The Duke of Edinburgh might have contracted his bladder infection during Sunday’s Diamond Jubilee pageant, an expert has said.
To think he could have had that and stood up all day makes it all the more remarkable, on the assumption it didn’t just start the moment they announced it.
Philip joined his family on the Royal Barge, standing on deck next to the Queen for much of the parade. But he might not have made enough visits to the toilet while on board the Spirit of Chartwell as it journeyed for more than three hours along the Thames, Dr Malcolm Vandenburg suggested.
If the Duke contracted the infection prior to the boating extravaganza, he might well have been in considerable pain as he waved to crowds, the consultant said.
Dr Vandenburg was unable to pinpoint the precise cause of Philip’s condition but said it was most likely to have been brought on by an underlying problem, such as a swollen prostate.
He also cited stress, potentially brought on by the high-profile Jubilee celebrations, saying this could have led the infection to emerge when it did.
The Harley Street doctor, a specialist in general medicine and male health problems, said: “You wonder if he wasn’t able to empty his bladder as often as he would have wanted to.
“That would add to the retention of water, meaning he wouldn’t have flushed out his system as frequently as he may have wanted.
“If he was having to stand up for four hours, then one would have some concerns that a normal flushing didn’t take place.”
But he said the infection might have set in at an earlier stage.
“To think he could have had that and stood up all day makes it all the more remarkable, on the assumption it didn’t just start the moment they announced it,” Dr Vandenburg said. “It causes some discomfort in the lower abdomen, it causes some discomfort in the region of the genitals, it causes some discomfort when you pass urine.”
A swollen prostate – common among elderly men – was most likely to have brought on the infection, he said.
“If a man gets a bladder infection, it’s usually that something else is going wrong as well.