Parliament Opening: Illness sidelines Prince Philip

The Queen and Prince Charles of Wales seated for the 2017 Opening of Parliament

Prince Philip has been admitted to hospital as a ‘precautionary measure’ as he battles an infection ahead of the Queen’s speech today.
Philip was supposed to be accompanying the Queen to the State Opening of parliament today but his place has been taken by the Prince Charles of Wales.

A statement released by Buckingham Palace read: “The Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London last night, as a precautionary measure, for treatment of an infection arising from a pre-existing condition.
“Prince Philip is in good spirits and is disappointed to be missing the State Opening of Parliament and Royal Ascot.
“The Prince of Wales will accompany The Queen to the State Opening.
“Her Majesty is being kept informed and will attend Royal Ascot as planned this afternoon.”
The Queen’s husband has been enjoying his last summer of public engagements before he retires from public life.
He announced in May he was stepping down from public duties after wrapping up his commitments through to August.
In recent weeks, the Duke and the Queen have kept up a public schedule.

Prince Philip: Missing all the action at the 2017 Opening of Parliament due to ill health (Photo: AFP)

They attended the Trooping the Colour ceremony at the weekend, joining the rest of the royals to celebrate the Queen’s 91st birthday.
They were seen yesterday together at Royal Ascot.
The Duke took part in the procession with the rest of the royals, including the Queen, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.
He has enjoyed good health throughout much of his life, recovering from a blocked coronary artery in 2011 and a bladder infection in 2012, the latter leading him to miss the majority of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
His decision to retire from public duties after the summer was not health-related, Buckingham Palace said at the time of the announcement earlier this year.
The Duke is an advocate of healthy eating combined with exercise. He once said he more or less followed the Atkins diet and he drinks only moderately.
He takes the stairs rather than lifts and still fits into the uniform he wore on his wedding day.
He is well-known for his robust constitution. He told a flu expert at a research centre last year that he had not had the illness for 40 years.
Prince Phillip had joked in May on the day he announced his retirement that he was stepping down because “I can’t stand up much longer.”