Duke Admitted in Hospital

The Duke, 86, who had been feeling unwell for several days, was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital in London on Thursday evening.

Having battled a heavy cold all week his condition deteriorated on Thursday and his doctor ordered him to go into hospital. He was taken by car from Windsor Castle, where the Queen and Duke are spending the Easter break. He walked into the hospital through the front door.

Fears for his health were triggered when he was absent from the memorial service for Sir Edmund Hillary, who first conquered Mount Everest, at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. he was due to attend with the Queen. He was last seen in public at Windsor for the state visit of the French president last week when he was in good health. All his weekend engagements have been cancelled.

Last year it was reported that the Duke, who has always enjoyed good health, had been battling a heart condition for 15 years. Buckingham Palace denied the report.

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said yesterday: "The Duke of Edinburgh has been admitted to King Edward VII Hospital for assessment and treatment for a chest infection."

The Queen has remained in Windsor. The Duke's staff this morning brought him a pile of correspondence which he is working on in his private suite at the hospital.

It was not clear whether any members of the Royal Family will be visiting him. All his official engagements have been cancelled for the weekend.

When he entered his seventies, one of the Queen's former physicians described him as "astonishingly fit for a man of his age".

He has continued to exercise while in his eighties, swimming regularly and taking part in fast-paced carriage driving competitions.

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