Prince Philip at 97: His health struggles in recent years

Prince Philip is 97, and while he formally retired from royal duties nearly two years ago, the Queen’s husband has shown no signs of slowing down in his personal life.

Most recently the Duke of Edinburgh was out driving his Land Rover – not an activity most 97-year-olds would be doing – near Sandringham Estate, but the four wheel drive collided with another vehicle.

Photos from the scene show his car rolled on its side, and while Buckingham Palace stated the Duke was not injured in the crash, two others suffered minor injuries.

Health struggles

However, in recent years Philip has struggled with his health.

Back in 2011 over the Christmas period, he spent four days in hospital in order to have surgery to clear a blocked artery.

According to a statement from Buckingham Palace at the time, the Prince had a “minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting”.

Bladder infections

Seven months later, in the midst of celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Philip was taken to hospital “after developing a bladder infection”, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said.

Just two months after in August 2012, while spending the Summer at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Philip was admitted to the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as a “precautionary measure” for another bladder infection.

The following year in June, he spent his 92nd birthday in hospital in order to have exploratory surgery on his abdomen.

In 2016, Philip cancelled a public appearance to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Jutland, upon receiving medical advice.

Post-retirement from royal duties

Upon the news he would be retiring from royal duties, Prince Philip was admitted to hospital in June 2017 as a “precautionary measure” for an infection, according to the BBC.

Last year in April, Prince Philip underwent major hip surgery after being in pain for months, but was “in good spirits” following the successful operation.

While the Duke of Edinburgh has most certainly taken a step back from public royal appearances, he attended the Christmas Day service in Sandringham in 2017 and both royal weddings last year.

However, he was noticeably absent from the Christmas service in 2018, but a royal source told Reuters he was “in perfectly good health” and chose to spend the day “privately”.

Despite his health struggles, it’s clear Prince Philip is very much still an energetic character.

“Obviously, the fact that he is 97 years old will bring with it its own concerns,” Rhiannon Mills, royal correspondent for Sky, said following the crash.

“He is of course very independent and he has been a very active man.”

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