Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip was taken to hospital with a bladder infection on Monday, throwing a shadow over celebrations for the diamond jubilee.
Philip, who turns 91 on Sunday, was hospitalised just hours before he was due to join the queen and the royal family at a concert in front of Buckingham Palace, followed by the lighting of the centrepiece in a chain of 4,200 beacons spanning the Commonwealth. The prince, who underwent an emergency heart procedure in December, will have to stay in hospital for several days, meaning he will miss the concert and a service of thanksgiving and ceremonial carriage procession on Tuesday. He had appeared in jovial form on Sunday, when he and the queen spent several hours in chilly conditions as they sailed down the Thames during a river pageant of 1,000 boats.
The palace said the prince was taken to hospital from Windsor Castle “as a precautionary measure after developing a bladder infection, which is being accessed and treated”. “Prince Philip will remain in hospital under observation for a few days,” the palace said, adding he was “disappointed about missing this evening’s Diamond Jubilee Concert and tomorrow’s engagements”. The queen will appear at the concert despite her husband’s illness, a spokesman for the royal family said.
