Queen Elizabeth II attended a church service but Prince Philip failed to join her. The Duke of Edinburgh has been admitted to the hospital on Friday. The Buckingham Palace stressed that there is no reason for alarm on Philip's admission.
The Queen did not change her plan despite the reported hospitalization of Prince Philip. She was seen arriving at King's Cross station and traveled to Norfolk via train.
Then, Queen Elizabeth II was seen arriving at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham and she was accompanied by Sophie, Countess of Wessex in the car. The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, as well as their children, Lady Louis Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, also joined the monarch in the church.
The Wessex is expected to remain in Norfolk with the Queen for the next few days as they will be spending Christmas at Sandringham House with members of the royal family. Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton are all expected to spend the holidays with the Queen as well. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle earlier announced that they would be taking a break from royal duties and will be spending Christmas somewhere else.
Meanwhile, Prince Philip traveled from Sandringham to King Edward VII Hospital in London on Friday. He was seen walking into hospital unassisted and is expected to remain there for a few days.
The Buckingham Palace said Philip's admission is a "precautionary measure" and the 98-year-old royal is in the hospital for "observation and treatment of a pre-existing condition." The palace added that the Duke did not have a health scare as his admission was planned. Buckingham said the Duke went to the hospital on the advice of his doctor and there was no "cause for immediate concern" following his admission.
Though the Queen's husband did not travel in an ambulance, there reports that he flew in by helicopter. According to BBC, Buckingham refused to confirm or deny the reports that the Duke of Edinburgh was flown to London by helicopter and then driven by car for the last part of the journey.
Prince Philip retired from official royal duties in 2017. He has health issues including heart problems, arthritis, abdominal surgery, and bladder infections. In April 2018, he had a hip replacement operation but had recovered well and even attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding a month later.
