palace, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II was admitted to the private King Edward VII Hospital on Tuesday night.
It calls the recognition “a precaution” taken on the advice of Philip’s doctor. According to the palace, Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, is expected to stay a few days of ‘observation and rest’.
It is not believed that his disease is related to COVID-19. The queen and Philip received a first dose of coronavirus vaccine in early January.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said he was “sending his best wishes to the Duke of Edinburgh while undergoing a few days ‘rest in hospital.’
Philip retired from public service in 2017 and rarely appears in public. His most recent public event was a military ceremony at Buckingham Palace in July.
During England’s current exclusion of the coronavirus, the Duke of Windsor Castle, west of London, stayed with the Queen, performing duties such as meetings with dignitaries at a distance.
As the royal household allows, he plans celebrations to celebrate Philip’s 100th birthday on June 10.
Philip married the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947 and is the longest-serving royal life partner in British history. He and the queen have four children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
A former naval officer and hard-working polo player, he had strong health until old age, but has had a number of health problems in recent years.
In 2011, he was rushed by helicopter to a hospital after suffering from chest pain and being treated for a clogged coronary artery. In 2017, he spent two nights in King Edward VII Hospital and was admitted to hospital in 2018 for ten days for a hip replacement.
Philip was last admitted to hospital in December 2019 and spent four nights in King Edward VII Hospital for what according to the palace was the planned treatment of an existing condition.
He had to stop driving at the age of 97 after hitting a car in January 2019 while driving a Land Rover near Sandringham estate. Philip needed help to get out of the Land Rover, but was not injured. A woman in the other vehicle sustained a broken wrist.
Even after that, from time to time, Philip continued to drive horses and carriages on private land.