Britain's Prince Charles visits father Prince Philip in London hospital

LONDON: Britain's Prince Charles was driven to the London hospital where his father, Prince Philip, was admitted for 'precautionary' reasons earlier in the week and spent half an hour by his bedside.

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has been at King Edward VII's hospital since Tuesday and according to the BBC, the 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II is likely to remain there into next week.

A somber-looking Charles, 72, was seen entering the hospital wearing a facemask on Saturday and his Clarence House officials later said that the Prince of Wales was then driven back to his Highgrove residence in Gloucestershire, south-west England.

The exact reason for Prince Philip's admission has not been disclosed but his stay is not related to coronavirus.

He and the Queen had received their first dose of a vaccine to protect against Covid-19 last month.

Under England's current coronavirus lockdown rules, visiting someone in a hospital is considered a "reasonable excuse" to leave home, although visits are being allowed on a case by case basis by most hospitals.

The Queen, 94, remains at Windsor Castle and performed her first face-to-face event of the year on Thursday when she knighted a royal aide during a private socially-distanced ceremony at her south-east England residence in Berkshire.

Earlier, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had sent his best wishes to the royal, with a Downing Street spokesperson saying: 'The Prime Minister sends his best wishes to the Duke of Edinburgh as he undergoes a few days of rest in hospital.'

The Queen and her husband have been spending the recent lockdown in England at Windsor Castle with a small household staff, nicknamed 'HMS Bubble'.

The Duke, who turns 100 in June, was admitted to the same London hospital as a "precautionary measure" for treatment for a "pre-existing condition" in December 2019.

He spent four nights in hospital at the time.

In November 2020, the Queen and Prince Philip marked their 73rd wedding anniversary by releasing a photograph of themselves opening a card made for them by their great grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton.