The Duke of Edinburgh was taken to hospital tonight for tests after suffering chest pains, Buckingham Palace said.

Prince Philip, 90, went from Sandringham to the cardiothoracic unit at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge for precautionary checks, a spokeswoman said.

The Royal Family are spending Christmas at the country retreat in Norfolk.

Papworth describes itself as the UK's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital and the country's main heart and lung transplant centre.

It treats more than 22,800 inpatient and day cases and 53,400 outpatients each year from across the UK.

Its services include cardiology, respiratory medicine, and cardiothoracic surgery and transplantation.

Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to the Queen, said: "The Duke of Edinburgh's health is actually pretty good given that he is 90."

Mr Arbiter, who is Sky's royal commentator, told the broadcaster: "He has had these chest pains before and I don't think it's anything untoward, but given his age they are being safe rather than sorry.

"I am sure we are going to see him on Christmas Day and he can look forward to accompanying the Queen in the new year."

The royals are spending their traditional Christmas holiday at the Queen's much-loved private home in Norfolk, which is set in 60 acres of gardens, offering the perfect sanctuary for the break.

The Duchess of Cambridge is spending her first Christmas as a member of the Royal Family.

On Christmas Day, Kate will join the Duke of Cambridge and other members of the family at the morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the royal estate.

The Duchess will undoubtedly be the centre of attention and a large media presence is expected when the Queen and her family walk to and from church, greeting well-wishers along the way.

Spending Christmas with a partner's family for the first time is daunting but the royals bring added pressures.

The Duchess, used to her own family's Christmas habits and traditions, will have to follow the rules of Sandringham.

Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner are served at set times and a number of changes of outfit will be needed - especially for dinner.

Negotiating the protocols of family etiquette will take some getting used to but Prince William will be on hand to offer guidance and reassurance to his wife.

The gathering at Sandringham is usually for royals only, with the relatives of spouses absent.

Kate will have to see her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, and siblings, Pippa and James, another time to celebrate Christmas.

So will England rugby player Mike Tindall, the husband of Zara Phillips, another newcomer to the Royal Family who married the Queen's granddaughter in the summer.

By tomorrow the last members of the family will have arrived and they will observe the German ritual of opening their presents ahead of Christmas Day - something Queen Victoria and Prince Albert did.

On Christmas Day, the royals will awake to find stockings filled with small gifts and fruit at the foot of their beds.

After breakfast it is the short journey to St Mary Magdalene where they celebrate Christmas with residents who live on the estate.

Back at the house, lunch is served at 1pm and they indulge in a giant turkey, reared at Sandringham.

One of the highlights of the day is undoubtedly when the royals gather around a television to watch the monarch's traditional Christmas broadcast.

The Queen quietly leaves the room and lets her family watch the national address by themselves.

Boxing Day is likely to involve outdoor pursuits such as shooting, riding and walking.

Margaret Holder, a royal commentator, told the BBC: "It's obviously very worrying for the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family who are gathering at Sandringham for Christmas.

"It might not be as serious as it sounds, it's possible it could be a bit of indigestion and they are just checking it over, let's hope it's something simple like that.

"But he is 90, he has been in remarkable health. For somebody who has just done an 11-day tour of Australia at 90, that's amazing in itself as it is.

"A lot of people that age could not even manage to deal with the long flights there and back.

"I think it might have taken something out of him, I think they are pushing him to the limits doing that."