Palace: Prince Philip has infection, will stay in hospital

LONDON (AP) — Prince Philip is “comfortable” in a London hospital where he is being treated for an infection, Buckingham Palace said Tuesday.

The palace said Philip, the 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, is “comfortable and responding to treatment but is not expected to leave hospital for several days.”

He was admitted to the private King Edward VII's Hospital a week ago after feeling ill. The illness was not related to the coronavirus and royal officials called it a precautionary measure.

Philip's youngest son, Prince Edward, told Sky News that his father was “a lot better.”

Edward said "he’s looking forward to getting out, which is the most positive thing, so we keep our fingers crossed.”

Other members of the royal family have continued their official duties during Philip’s hospitalization.

Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, retired from public duties in 2017 and rarely appears in public. During England’s current coronavirus lockdown, he and the queen had been staying at Windsor Castle, west of London.

Both Philip and Elizabeth, 94, received COVID-19 vaccinations in January.

The queen 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.

Philip, whose 100th birthday is in June, married Elizabeth in 1947 at London's Westminster Abbey five years before she became queen. He is the longest-serving royal consort in British history.

He last stayed in the hospital in December 2019, when he was treated for a “pre-existing condition” and discharged after four nights.