Prince Philip Hospitalised Due to Bladder Infection: August 15-20, 2012


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Consider the timing, 3 days after the Olympics and on his daughter's birthday!
 
It may be a coincidence but the two infections have followed HRH spending time outside on a boat. jubilee pageant and Cowes Week. I live near the Isle of Wight (where Cowes is situated) and its been cold and damp.
 
Madame Royale said:
The reality is is that these hosptial visits are going to become more and more frequent until the Duke passes. It's unavoidable.
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He has been on a sure and certain decline since last year - and definitely since his first collapse at Christmas. It's just a matter of time.

He has had a pattern this year - after sustained exertion, he has a collapse. He doesn't just need to reduce public outings, he needs to cease doing them altogether.

I should hope the Duke returns to Balmoral very soon, and is able to enjoy the remainder of his time there.
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I suspect that decisions have been made as to care and we are in for the 'long wait'.

I would not take at face value 'reasons' given for actions taken at this point. I think it's more about privacy now than the public 'needing to know'.

And what's more is that when looking at photo's of the Queen over this past year, she appears to have aged quicker than I have ever noticed before.
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From all I have seen - especially from a video clip I saw of the Queen walking at the Opening Ceremonies - the Queen may be in a condition where it would be a kindness to allow her to withdraw from public life. Older people reach a stage where they need to focus on themselves and what lies ahead for them - and I think she will want to be with Philip now. I think she's earned a respite. I don't understand the public's 'need' to have royals 'work' in the face of old age and declining health. Seems unkind somehow.
 
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Oh no. I hope he will be o.k. I know it is just a matter of time before his journey is done but I truly hope he is given a little more time. Im not quite ready for anything more. :(
 
He's got a bladder infection. He is not seriously ill. Some of these posts are really depressing and I'd rather take a positive outlook that he went into lhospital early. He has no engagements booked until October. He has time to recover.

As for the idea that the Queen will, in effect, retire - IMO No way. She will continue to work till she drops or it is physically impossible.

That applies to both of them, it's why we love them and wouldn't have it any other way.
 
The Duke really has to learn to take things slower IMO. I know retirement is a dirty word to the Windsors but HRH has earned it. He's the father of our nation, nobody would criticise if he took a month or two off that wasn't forced by accident or illness!
 
This is very sad news. Here's to a full recovery for the Duke and hopefully he'll take it easy in the coming weeks/months.
 
Wishing a quick recovery to His Royal Highness; and respectful and sincere good wishes to the Queen and their family.
 
cepe said:
He's got a bladder infection. He is not seriously ill. Some of these posts are really depressing and I'd rather take a positive outlook that he went into lhospital early. He has no engagements booked until October. He has time to recover.
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A bladder/urinary tract infection isn't that serious, but in an older person it can cause confusion and it might not have been clear from the beginning what was ailing prince Philip. Hopefully antibiotics will clear the infection quickly, and that there is no other problems.
 
I don't think the DoE or HM will ever stop completely; they'll do less, but they'll not truly stop until it becomes a physical or mental impossibility. Let's also not forget that, for a lot of elderly people, it's when they do retire, and really do wind down that their decline seems to almost accelerate, if anything. Activity that's engaging and interesting (within limits, obviously) keeps some people going longer than they otherwise would.

It's also a big assumption to say that HM wouldn't be far behind were the DoE to do first. My whole family said the same when my Granny died, as my Granda was very dependent on her and they'd been married for 50+ years, but he's still with us 7 years later.
 
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I agree that a rest, followed by a lightened workload would be best. My grandmother really started to decline once she stopped her volunteer efforts and handicrafts a couple of years ago. It is as if, without something to focus on, her mind and body are giving up.

My very best wishes to HRH, and to his family during this latest health scare.
 
3 major hospital visits! I think it's time for him to wind it down a little. At his age and health I would say only 10-15 public engagements. It's good to hear he isn't scheduled again until October. I feel he has done enough to earn a loooooong vacation. I'm jumping on the band wagon that says William needs to wind down his RAF time and pick up the slack for his grandfather.
 
Isn't he due to attend the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games in London on the 29th August, as the Queen is officially declaring them open? That'll mean a flight down to London, an opening ceremony of 2+ hours, and potentially more receptions for Paralympics officials etc.

Maybe HM will do this one alone or hand the responsibility over to Charles and Camilla?
 
From here-on-out I would not be believing the 'bladder infection' excuse. There may be privacy issues. Understandable.

Best for Charles to cover the Paralympic Games - or if it's serious enough in Scotland that Charles as his parents' eldest son needs to be present with his aging parents - then William needs to step up and cease the complicated round of excuses around 'his work'. If Harry can 'arrange' things, so can William, I would think.
 
oh my. they both look so look strong and healthy that it's easy to forget they are on their 90's...
it's been quite a lot of hospital visits for the DOE lately...
 
Here's hoping that Prince Philip beats the bug once and for all! I don't think he's going to give up without a fight.
 
No matter what the doctors tell him there is only one person who can actually tell him to slow down and have him listen and she needs to do so on no uncertain terms - The Queen needs to say 'Philip - NO you aren't going to do any more engagements this year without me and I will be approving the ones you do with me - and none in winter etc.'
 
Hope Prince Philip will make a speedy recovery. I wish the he and the Queen slowed down a bit; they are not as young as they used to be.
I am quite certain other members of the Royal Family will be more than happy to take on some of their duties and responsibilities.
 
