Prince Philip Was Forced to Give up This Hobby Because of His Health
Prince Philip has been married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than 70 years, making him the longest-serving consort in British history. He retired from royal duties in 2017 when he was 96 and hasn’t made many public appearances since then. Given that fact, and his advanced age, there have been questions over the years about how healthy he is today.
Here’s what we know about the Duke of Edinburgh‘s overall health and the hobby he was forced to give up due to concerns.
Prince Philip’s health issues
The royal family patriarch has had several health-related issues over the last decade.
He was hospitalized on Dec. 20, 2019, over what the palace said was “observation and treatment in relation to a pre-existing condition” and just “as a precautionary measure.”
In April 2018, Prince Philip had hip replacement surgery. He was discharged the following day and six weeks later was able to attend Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s wedding. In June 2017, Queen Elizabeth’s husband was taken from Windsor to London and admitted to a hospital after being diagnosed with an infection.
Prior to that, he underwent surgery on his right hand in 2014. A year earlier, he had an abdomen operation. And in 2011, a stent was put in the duke’s heart after doctors found a blocked artery.
This procedure forced him to give up one of his favorite hobbies
At the time of the prince’s 2011 procedure, the palace released a statement that read: “Following tests at Papworth Cardiothoracic Hospital in Cambridge the Duke of Edinburgh was found to have a blocked coronary artery which caused his chest pains. This was treated successfully by the minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting.”
According to royal expert Ingrid Seward, the prince had to give up his beloved hobby of shooting as a result.
“Philip had to give up shooting after he had a stent inserted in his heart,” Seward said according to The Express. “The fear was that the recoil of the gun when it was fired might dislodge the stent.”
Prince Philip’s overall health today
Despite those past issues Prince Philip is considered to be in pretty good health today, especially for his age.
In 2018, there were reports that the monarch’s husband was still fishing and standing for hours in the River Dee. Royal staffers claimed then that Philip was “as fit as a fiddle.”
Sources gave The Sun an update on his state last November saying that “Until recently he has been very active — carriage riding, fishing at Balmoral and driving around royal estates — although he no longer drives on public roads following his crash in January. His mind is as sharp as ever.”
