The Duke of Edinburgh Celebrates 91st Birthday

Prince Philip celebrates his 91st birthday today – a day after being released from hospital. A Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed the Duke will be spending the day privately.

To mark the birthday, The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will fire a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park, while the Honourable Artillery Company will fire a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London, both at midday. The salute is fired every year to celebrate the occasion, but members of the Royal Family are not usually in attendance.

The Duke is not expected to carry out any official engagements these couple of days. However, it is hoped that if His Royal Highness feels strong enough, he will attend the garden party hosted by the Queen at the Sandringham Estate on Tuesday.

The Duke of Edinburgh was discharged from hospital yesterday. He had been hospitalised on Monday and spent five days there, recovering from a bladder infection, and it was initially feared he might have to spend his birthday there as well. Following his hospitalisation, Prince Philip was forced to miss the rest of Jubilee events, including the Concert outside Buckingham Palace, and Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Thankfully, Prince Philip appears to be in quite a good form, both physically and psychologically. When one of the reporters waiting outside the hospital asked the Duke whether he was feeling better, he responded with one of his typically quick-witted remarks: “Well, I wouldn’t be coming out if I wasn’t.”

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Tagged Birthday, Health, The Duke of Edinburgh.

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