British Prince Philip, the 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, left his hospital in London on Tuesday after heart surgery and treatment for 28 days, his longest stay.
Philip, who will have to turn 100 in June, was photographed looking pale and heavy as he was kicked out of King Edward VII’s private hospital at 10:30 p.m.
Hospital staff installed a white folding screen next to his BMW to protect him from view and dozens of police officers blocked the route, according to the Times of London.
Philip was first taken to Central London Hospital on 16 February as a “precautionary measure” and was treated for an infection.
He was later taken to a hospital specializing in cardiac care, St. Bartholomew’s, where he had a “successful” heart operation, before returning to King Edward VII.
Philip is expected to return to Windsor Castle, where he and the queen have been housed in the so-called “HMS bubble” during the coronavirus pandemic. Buckingham Palace has not yet commented.
His illness is unrelated to the coronavirus, and both he and the queen received vaccines against COVID-19 in January.
Philip’s hospital stay coincided with the monarchy thrown into crisis by the harmful claims made by his grandson Prince Harry and Harry’s wife, his wife Meghan Markle.
The timing of the TV special sparked outrage and calls for it to be delayed, as the actual aging was still being treated in a hospital.
Philip is the longest-serving royal consort in British history, having married Princess Elizabeth in 1947. They have four children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
With publishing cables