Prince Philip spends 91st birthday at home

Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was discharged from hospital with a bladder infection on Saturday.

London: Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, is spending his 91st birthday on Sunday at home with his family, a day after he was discharged from hospital with a bladder infection.

The Duke of Edinburgh waved to well-wishers and shook hands with staff as he left London`s King Edward VII hospital yesterday, before being driven to Windsor Castle.

Asked by reporters if he was feeling better, Prince Philip said: "Well, I wouldn`t be coming out if I wasn`t."

He was admitted to hospital on Monday which forced him to miss two days of Queen Elizabeth`s Diamond Jubilee celebrations that marked her 60-year rule.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said that the duke would "continue his convalescence at home", adding that he would "spend the weekend privately".

The British Ministry of Defence said there would be two gun salutes in London at midday on Monday to mark the duke`s birthday.

A 41-gun salute by the King`s Troop will take place in Hyde Park, and a 62-gun salute by the Honourable Artillery Company will be fired at the Tower of London.
The duke will not attend either of the events. His next scheduled engagement is on Tuesday, when the Queen hosts a garden party at the Sandringham Estate, in Norfolk, as part of the Jubilee celebrations, the BBC reported.

The report said that the royals and their advisers will have to decide what, if any, changes need to be made to the Queen`s outstanding programme of Jubilee events and whether the duke is well enough to attend.

Prince Philip had appeared to be in good health when he accompanied the Queen last Sunday on the royal barge, the Spirit of Chartwell, for the Diamond Jubilee river pageant.

His admission to hospital meant that he could not join the Queen at the final events to mark her 60 years on the throne, including Monday`s concert outside Buckingham Palace and Tuesday`s royal procession and appearance on the palace balcony, the report said.

PTI

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