Britain’s Prince Philip, the 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, left a London hospital early Tuesday after heart surgery and 28 days of treatment – his longest stay ever.
Philip – who is due to turn 100 in June – was photographed looking pale and thin when he was expelled from the private King Edward VII hospital at 10:30.
Hospital staff set up a white folding screen next to his BMW to protect him from the screen and dozens of police officers blocked the route, according to The Times of London.
Philip was first taken to central London Hospital on 16 February as a precautionary measure and was treated for an infection.
He was later taken to a specialized heart care hospital, St. Bartholomew’s, transferred, where he had a ‘successful’ heart operation before returning to King Edward VII’s.
Philip is expected to return to Windsor Castle, where he and the queen stayed in the so-called “HMS Bubble” during the coronavirus pandemic. Buckingham Palace has not yet commented on the matter.
His illness is not related to the coronavirus, and he and the queen received COVID-19 vaccinations in January.
Philip’s hospital stay coincided with the monarchy thrown into a crisis by damaging the claims of grandson Prince Harry and Harry’s wife, wife Meghan Markle.
The timing of the TV show has angered and calls for it to be delayed as the aging royal is still being treated in a hospital.
Philip is the longest-running royal partner in British history and was married in 1947 to the then Princess Elizabeth. They have four children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
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