Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, was hospitalized with a chest infection and is undergoing a series of tests, Buckingham Palace said Friday.
[image: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in June 2005] Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, seen in June 2005, have been married since 1947. Philip, 86, suffered from a bad cold that worsened in recent days, palace officials said. Doctors at London's King Edward VII hospital were trying to determine the cause of the infection. Philip was strong enough to walk into the hospital without assistance and was able to read and answer letters from his bed, a spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in line with palace policy. He traveled to the hospital by private car, not ambulance, another Buckingham Palace spokesman said. Despite the reassurances, specialists warned that chest infections in a person of Philip's age can become dangerous if untreated, particularly if pneumonia develops. Most people with chest infections are treated at home but older patients are often hospitalized as a precaution, said Dr. Keith Prowse, chairman of the British Lung Foundation. Philip may have been exposed to the flu virus or the rhinovirus, which affects the nose and chest, Prowse said. It is also possible bacteria has caused the illness, he said. Likely tests include a chest X-ray to check for pneumonia or damage to the chest wall and a culture analysis of any phlegm he is coughing up to determine the nature of the infection, Prowse said. "Quite often, antibiotics are started before the results come back. Because of this, he will be treated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic that kills a lot of things," Prowse said. Philip canceled his weekend engagements to give him time to recover in the hospital, officials said. The hospital would not release details about his condition. He was taken to the hospital at 5 p.m. Thursday but the news was not made public until Friday afternoon. Last week, Philip looked well as he joined the queen in saying goodbye to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy at the end of their two-day state visit. Philip smiled as the Sarkozys' car pulled away and waved to them from the steps of the Sovereign's Entrance at Windsor Castle. But Philip did not attend a memorial service Wednesday for Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to conquer Mount Everest, because he was ill with a cold, the palace said. This week, a coroner at an inquest into the 1997 death of Princess Diana rejected a conspiracy theory that Philip was behind a secret service plot to kill the princess and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, saying there was not a shred of evidence to support the claims. The theory has been ridiculed by many, but tenaciously put forward for more than a decade by Dodi Fayed's father, Mohamed Al Fayed. A member of the Greek royal family, Philip was evacuated from the country by Britain's Royal Navy in 1922 following the abdication of King Constantine, his uncle. Educated in France, Germany, and Britain, he joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and saw active service throughout World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant. Philip and Elizabeth married in 1947, when she was still a princess. He gave up his naval career when she became queen and has no constitutional role other than as one of the queen's privy counselors. Philip is a great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria. *Associated Press Writer D'Arcy Doran contributed to this report.* -- --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Welcome To dimpill's gang! This is the Best Place to Hang around.We Give u the Best in Latest News, Jokes, Funny Pictures,Wallpapers,Latest Buzz and Much More! Connect your World with Us join Now http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dimpill_gang/join Affiliated group from dimpill_gang for Only Adult Mails http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fantazies/join Affiliated group from dimpill_gang for Only Health and Food Mails http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Health_and_Gourmet/join -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
