London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 22, 2026

Duke of Edinburgh: Prince Charles visits his father in hospital

Duke of Edinburgh: Prince Charles visits his father in hospital

The Prince of Wales has visited the central London hospital where his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, remains after feeling unwell.

Prince Philip was admitted to the King Edward VII's hospital as a precaution on Tuesday.

A Buckingham Palace source told the BBC the duke is likely to remain in hospital into next week.

The exact reason for his admission has not been disclosed but his stay is not related to coronavirus.

A palace source previously said the duke, who is due to turn 100 in June, had walked into the hospital in Marylebone unaided.

Prince Charles, 72, spent about 30 minutes at the hospital on Saturday afternoon. He returned to his Highgrove residence after the visit, a Clarence House spokesman said.

Under England's current coronavirus lockdown rules, visiting someone in a hospital is considered a "reasonable excuse" to leave home, although many hospitals have put significant limits on visitors.

The King Edward VII's hospital website says visitors "will only be considered in exceptional circumstances" during the pandemic.

The duke is in hospital for observation and rest out of "an abundance of caution", a source said

Members of the Royal Family have continued with their official duties while Philip has been in hospital.

The Queen, 94, performed her first face-to-face event of the year on Thursday, when she knighted a royal aide during a private socially-distanced ceremony at Windsor.

Prince Charles visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham with the Duchess of Cornwall on Thursday, where he told NHS staff the country owes them "an enormous debt of gratitude" for their efforts in the coronavirus pandemic.

The Duke of Cambridge has also carried out several virtual conversations with frontline NHS staff this week, while the Princess Royal held a virtual meeting in her role as patron of the Scottish Rugby Union.

Last month, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Philip and the Queen had received Covid vaccinations from a household doctor at Windsor Castle.

The couple have been spending the recent lockdown in England at Windsor with a small household staff, nicknamed HMS Bubble.

They celebrated Christmas quietly there, instead of the traditional family gathering at the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

Police officers are guarding the entrance to the King Edward VII hospital during Philip's stay
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall thanked key workers at a hospital in Birmingham earlier this week for their efforts during the pandemic
In December 2019, the duke was admitted to King Edward VII hospital as a "precautionary measure" for treatment for a "pre-existing condition".

He was discharged on Christmas Eve that year, after four nights and driven to Sandringham, where he spent Christmas with the Queen.

The duke has received treatment for various other health conditions over the years including a blocked coronary artery in 2011, a bladder infection in 2012 and exploratory surgery on his abdomen in June 2013.

The Queen and Prince Philip released a photograph for their 73rd wedding anniversary last November
Prince Philip's most-recent official engagement saw him hand over his role of colonel-in-chief of The Rifles in a ceremony at Windsor to the Duchess of Cornwall, who received the role in a separate ceremony at Highgrove.

Last November, the Queen and Prince Philip marked their 73rd wedding anniversary by releasing a photograph of themselves opening a card made for them by their great-grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.



