Prince Philip has been admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital in London, Buckingham Palace has announced. The Queen's husband was taken to hospital on Tuesday afternoon ahead of planned surgery on his hip on Wednesday. The Duke, 96, was notably absent from the family's Easter celebrations over the weekend.
Her Majesty attended the traditional Easter Sunday service at Windsor with members of her family, but her husband was a no-show. Prince William and Kate, who is due to give birth to their third child in April, arrived five minutes after the service started, and after the Queen. Other royals who made up the gathering included Zara Tindall, who is expecting her second child with husband Mike Tindall, and the Queen's granddaughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Prince Philip attending a church service in January
Last week, Prince Philip made the decision not to attend the Maundy service at St George's Chapel in Windsor. He pulled out of the engagement at the last minute because of his hip problem. The Prince had been named in the order of service in anticipation of his attendance. However, a palace spokesperson said: "The order of service was printed some weeks ago when it was hoped the Duke would be able to take part. His Royal Highness has since decided not to attend."
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The Queen's husband went carriage driving in March
Prior to Easter, Prince Philip also pulled out of a ceremony at Windsor Castle to formally hand over his role as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards to his son, Prince Andrew. Unfortunately, the father-of-four was unable to attend as he was feeling "unwell", and instead the Queen carried out the ceremony on her own, passing the honour to her second son. According to the Mail, there was no serious health concern for the Prince, and he pulled out of the event because he was feeling a little "under the weather".
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The Duke retired from official duties last summer. At the time, the palace said that he would make appearances at some family occasions and other engagements. He was most recently pictured at the beginning of March, enjoying carriage driving in the grounds of Windsor Castle.