LONDON (AP) – Prince Charles went to a London hospital on Saturday to visit his father, Prince Philip, who was admitted earlier this week for ‘observation and rest’ after falling ill.
Charles arrived at the private King Edward VII Hospital by car that afternoon and stayed there for about half an hour. On the hospital’s website, visits are allowed only in ‘exceptional circumstances’ due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Philip, 99, was admitted to hospital on Tuesday on the advice of his doctor in what Buckingham Palace described as a precautionary measure.
The husband of Queen Elizabeth II is expected to stay this weekend and next week.
It is not believed that Philip’s disease is related to COVID-19. Both he and the queen (94) received a first dose of coronavirus vaccine in early January.
Philip, who retired from public duty in 2017, rarely appears in public. His most recent public event was a military ceremony at Buckingham Palace in July.
During England’s current shutdown of the coronavirus, Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, stayed at Windsor Castle, west of London, with the Queen, who performed duties such as meetings with dignitaries at a distance.
The royal household plans to celebrate celebrations in celebration of Philip’s hundredth birthday on June 10, with the restrictions allowed.
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.
The youngest great-grandchild, son of Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, was born on 9 February and is named August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, with one of his middle names a tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.