It’s been nearly two weeks since Prince Philip, the 99 year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth, was sent to the hospital as a “precautionary measure” after he reported feeling ill. Now, he has been “transferred” to another hospital after he reportedly caught an infection.
“The Duke of Edinburgh was today transferred from King Edward VII’s Hospital to St Bartholomew’s Hospital where doctors will continue to treat him for an infection, as well as undertake testing and observation for a preexisting heart condition,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement, according to Closer Weekly. “The duke remains comfortable and is responding to treatment but is expected to remain in hospital until at least the end of the week.”
The royal family has not revealed what specifically Philip was hospitalized for, but they have said that it’s not related to COVID-19.
“Certainly he will be monitored extensively, with some of the best specialists in the country at Barts heart centre,” said BBC health correspondent Hugh Pym. “But I think, probably, it’s more than just monitoring. I think he has gone to this specialist centre because of the possibility – no more than that – that the doctors feel there may be a need for an intervention or procedure to be carried out.”
Royal expert Katie Nicholl said a week ago that Philip “is still in good spirits.”
“He was visited over the weekend by his son, Prince Charles. It’s very unusual for members of the royal family to visit other members in the hospital, largely because it causes panic and pandemonium in the press,” she said. “But we’ve been told that Charles, once he had visited his father, returned to Highgrove, that’s about two hours from London, which would, if anything, suggest that his father is in stable condition.”
“Prince William [also] commented on his grandfather today (Monday) on an engagement. When asked how he was doing, he said he was OK with a wink, because he couldn’t smile behind his mask,” Nicholl continued. “He said the doctors are keeping a close eye. We understand that the Duke [of Edinburgh] is going to remain in the hospital probably for a couple more days as a cautionary measure, so that he can be closely observed by his team of doctors.”
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