Britain’s Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, “had a good night” in hospital after heart surgery and family members would visit him yesterday, Buckingham Palace said.

Greek-born Prince Philip is well-known for his tireless spirit

The 90-year-old had a successful operation last Friday for a blocked coronary artery, after being taken to hospital by helicopter from the queen’s Sandringham estate, where the royal family is celebrating Christmas.

“The Duke of Edinburgh had a good night. There will be some members of the family visiting him this morning in hospital,” a spokeswoman for the palace told AFP yesterday.

The spokeswoman did not give further details of his condition or of which royals were expected to visit him.

But in a separate statement overnight, the palace said the prince had been taken to the Papworth cardiothoracic hospital in Cambridge, eastern England, on Friday after suffering chest pains.

Emergency services were called to Sandringham at around 8 p.m. on Friday and Philip was flown by helicopter to the hospital 100 kilometres away, British media reported.

The palace said tests found the blocked coronary artery, adding that it was “treated successfully by the minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting.

The procedure involves inserting a tube-like device called a stent into the blocked artery to open it up and help restore a healthy blood flow. It is often performed under local anaesthetic.

“Prince Philip will remain in hospital under observation for a short period,” the palace said.

Royal sources said the fact that family members were visiting was no indication that he was likely to stay in hospital any longer than expected, with one source saying that they would “obviously” want to see him on Christmas Eve.