Duke of Edinburgh to undergo hip surgery in hospital

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The Duke of Edinburgh is to undergo surgery on his hip at a central London hospital later.

Buckingham Palace said Prince Philip was admitted to King Edward VII's Hospital in Marylebone on Tuesday afternoon for the planned procedure.

The 96-year-old retired from royal duties last August.

Exact details of the duke's condition have not been issued but his absence at the Easter service at Windsor was said to have been because of a hip problem.

He also did not attend two other recent events at Windsor Castle - the Royal Maundy Service at St George's Chapel on 29 March and a parade on 22 March to mark Prince Andrew's appointment as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards.

A statement released by Buckingham Palace to announce the treatment said: "Further updates will be issued when appropriate."

The surgery comes ahead of a busy time for the royal family, with the Duchess of Cambridge due to give birth to her third child this month, and the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May.

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The duke announced his retirement in May 2017, after decades of supporting the Queen, as well as attending events for his own charities and organisations.

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Image captionPrince Philip made his final solo engagement in August

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Image captionBut he has continued to accompany the Queen at events

A month later he was admitted to the private King Edward VII's Hospital as "a precautionary measure" following an infection arising from a pre-existing condition.

His final solo engagement was on 2 August last year, when he reviewed a parade of Royal Marines outside Buckingham Palace in his capacity as Captain General of the corps.

He has since appeared several times at engagements alongside the Queen and was seen with other members of the royal family at the Christmas Day service at Sandringham.

King Edward VII's Hospital was founded in 1899 and has treated other senior royals including the Queen, Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge.

Prince Philip has spent much of his life in good health, but was treated for a blocked coronary artery in 2011 and a bladder infection in 2012.

In June 2013 he spent 11 nights at the private London Clinic where he underwent exploratory abdominal surgery.

In May 2014, he had a "minor procedure" on his right hand, with the treatment carried out inside Buckingham Palace.

Analysis

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Image captionThe surgery will take place at King Edward VII's Hospital

By James Gallagher, BBC health and science correspondent

Surgery at any stage of life carries risks.

But patients are not ruled out of surgery based on their age alone.

For patients like Prince Philip, overall fitness is a bigger factor than how old they are.

This will be a decision between patient and surgeon assessing the benefits and the risks of the planned procedure.

In general, frailty increases with age and does increase the risks of major surgery.

We do not know what type of hip operation Prince Philip is having.

Most hip replacement operations in the UK take place on patients between the ages of 60 and 80.

However, such operations do take place even later in life.

Back in 1995, The Queen Mother had a successful hip replacement at the age of 95.