Prince Charles arrived at the hospital on Saturday afternoon


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Parliamentary Inquiry Highlights Urgent Need to Address Housing Shortage as Scottish Completions Hit Eleven-Year Low
United Kingdom and Singapore Sign Comprehensive Financial Agreement to Deepen Digital and Sustainable Market Ties
Greggs Announces Plan to Close Four Manufacturing Facilities and Cut Seven Hundred and Forty Jobs
International Monetary Fund Raises United Kingdom Economic Growth Forecast While Warning of Inflationary Pressures
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs Onto Gas to Lower Household Bills
Housebuilding Across Scotland Plummets to Eleven-Year Low Despite Government Pledges to Tackle National Housing Emergency
Greggs Announces Factory Closures Across Northern England and Scotland Affecting Seven Hundred Forty Jobs
United Kingdom and Singapore Conclude Eleventh Financial Dialogue in Singapore to Deepen Cooperation on Digital Finance and Capital Markets
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs to Gas Bills and Tap Windfall Profits to Lower Consumer Prices
British Broadcasting Corporation Announces Major Cost-Cutting Overhaul to Close Linear Broadcast Services for Television Channels BBC Three and BBC Scotland Alongside Digital Radio Station BBC Radio Four Extra
London Capital Markets Face Renewed Scrutiny After High-Profile Offerings Underperform Post-Listing
Green Party Wins Historic First Westminster Parliamentary By-Election in Gorton and Denton
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds Unveils Sweeping Regulatory Overhaul for English Water Industry
United Kingdom Health Security Agency Confirms Thirty-Four Cases in Kent Meningitis Outbreak
Ministry of Defence Prepares Heat Pump Subsidy Cuts to Fund Urgent Military Modernization
British and European Union Officials Schedule Long-Awaited Bilateral Leaders Summit for November Twentieth
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey Urges Strict Fiscal Credibility to Protect British Bond Markets
United Kingdom Inflation Rises to Three Point One Percent Driven by Escalating Fuel Costs
Profit Warnings Among London-Listed Companies Reach Two-Year High Amid Global Energy Shocks
Chancellor John Healey Signals Targeted Tax Changes on Banks and London Corporate Offices Ahead of Budget
British Government Reallocates Twenty-Five Per Cent of International Climate Finance to Global Biodiversity Projects
Initial British Carbon Border Taxes Set to Undercut Parallel European Union Tariffs on Industrial Imports
Whitehall Prepares National Zero-Interest Loan Initiative to Accelerate Domestic Heat Pump and Solar Adoption
European Union Offers British Automakers Access to Hybrid Vehicle Trade Protections Subject to Strict Regulatory Alignment
British Probation Officers Threaten Widespread Industrial Action After Rejecting Five Per Cent Government Pay Offer
Microsoft Abandons Major British Artificial Intelligence Data Centre Citing Severe National Grid Power Constraints
United Kingdom Inflation Accelerates to Three Point Four Per Cent Ahead of Chancellor John Healey's Inaugural Autumn Budget
Surging Cloned Number Plates Severely Complicate Traffic Enforcement and Police Investigations
Mounting Opposition Challenges Planned Rollout of Autonomous Taxis Across London
Influential Think Tank Urges Rejoining European Union to Navigate Geopolitical Crises
Government Review Recommends Slashing Benefits to Fund Youth Employment Initiatives
Senior Minister Shabana Mahmood Seeks New Law Enforcement Pact With European Union
Airbus Executive Warns Britain Risks Losing Crucial Role in European Space Industry
Exorbitant Electricity Costs Push British Steelmakers to Worst Competitive Position in Three Years
British Food and Beverage Exports to European Union Collapse by Over a Third Since Brexit
Up to Twenty English Maternity Units Face Impending Closure Due to Safety and Staffing Crises
Government Declares Severe Drought Across Southern England Following Record Dry Spell
Corporate Profit Warnings Reach Two-Year High Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Costs
International Monetary Fund Warns Chancellor John Healey Against Proposed Bank Tax Raid
Northern Ireland Secures Favorable Agricultural Export Agreement with European Union
Scottish Government Approves Major Offshore Floating Wind Farm Near Aberdeenshire
High Speed Two Rail Project Faces Three Billion Pound Cost Escalation on Initial Phase
National Health Service Warns of Winter Capacity Crisis Across English Hospitals
Tata Steel Confirms Two Thousand Job Cuts at Port Talbot to Fund Green Transition
Global Microchip Developer Announces Three Billion Pound Semiconductor Plant in Cambridge
United Kingdom Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Proposes Mandatory Licensing for Generative Models
United Kingdom Commits Additional Long-Range Weapons and Air Defenses to Ukraine
British Chancellor Overhauls Infrastructure Financing to Bypass Borrowing Constraints
Bank of England Holds Benchmark Interest Rate at Four Point Five Percent
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth Confirms Constitutional Discussions Over Welsh Independence During Initial Bilateral Call with Prime Minister
×