Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip was “getting better” after he was hospitalised with a bladder infection, his youngest son Prince Edward said after visiting him on Tuesday.
The outspoken 90-year-old missed the end of the diamond jubilee celebrations marking his wife’s 60th year on the throne but has followed them from hospital on television, Edward told reporters after visiting his father.
“He’s getting better, he just needs some rest,” Edward said as he got into his car outside the King Edward VII Hospital in London.
Asked if the Duke had been keeping up with today’s Jubilee celebrations, he said: “He’s been watching it on TV.”
When asked how the 86-year-old queen was doing without him, he said: “She’s bearing up but she’s missing him, obviously.”
Philip, the longest-serving royal consort in British history, was taken to hospital on Monday with a bladder infection and is likely to remain there for several days. He will be 91 on Sunday.
He has been a constant companion to the queen throughout her rule, and his illness cast a shadow over Tuesday’s jubilee finale, a carriage procession and appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace by the rest of the family.
In his father’s absence, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla joined the queen in her carriage as they waved to the crowd of 1.5 million who lined their route from the Houses of Parliament to Buckingham Palace.
The palace balcony seemed poignantly emptier than on previous occasions as the royal family waved to the crowds, who formed a sea of red, white and blue around the building with their Union Jack flags.
At a jubilee pop concert in London on Monday night, which the queen insisted on attending without him, thousands of revellers chanted “Philip! Philip!”
Newspapers questioned if Sunday’s spectacular jubilee pageant on the River Thames — four hours standing on a boat in chilly temperatures — might have been too much for the ageing prince, who needed heart surgery six months ago.
The prince said last year he wanted to scale down his royal duties as his 90th birthday loomed. He was treated for a blocked coronary artery in December after suffering chest pains.
London, June 5, 2012 (AFP)
