LONDON (Reuters) – Prince Philip of Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth’s 99-year-old husband, was transferred to another hospital in central London on Monday for tests for pre-existing heart disease and treatment for an infection .
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was admitted to London’s private King Edward VII hospital two weeks ago to treat an unspecified infection that is unrelated to COVID-19.
On Monday, Buckingham Palace said he had been transferred to St Bartholomew Hospital, which is a center of excellence in cardiac care, for further treatment and observation.
“The duke remains comfortable and is responding to treatment, but he must remain in the hospital at least until the end of the week,” the palace said in a statement.
Photographers and TV crews at King Edward Hospital had seen a patient being taken to an ambulance, prevented from watching the media outside by officials with umbrellas and police, although there was no confirmation that he was the prince.
Since being admitted to the hospital after feeling ill on February 16, the duke has been visited publicly only by his son and heir, Prince Charles.
The 94-year-old queen stayed at Windsor Castle, west of London, where the couple were staying during the coronavirus confinement, and last week continued to fulfill their official video obligations. She and Philip received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Philip, born in Greece, who turns 100 in June, has needed hospital treatment several times in the past decade due to recurrence of a bladder infection. At Christmas 2011, he was operated on to clean a blocked artery in his heart after being rushed to the hospital with chest pains.
Philip’s royal role has been in the spotlight since the beginning of the Netflix drama “The Crown”, which provided an account of her marriage, Elizabeth’s earlier-than-expected inheritance from the British throne and her family life.
Philip, who stood by the queen throughout her 69-year reign, retired from public life in 2017.
Reporting by Michael Holden; edition by Guy Faulconbridge and Timothy Heritage