Britain's Prince Philip leaves hospital after month-long treatment

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

Philip, 99, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was admitted to the private King Edward VII's Hospital in London on February 16.

He was later transferred to a specialised cardiac care unit at St Bartholomew's Hospital, before returning to King Edward VII's.

Prince Philip stands obscured, centre right, as he leaves the King Edward VII hospital yesterday. The 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth has been hospitalised for the past month. Photo / AP

Photographers outside the door of the private hospital captured his departure in the back of a black car. Buckingham Palace later confirmed 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.''

Philip's illness is not believed to be related to Covid-19. Philip and Elizabeth received coronavirus vaccines in January and chose to publicise the matter to encourage others to also take the vaccine.

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

His illness comes as the royal family has been rocked by an interview with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry. In the explosive broadcast, Meghan 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 colour of her baby's skin when she was pregnant with her son, Archie.

The interview, conducted by Oprah Winfrey, divided people around the world. 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, but others have criticised Harry and Meghan for dropping their bombshell while Philip was hospitalised.

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

- AP