Prince Philip has been hospitalized with a bladder infection at King Edward VII hospital in London after paramedics were called to Windsor Castle this afternoon as a precautionary measure.
Prince Philip, who celebrates his 91st birthday this Sunday, is being treated and will remain in hospital for a few days.
Yesterday Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, stood for four hours in the freezing rain during the Queen’s Jubilee river pageant.
He appeared to be in good spirits when he joined the rest of his family on the royal barge for the Diamond Jubilee pageant.
Like the Queen, Prince Philip stood for most of the 80-minute journey down the Thames and did appear to be in discomfort.
The Duke of Edinburgh has previously suffered from a bladder infection in February 2002.
Today staff at ambulance control in Berkshire received a call from Windsor Castle shortly after 2:00 p.m. reporting that Prince Phillip was feeling unwell.
Prince Philip was reported to have been suffering from an infection and the medical crew used a chair to help him into the ambulance before he set off to a London hospital.
He had been due to attend a special concert at Buckingham Palace tonight organized by singer Gary Barlow with Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J and others.
Queen Elizabeth II will continue with her engagements as planned as will the rest of the Royal family, despite the Duke’s health scare.
Tomorrow Prince Philip was also due to be at the Queen’s side during a service at St Paul’s Cathedral in the morning, followed by receptions at Mansion House and in the Guildhall, as well as lunch at Westminster Hall.
In the afternoon, a carriage procession in a State Landaus is due to take place with other members of the Royal family. However, the Queen will now attend the event without him at her side.
A Buckingham palace spokesman said: “The Duke of Edinburgh was this afternoon taken to the King Edward VII Hospital in London as a precautionary measure after developing a bladder infection. He is currently receiving treatment.
“He will remain in hospital under observation for a few days.
“He is understandably disappointed at missing this evening’s Diamond Jubilee concert and tomorrow’s engagement.”
Prince Philip has remained remarkably active in recent weeks despite being treated for a blocked coronary artery just before Christmas.
Just three weeks ago he was pictured lugging a heavy car battery around at the Windsor Horse Show apparently with little difficulty.
On December 23 Prince Philip was rushed to hospital via helicopter for emergency treatment.
Buckingham Palace said at the time the Prince underwent a “minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting” after he was taken to hospital suffering chest pains.
The Royal Family had been gathering at Sandringham, a traditional royal retreat in Norfolk, for Christmas, when he fell ill.
Prince Philip spent four days recovering from the procedure – including Christmas Day – before he was released on December 27.
The Duke of Edinburgh is an incredibly active man, who has enjoyed good health for much of his life.
He has shunned the pursuits of typical pensioners and even as an octogenarian continued to compete in demanding carriage driving competitions.
Before his heart scare last Christmas, Prince Philip’s most recent illness was an uncharacteristic cold in October that forced him to pull out of an overnight stay in Italy for the launch of the ARC Green Pilgrimage Network.
Prince Philip had just completed a busy 11-day official royal tour to Australia with Queen Elizabeth II, 85, that saw them visit Perth, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.
Commentators billed the long haul trip as the couple’s last to the continent because of their age, but the Palace dismissed speculation it was a “farewell” visit.
In 2008 Prince Philip was treated for a serious chest infection. On that occasion he stayed at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in London
However, most of Prince Philip’s ailments and injuries have been sports-related.
He suffered arthritis in his right wrist from playing polo and tried to dull the pain with Butazolodin, a drug more usually given to lame horses and recommended by his head groom.
It was reported he later stopped taking it because of the side effects.
In 1961, the Duke of Edinburgh broke a bone in his left ankle in a collision on the polo field and in 1963, again playing polo, he suffered a gash to his left arm which needed three stitches.
He was X-rayed in 1964 after a fall from his polo pony when he pulled a ligament in his left shoulder.
Prince Philip also developed synovitis, a rheumatoid condition of the tendon in the hand, after a polo fall.
Accidental mishaps sometimes left the Duke looking the worse for wear.
In 2005, Prince Philip was seen sporting dark glasses and a badly-bruised left eye after slipping in the bath and catching the side of his eye with his thumb.
In May 2006, the Duke pulled out of a royal engagement after suffering from a trapped nerve in his neck.
After a weekend recovering, Prince Philip attended the Chelsea Flower Show, appearing none the worse for wear.
A chest infection laid him low in April 2008 for a number of days and he was eventually admitted to hospital for treatment.
But even with the respiratory problem, he walked into hospital and walked out three days later and went on to make a full recovery.
In August 2008, Buckingham Palace took the unusual step of speaking out to deny a report that the Duke had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The newspaper involved later apologized, saying it accepted the story was untrue.
In January 2009, 87-year-old Prince Philip missed a string of engagements with a bad back after pulling a muscle while carriage driving.
Soon after, it emerged that the Queen had cancelled a state visit due to take place in spring 2009.
Buckingham Palace insisted this was due to “other commitments”, not the Queen’s age nor the Duke’s health.
In June 2010, the Duke had minor surgery on his left hand just before his 89th birthday to cure carpal tunnel syndrome – a common condition that causes pain, numbness and a burning sensation in the hand and fingers.
The hand operation forced Prince Philip to cancel an official trip with the Queen to Crewe.
The first public acknowledgement of his advancing years came as he was preparing to turn 90.
The Palace announced that Prince Philip planned to step down as president or patron of more than a dozen organizations.
