ROYAL COVID CHECK FOR HOSPITAL STAY
All patients at Philip hospital tested for virus
THE Royal Family sought firm assurance that strict Covid-19 safety protocols were in place before Prince Philip was taken to hospital, it has emerged.
Doctors working for the royal household were given guarantees that the most stringent of precautions were being followed, with all patients being tested before admission as well as in their own rooms.
Bosses at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital, in central London, had long prepared for such an event and already had a well-established “open channel” of communication with the royal household, it is understood.
The Duke of Edinburgh, 99, walked into the hospital unaided on Tuesday and was expected to stay for several days of “rest and recuperation”.
He yesterday entered a third night under observation as Buckingham Palace insisted his stay was a “precautionary measure”.
The palace confirmed the Duke’s illness was “not Covid related”.
It is not known whether his hospital stay is related to a preexisting condition.
A royal source said: “Considering the amount of time and diligence that has gone into constructing and maintaining Covid protocols to keep the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh safe, it was only right that the proper conversations were had with the hospital.
“The Duke was tested prior to being admitted and will be tested again during his stay.
“Every effort will be made to make sure he is able to rest and recuperate from his bout of illness.”
The monarch and the Duke have spent the majority of the past 11 months locked inside Windsor Castle in a bid to keep them safe from coronavirus. They received their first Covid-19 vaccinations last month.
Household staff were reduced to about 20, and employees had to isolate and usually take a test as well.
Hospital staff treating the “outspoken” Duke of Edinburgh are unlikely to see the consort as an ideal patient, a royal author said yesterday.
Penny Junor joked that King Edward VII’s medics probably “would not want him” on their shift due to his aversion to people “fussing over him”.
She added: “This is a man who doesn’t want any fuss made of his 100th birthday, so the fact he’s in hospital and getting some fuss made of him will really irritate him.”
Every effort will be made to make sure he is able to rest and recuperate from his illness
ROYAL SOURCE ON THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S HOSPITAL STAY