Philip’s smiles better
Queen hopes Duke will be home for Christmas as he jokes with doctors
PRINCE Philip is said to have been joking with doctors in hospital as he battles to be fit enough to spend Christmas with the Queen.
The Duke of Edinburgh was flown to hospital by helicopter for treatment on a pre-existing condition on Friday, sparking concern from well-wishers.
The 98-year-old is said to be in good spirits at the private King Edward VII’s hospital in Marylebone, Central London.
He is expected to be in hospital for a few days but it is not clear whether he will have recovered enough to return to the Queen’s estate at Sandringham in time for Christmas Day.
Meanwhile, the Queen put on a brave face, smiling and waving at well-wishers yesterday as the Duke of Edinburgh spent his third day in hospital.
It was business as usual for the 93-year-old monarch, who greeted 250 onlookers as she arrived at church for Sunday service on the 20,000-acre Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
She arrived at the service in a chauffeur-driven Bentley with the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children, Lady Louise Windsor, 16, and James, Viscount Severn, 12.
Prince Edward, 55, did not respond to a question from the crowd about his father’s health, but he grinned at onlookers as he walked into the 16th-century church with his family.
The Queen, who was wearing a dark green coat with matching hat and black gloves, emerged from the church, chatting to the rector, after the service.
She paused to smile at the crowd and briefly waved before getting into the back of her car with her grandchildren and daughter-in-law Sophie, 54.
Well-wishers hoped the appearance was a sign the Duke is doing well. Eleanor Brown-Ahern, 37, of Walsoken, Cambs, said: “We got a wave from her. She definitely looked in good spirits. She looked remarkably well considering what she has got going on at home.”
Mandy Gent, 44, of Long Sutton, Lincs, added: “The fact that she waved at people is a good sign about Philip’s health. The whole message we are beings sent is that it is business as usual, and we should not be too concerned.
“I just hope that he makes it back in time for Christmas Day.”
The Palace revealed he was admitted to hospital as a “precautionary measure” last week, but details of the Prince’s condition remain unclear.
He is believed to have been driven 12 miles from Wood Farm, the house on the Sandringham estate where he has spent most of his time since his retirement from public life in 2017, to RAF Marham, where he boarded the royal Sikorsky S-76 helicopter to fly to the capital.
It took off at 11.05am on Friday and landed in South-East London around 45 minutes later. The Prince was well enough to walk into the building.