On Tuesday, April 3, the Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has been admitted to the hospital for hip surgery.
The Palace released an official statement revealing that the surgery is slated to occur on Wednesday, April 4.
"His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London this afternoon, for planned surgery on his hip which will take place tomorrow," the Palace stated.
Despite the new report, this is not the first time that Prince Philip has been hospitalized in recent time. In June 2017, news broke that he suffered from an infection that was presumed to have come from a pre-existing condition, which led him to spend two nights in the hospital.
By December 2017, Prince Philip appeared to be in good spirits as attended church services on Christmas morning and led the family on their annual walk in Sandringham.
Prince Philip Misses Easter Service
On Sunday, April 1, the 96-year-old was noticeably missing from the Easter services as he is always by his wife, Queen Elizabeth's side. The Prince was also unable to attend the traditional Maundy service held at St. George's Chapel on Thursday, March 29.
The St. George's Chapel is also the venue for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding. The soon-to be royal couple will tie the knot at the location on May 19.
A royal source claims that Prince Philip had planned on attending the Maundy Service, but decided not to go after he began experiencing some issues with his hip.
At the moment, there is no word on whether or not the circumstance is what kept him from attending his son Prince Andrew's appointment as the new Colonel of the Grenadier Guards on March 22. Prince Philip's appearance at the ceremony was very important as he was expected to hand over the role to Prince Andrew as he had been the Colonel of the Grenadier Guards since 1975.
Philip Decides To Retire
In August 2017, it was confirmed that the Duke had decided to retire and would take a break from his public life. Following the news, the Palace stated that Queen Elizabeth completely supported his decision.
