Britain’s Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has been admitted to a London hospital as a “precautionary measure”, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday.
The palace stated that the husband of the Queen was admitted to private King Edward VII Hospital on Tuesday evening.
Philip, 99, is expected to remain in hospital for a few days of observation and rest, the statement added.
The country has the worst outbreak in Europe with more than 4 million cases and 118,000 deaths recorded, according to health officials.
The royal couple have been staying at Windsor Castle, a palace around 30 miles west of London, during the pandemic which has pummelled the UK.
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His illness is not believed to be related to COVID-19. The queen and Philip received a first dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus in early January.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson‘s office said he “sends his best wishes to the Duke of Edinburgh as he undergoes a few days of rest in hospital.”
Philip retired from public duties in 2017 and rarely appears in public. His most recent public event was a military ceremony at Buckingham Palace in July.
Lockdown permitting, the royal household is planning celebrations, to mark Philip’s 100th birthday on June 10.
Philip married the then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947 and is the longest-serving royal consort in British history. He and the queen have four children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
A former naval officer and keen polo player, Philip enjoyed robust health well into old age but has had a number of health issues in recent years.
In 2011, he was rushed to a hospital by helicopter after suffering chest pains and treated for a blocked coronary artery.
In 2017, he spent two nights in the King Edward VII hospital and was hospitalized for 10 days in 2018 for a hip replacement.
Philip was last hospitalized in December 2019, spending four nights in King Edward VII Hospital for what the palace said was planned treatment of a pre-existing condition.
He was forced to give up driving at the age of 97, after smashing into a car while driving a Land Rover near Sandringham estate in January 2019. Philip needed help to get out of the Land Rover but wasn’t injured. A woman in the other vehicle suffered a broken wrist.
Even after that, Philip continued to drive a horse and carriage on private land from time to time.
