LONDON (AP) – Prince Charles went to a hospital in London on Saturday to visit his father, Prince Philip, who was admitted earlier in the week for “observation and rest” after falling ill.
Charles arrived by car at King Edward VII’s private hospital in the afternoon and stayed for about half an hour. The hospital’s website states that visits are only allowed in “exceptional circumstances” due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Philip, 99, was hospitalized on Tuesday on the advice of his doctor in what Buckingham Palace described as ‘a precautionary measure’.
Queen Elizabeth II’s husband is expected to stay all weekend and into next week.
Philips disease is not believed to be related to COVID-19. Both he and the queen, 94, received a first dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus in early January.
Philip, who retired in 2017, rarely appears in public. His most recent public event was a military ceremony at Buckingham Palace in July.
During England’s current coronavirus, Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, stayed at Windsor Castle, west of London, with the Queen, who performed tasks such as meeting with dignitaries at a distance.
The Royal Family is planning celebrations to mark Philip’s 100th birthday on June 10, lockdown restrictions allow.
Philip married 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.
The youngest great-grandchild, son of Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, was born on February 9 and was called Augustus Philip Hawke Brooksbank, with one of his middle names paying tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.