PRINCE Philip, 99, will spend another weekend in hospital as he recovers from an infection, according to royal sources.
It will be the Duke of Edinburgh‘s longest ever stay in hospital after his tenth night at King Edward VII clinic in London.
The Queen’s husband was admitted as a precautionary measure on Tuesday last week after feeling unwell.
Buckingham Palace said he walked in unaided and received medical attention for an infection.
In the last update on Tuesday, the Palace said: “He is comfortable and responding to treatment but is not expected to leave hospital for several days.”
Sources said they did not expect another update until after the weekend.
It is already Philip’s longest stay in hospital since June 2013 when he had an exploratory operation on his abdomen.
Earlier this week Prince Edward said he had spoken to his father on the phone and he was feeling “a lot better”.
He told Sky: “As far as I’m aware, well I did speak to them the other day, so he’s a lot better thank you very much indeed, and he’s looking forward to getting out, which is the most positive thing.
“So we keep our fingers crossed.”
Asked whether Philip was frustrated to be in hospital, Edward laughed and replied: “Just a bit. I think that gets to all of us, and then, you can only watch the clock so many times and the walls are only so interesting.”
He added: “We’ve had some brilliant and lovely messages from all sorts of people and we really appreciate that and so does he, I’ve been passing them on. It’s fantastic, thank you.”
It comes after Prince William yesterday said his grandfather was doing “OK”.
The palace has previously said Prince Philip was in “good spirits” after being taken to hospital.
Sources have previously said that Philip’s doctor is “acting with an abundance of caution”.
Over the weekend, Prince Charles visited his father – looking sombre as he left.
It is understood that Charles wanted to visit his father due to Philip’s extended stay.
It is thought Charles had not seen his father since before Christmas because of the nationwide coronavirus restrictions, with the duke staying at Windsor Castle with the Queen.
The duke, who will turn 100 on June 10, is in hospital for an undisclosed reason, although it is not coronavirus-related.
ROYAL HEALTH
Two years ago, Prince Philip was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
The royal was also involved in a car crash in January 2019 after being in collision with another vehicle near the Sandringham estate.
In April 2018 he had a hip replacement operation but had recovered well for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding a month later.
The 99-year-old has previously been described as the Queen’s “constant strength” and has been known as the “Protector” of the Royal Family.
He has been by the Queen’s side for seven decades of marriage, becoming one of the hardest working royals.
Since 1952 he attended 22,219 solo engagements and 637 overseas tours in a career marked by his famous gaffes.
He then retired from his public duties at the age of 96 in 2017 after 65 years of public life.
But despite retiring, the prince has remained active – sending a message to frontline workers at the outbreak of Covid thanking them for their work.
He also made a rare public appearance last year to pass on his role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles to Camilla Parker Bowles.
And Prince Harry reportedly called the Queen about Prince Philip’s health last week from his home in the US.
Harry’s reported call back to the UK from his new home in the US comes after he and Meghan Markle officially quit the Royal Family.
The couple stated “service is universal” as they confirmed the move – losing their honorary titles – with the Royal Family left reeling.
The announcement came just days after it was announced a special prime-time interview with the couple and Oprah Winfrey would be aired next month.
And just last week the couple confirmed they were expecting another baby.