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cepe said:
He's got a bladder infection. He is not seriously ill. Some of these posts are really depressing and I'd rather take a positive outlook that he went into lhospital early. He has no engagements booked until October. He has time to recover.

As for the idea that the Queen will, in effect, retire - IMO No way. She will continue to work till she drops or it is physically impossible.

That applies to both of them, it's why we love them and wouldn't have it any other way.
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I agree with you. Some of these posts have been rather grim, and yes, the harsh reality is that His Highness is not getting any younger, and is prone to frequent trips to the hospital, but that's not a reason to plan his funeral, so to speak. Neither Her Majesty or her husband will retire. They're very conscious of their duty, and go on to do what they can. Taking some of the load off is a reasonable enough suggestion, but to think that they will just go into retirement is ludicrous. Elderly people are very sensitive to loss of independence and restrictions on their daily activities, so the issue will have to be approached with caution (and we know that the Duke is very fond of being active).
 
Hopefully he'll be fine and his time in hospital and then balmoral will allow him time to rest up. As much as I agree that Philip should massively reduce his workload I think it unlikely to happen I just feel in some ways Philip would rather die than spend his days not doing much, remember he's been doing public engagements for 50+ years so it's the only way of life he knows.
Sadly we'll probably see more of these hospital visits but at least it means he is getting the care and treatment he needs.
 
I work with the elderly on a daily basis, in a person of his age a bladder infection can be very serious and a threat to their health.

LaRae
 
Artemisia said:
Hope Prince Philip will make a speedy recovery. I wish the he and the Queen slowed down a bit; they are not as young as they used to be.
I am quite certain other members of the Royal Family will be more than happy to take on some of their duties and responsibilities.
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Whether they are happy to or not, the Cambridges definitely should - William when he can and Catherine should go full time when they return from their overseas trip.
 
tommy100 said:
Hopefully he'll be fine and his time in hospital and then balmoral will allow him time to rest up. As much as I agree that Philip should massively reduce his workload I think it unlikely to happen I just feel in some ways Philip would rather die than spend his days not doing much, remember he's been doing public engagements for 50+ years so it's the only way of life he knows.
Sadly we'll probably see more of these hospital visits but at least it means he is getting the care and treatment he needs.
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I think the added responsibilities and local town hopping travel of the Jubilee year have taken their toll. The difficulty this year was while everyone wanted him to slow down - HM couldnt and he wasnt going to let her go without him. That has passed and now they can slow down a bit. This may be the incentive for HM to do less travelling because that is best for Phillip - but it will also be good for her. HM and Phillip were all over GB this year and each of the commonwealth countries have been visited by familiy members. So there should be no urgent appearances required.

I think key to Phillip is feeling useful and productive. I think Phillip should be down to 8-10 activites/ month: meetings, dinners etc - enough to keep him feeling useful, but less draining. Hopefully alot of dual events with his children (I see alot of Edward and Anne in his future) and grandchildren who will be taking on his responsibilites and passing of the torch and transitioning him to a mentoring role with them.

Neither of them will ever retire completely. HM less so than Phillip. HM may be agreeing to a lighter travel schedule and longer weekends at Windsor for his health, but it will benefit her as well. She will always have her boxes and audiences and meetings and such. But an 'away day' is so much more exhaustive.
 
I think the DoE's ongoing health issues are making it more and more unlikely that Prince William will choose to commit to the RAF for another 3 years. He's bound to realise that changes are going to have to be made to the extent of his grandparents' work schedules, and it's going to be up to him and Kate to pick up some of the slack.

He's already said that balancing his RAF duties and his RF duties is becoming more and more difficult. I think it's almost inevitable that he'll take on the role of full-time royal at the end of his current contract with the RAF at the end of this year.
 
For a person of his age, every medical condition is very serious !
 
cepe said:
Whether they are happy to or not, the Cambridges definitely should - William when he can and Catherine should go full time when they return from their overseas trip.
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I hate to say this, but I think the situation is past the 'I want...' or 'I don't want...'. The fact of the matter is, Prince Philip is in need of slowing down at least a little, and Prince Charles, Camila, the rest of the Queen and Duke's children, their spouses and Prince Harry cannot pick up all the slack. It's only fair that the Cambridges take on some of the engagements that cannot be picked up by others. I'm sure William's supervisors/commanding officers will be understanding and accommodate his increasing royal duties at least a little bit (and re-enlisting with the RAF would be pretty much out of the question), and there's no reason for Catherine not to go full time at this point. She definitely can hold her own, therefore, I don't see any issues in that quarter.
 
Oh good grief. Prince Philip is not at death's door but you wouldn't know it from some of the posts. It seems that until it was announced that he has a recurrence of his bladder infection some here had him at death's door. From the way these were written we would be forgiven for thinking that he was transported to the hospital with high drama, lights, siren, etc. whilst the Ambo's worked frantically on a stopped heart or some such.

Unfortunately it seems that with the news that whilst his condition is concerning on account of his age, it is not immediately life threatening, many people are not prepared to let go of their dire prognoses and are instead debating how long HM will last after his imminent demise, how it will affect his immediate family and it is now to become the reason de jour for William to leave the RAF and immediately replace his Grandfather.

Prince Philip will work, probably at a reducing rate, until the day that he does, in fact, die, as will his wonderful wife. Taking the purpose from someone's life is more likely to kill them than a bladder condition. I mean really, can anyone see Prince Philip or Queen Elizabeth sitting back watching the telly, eating off TV trays, waiting for God? Please!
 
I don't think there is a great need for alarm unless they decide to go to Sandringham out of season.
 
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