Prince Phillip

Spot on, Carly. The deal is....we pay for their upkeep and their bills. They give us nice pictures and something to talk about.

Some of the comments on here seem a bit harsh. Yes, Prince Philip now comes across as a cantankerous, obstinate, privileged old man, but whatever the ins and outs of their long marriage, he has supported the Queen throughout her long reign. I think it was at her Golden Jubilee that she paid tribute to him, saying he had been her strength and support all those years, and that the nation would never know how much, also that he was a man who hated fuss.
When he dies, I have read he wants no big state or royal funeral, sounds like it will be a very private, low key affair.

As in all marriages, every couple has 'their own way of carrying on' and it's really not for other people to speculate as to the state of that marriage! The Queen and her husband are no different in this than anyone else. It is, as they say, their business and nothing to do with us!
Personally, I wish Prince Phillip well and hope he makes a speedy recovery and that the RF have a Happy Christmas.

got to admire the queen never hear her bitch and moan about life and her family unlike some of the other royals,. i hope the duke pulls through

The comments aren't harsh, they're horrid, and incidentally inaccurate, but don't let the truth get in the way of a spiteful comment.

How do you know the comments are inaccurate? Are you a Royal?

The Queen has had a difficult year so far. I really feel for her. She has been a great Queen. She must be so worried about her husband and all that carry on with Andrew.

Nostradamus predicted we will have a new king in 2020.............

I do hope that Prince Phillip gets through this setback.

Other marriages don’t cost the taxpayer millions each year, nor do they impinge on others with offensive comments that are shown across the world’s media.

I have to say that if I had to add to my workload by travelling between two homes twice each week, and transferring between two others 4 times a year I'd be too exhausted for anything much else. Philip has the right idea, he's settled in Wood Farm!

Yes, must be exhausting having palaces and flats and farms.

Oh hang on a minute, sleeping on the streets must be quite tiring too I suppose.

Daily Mail is now adding he'd also had a fall and been bedbound for a few days.

Other marriages don’t have their children , grandchildren, parents, siblings criticised almost daily by the media and the country.

Pre-existing condition? Well, that could mean anything - very vague.

I recall that during the last two years of her life the late Queen Mother had quite a few trips into hospital that were unconvincingly explained away as "having a fishbone removed from her throat" each time.

He's 98 - that's a pretty good run for anybody.

No they don’t - but then much of their behaviour is dubious, irritating and at times, downright appalling. If you’re funded by taxpayers to a fairly large extent then you can’t expect to go unchallenged.

Bluebell I dont agree about Charles and maybe that is why she doesnt retire.

The problem with our democracy is it has inbuilt protection for the monarchy, in the form of MPs having to swear allegiance to the crown. This effectively precludes any discussion about changing from a constitutional monarchy to another form of head of state, or even too much obvious tweaking to the financial support for the monarchy. It denies representation in parliament for any of us who may want a republic for instance, such as Sinn Fein supporters, since the minute they decided to take their seats, they'd have had to either drop their stance against the crown or perjure themselves by swearing a false oath. I don't have a problem personally with the current system but I can understand why some may feel resentful of it.

We could have a referendum on whether to keep them, that’d keep folks happy......

omg! I don't think we could cope with the fallout from another referendum!! :D

Not another referendum please.

Would certainly take our minds off brexit tho!

It has already been said that the Queen will retire at 95, Prince Charles will not become King at that point but will take over her duties. He will become King when she passes.

Not another referendum but I see no reason why the oath shouldn't be changed. Interestingly the first woman elected to Parliament never took her seat because of that oath. That was over 100 years ago- Constance Markowitz a member of Sinn Fein elected in 1918. You would think we could have found a solution by now.

He has aged wonderfully-he is 98 and both of them are an inspiration

Taylor53, the Palace are not confirming that. This is educated speculation by royal reporters etc.

Sodapop
The fact he was shown walking into St Thomas's and according to news reports 'of a previous condition' could be a uti ? Not unusual in the elderly male .