UK: Prince Philip transferred to another hospital for heart exams

Concern is growing in the UK.

Hospitalized for nearly two weeks with an infection, Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, 99, was transferred Monday to another hospital in London, this time to undergo heart examinations.

The Duke of Edinburgh was transferred today from King Edward VII Hospital to St Bartholomew's Hospital where doctors will continue to treat him for an infection, as well as to perform tests and observations for pre-existing heart problems "Buckingham Palace explained in a statement on Monday.

The husband of Elizabeth II "responds to treatment but should remain hospitalized until at least the end of the week".

In the morning, an ambulance had been released from King Edward VII Hospital, the patient being shielded from press by umbrellas.

St Bartolomew's Hospital, located near St Paul's Cathedral in central London, has the largest specialist cardiovascular service in Europe, the Barts Heart Center, its website says.

Renowned for his strong character but also for his blunders or jokes in bad taste, Prince Philip was hospitalized on February 16 as a “precaution” measure after feeling ill.

Buckingham Palace had specified a few days later that this hospitalization was due to an infection.

His son Prince Charles, heir to the throne, visited him in the hospital.

His grandson William had assured last week that the Duke of Edinburgh was fine and that the doctors "kept an eye on him".

Several hospitalizations

Prince Philip, who is due to celebrate his hundredth birthday in June, in 2009 broke the record for the longevity of the spouses of British monarchs held by Charlotte, wife of George III.

He retired in August 2017, having participated in more than 22,000 official public engagements since his wife's accession to the throne in 1952.

He has already been hospitalized several times since 2017, the most recent dating back to December 2019 for "pre-existing health problems".

In January 2019, he was in a spectacular car accident when his Land Rover crashed into another vehicle coming out of a driveway in Sandringham Estate and overturned.

Unscathed, he had then given up driving.

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Due to the coronavirus pandemic, he has spent the last year largely confined with the Queen, who is 94, to Windsor Palace, with the exception of a summer stay at their Scottish Balmoral Castle.

They remained during this period very isolated from the rest of the royal family which is going through a chaotic period, between the withdrawal of his grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan and the questioning of his son Andrew, close to the deceased American financier Jeffrey Epstein, accused of sexually exploiting young minors.

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The couple celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary in November 2017 at Windsor Castle, located around 30 kilometers from London.

The bells of Westminster Abbey, where they were married on November 20, 1947, rang for more than three hours on this occasion to pay their respects.