Prince Philip, 99, spotted leaving London hospital after one-month stay, heart procedure

Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty ImagesBy KATIE KINDELAN, ABC News

(LONDON) — Britain’s Prince Philip was spotted leaving King Edward VII’s Hospital in London on Tuesday after a one-month hospital stay.

The Duke of Edinburgh, 99, was photographed walking on his own into a waiting car outside the hospital Tuesday morning.

Philip, who will turn 100 in June, was initially transported by car from Windsor, England, to King Edward VII’s Hospital on Feb. 17 for what Buckingham Palace described as a “precautionary measure” after the duke reported feeling unwell.

He was then transferred on March 1 to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in east London. Buckingham Palace said at the time that doctors would “continue to treat him for an infection, as well as undertake testing and observation for a pre-existing heart condition.”

Philip later underwent a “successful procedure” at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital for a pre-existing heart condition, according to Buckingham Palace.

He was transferred back to King Edward VII’s Hospital on March 5 and was expected to remain hospitalized “for continuing treatment for a number of days,” the palace said in a statement at the time.

Buckingham Palace has not yet commented on Philip’s apparent discharge from the hospital.

The duke’s hospitalization was not COVID-19-related, a royal source told ABC News. Both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip received COVID-19 vaccinations earlier this year.

King Edward VII’s Hospital is located closer to Windsor Castle, the royals’ residence in the English county of Berkshire, outside London. St. Bartholomew’s Hospital is a larger facility that specializes in cardiovascular treatment, according to the hospital’s website.

While Philip was hospitalized in London, Queen Elizabeth remained at Windsor Castle, where the couple has been staying for most of the coronavirus pandemic.

The queen and Philip celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in November.

Philip’s recent hospitalization took place against a backdrop of family turmoil. While the duke was hospitalized, his grandson, Prince Harry, and wife Meghan, the duchess of Sussex, gave an interview to Oprah Winfrey in which they made allegations of racism and revealed tensions in the royal family.

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