Britain’s Prince Philip leaves hospital after a month of treatment

LONDON —  Britain’s Prince Philip returned to Windsor Castle on Tuesday, following a month in the hospital during which he was treated for an infection and underwent a heart procedure.

Philip, 99, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, had been hospitalized since being admitted to the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in London on Feb. 16, where he was treated for an infection.

He was later transferred to a specialized cardiac-care hospital, St. Bartholomew’s, for a short stay and a heart procedure before returning to King Edward VII’s.

Photographers standing outside the door of the private hospital captured his departure in the back of a black car. Buckingham Palace later issued a statement confirming Philip’s release.

“His Royal Highness wishes to thank all the medical staff who looked after him at both King Edward VII’s Hospital and St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, and everyone who has sent their good wishes,” the palace said in the statement.

Philip’s illness is not believed to be related to the coronavirus. Both he and the monarch received COVID-19 vaccinations in January and chose to publicize the matter to encourage others to get inoculated.

Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, retired in 2017 and rarely appears in public. Before his hospitalization, he had been isolating at Windsor Castle, west of London, with the queen.

His illness comes as the royal family deals with the fallout of an interview with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and her husband, Prince Harry. In the explosive broadcast, Meghan, who is biracial, said the palace had failed to help her when she had suicidal thoughts and that an unidentified member of the royal family had raised “concerns” about the color of her baby’s skin when she was pregnant with her son, Archie.

The interview, conducted by Oprah Winfrey, divided people around the world. While many say the allegations demonstrate the need for change inside a palace that hasn’t kept pace with the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, others have criticized Harry and Meghan for dropping their bombshell while Philip was hospitalized.

The longest-serving royal consort in British history, Philip married then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947. He and the queen have four children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.