Prince Philip released from hospital after four nights

Images broadcast by British media showed Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip, dressed in a suit, taking a few steps and being helped into an SUV vehicle before being whisked away.

Philip did not respond to photographers as he got into the vehicle, Britain’s Press Association reported. Multiple police, as well as royal protection officers, stood guard around the hospital.

The Duke of Edinburgh was now expected to join the queen at Sandringham, the central England country retreat where the royal family traditionally spends Christmas.

Why was Prince Philip admitted to hospital?

Philip was admitted to London’s King Edward VII hospital on Friday. Buckingham Palace said it was for “observation and treatment in relation to a pre-existing condition”, adding that it was a “precautionary measure”.

The duke was reportedly flown there by helicopter from the royal Sandringham estate, where he has been based since retiring from public duties in 2017.

The Sun tabloid reported that Philip has suffered a month of ill-health, including a “bad fall” which left him confined to bed for a couple of days.

Prince Philip’s health concerns

In recent years, he has been admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery, bladder infections and a blocked coronary artery, while he is also reported to suffer from arthritis in his right wrist.

In January, the duke was involved in a car crash near Sandringham. He pulled out onto a main road, hitting another car and flipping his Land Rover.

A woman in the other car broke her wrist, for which Philip apologised. He subsequently gave up his driving licence, but faced no further action.

A ‘bumpy’ year for the Royals

Queen Elizabeth II described 2019 as “quite bumpy” in a Christmas Day message at the end of a chaotic year which saw Britain bitterly divided over its split from the European Union and her scandal-plagued son Prince Andrew withdraw from public life.

The 93-year-old monarch’s address is to be televised in full on Christmas Day, but was partially released in advance.

The royal family was swept up in scandals that included a calamitous BBC interview in which the queen’s second son, Andrew, tried to distance himself from American paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The queen pointed to the life of Jesus as an example of how reconciliation can be achieved and “how small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions”. 

“The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference.”

Royal commentators noted the queen’s use of the word “bumpy”, compared to her headline-grabbing description of 1992 as an “annus horribilis”, when the marriages of three of her children fell apart and her beloved Windsor Castle nearly went up in flames.