LONDON (AP) – Prince Philip is “getting a little better” and the royal family is holding its fingers across to get past the hospital’s duke, his daughter-in-law Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, said on Wednesday.
Philip, 99, has been in hospital since being admitted on February 16 to King Edward VII Hospital in London, where he was treated for an infection. On Monday, he was transported to a special heart care hospital, St. Louis. Bartholomew’s, to undergo additional treatment along with testing and observation for a previous heart condition.
Camilla said when he visited a coronavirus vaccination center in London that Philip was “getting a little better,” but “it hurts at times.”
“We’ll keep our fingers crossed,” said the Duchess, who is married to Bonnie Prince Charlie, the eldest son of Philip and Queen Elizabeth II. The comments were reported by broadcasters covering the tour.
Buckingham Palace said on Monday that Philip was “comfortable and responsive to treatment but is expected to remain in hospital until at least the weekend. ”
The two-week stay is already Philip’s longest stint ever in hospital.
Philip, who retired from royal duties in 2017, rarely appears in public. While England is currently locking up a coronavirus, Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, has been living at Windsor Castle, west London, with the queen.
Philip married Princess Elizabeth at the time in 1947 and is the longest royal consortium in British history. He and the queen have four children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.