Prince misses church service

The Duke of Edinburgh missed a church service yesterday as his stay in hospital entered its fifth day.

Prince Philip, 91, continued to receive treatment at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for a flare-up of a bladder infection while the Queen and the Prince of Wales were among those attending the service at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral.

The Duke has not received any visits from relatives after being advised by doctors on Friday to rest, but he is said to have been in regular contact with members of his family by telephone.

He was admitted to the NHS hospital on Wednesday, during his and the Queen’s annual summer break at Balmoral.

Officials said at the time that he would be in the infirmary for a few days,however it remains unclear when he will be discharged.

Buckingham Palace did not issue any updates on the Duke’s condition yesterday, although he was previously said to be responding well to treatment for the recurrence of the infection he suffered in the summer.

His latest health scare comes fewer than three months after he spent five nights in hospital with a bladder infection following the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames.

He had to miss some of the key celebrations for the Queen’s 60-year reign after he was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital in London the day after braving wet and windy elements on a barge for several hours.

Prince Philip also had a successful procedure to clear a blocked coronary artery in December and was in hospital for four nights over Christmas.

The Prince went to Balmoral after attending several Olympic events. He was with the Queen during the opening ceremony. After touring the Olympic Park, he saw his granddaughter Zara Phillips’s Olympic equestrian debut and watched boxing a few days later.