Britain's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth, leaves hospital

Philip walked out of the hospital after a four-night stay

Britain's Prince Philip enters a car as he leaves the King Edward VII's Hospital in London. Reuters

Prince Philip, the 98-year-old husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, left the hospital on Tuesday morning after a four-night stay for treatment of a pre-existing condition.

The Duke of Edinburgh, his official title, was photographed walking out of the King Edward VII Hospital in London before being driven away in a car.

Philip, who married the Queen in 1947, retired from public life two years ago.

He has had a number of health problems in recent years, spending Christmas 2011 hospitalised after an operation to clear a blocked artery in his heart.

In 2012, he spent time in hospital with a bladder infection and in 2013 underwent "an exploratory operation following abdominal investigations".

He was admitted to hospital in 2017 for treatment of a pre-existing condition and had a hip replacement last year resulting in a 10-day hospital stay.

Buckingham Palace said on Friday he had been taken into hospital as a precautionary measure for treatment of a pre-existing condition.

His son Prince Charles was asked about his father’s health by a member of the public on Monday.

"Once you get to that age things don't work as well,” he replied.