Prince Philip to miss garden party (From The Argus)

Prince Philip to miss garden party

5:20pm Monday 11th June 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

The Duke of Edinburgh is to miss a garden party at Sandringham as he continues to recover from a bladder infection, Buckingham Palace has said.

Philip, who left hospital on Saturday - the day before his 91st birthday - will also miss the Queen's trip to the East Midlands on Wednesday.

The Duke fell ill following the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant, when he was on board the Spirit Of Chartwell royal barge in a flotilla of 1,000 boats along the Thames in extremely wet and cold conditions.

The Duke is continuing his convalescence at home, the Palace said.

Before falling ill after the pageant, Philip was due to be at the Queen's side for the garden party on the Norfolk estate. The Diamond Jubilee event is being held to thank residents of Norfolk and Suffolk for contributing to community life.

The last time a garden party was held at Sandringham was in 2002 to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The Duke of York will stand in for his father and accompany the Queen.

Philip's admission to King Edward VII Hospital in London meant he was forced to miss some of the key Jubilee weekend festivities.

Doctors have suggested that braving the elements at the pageant might have exacerbated his condition if he did not make enough visits to the toilet.

The Duke was also due to join the Queen, along with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, in Nottingham on Wednesday as she continues her Jubilee tour of the UK with a two-day trip to the East Midlands. Philip was set to take part in the engagements on Thursday, including a visit to Hitchin Market Square and Hatfield House.

Later this month, the Duke is due to return to the River Thames - three weeks after the pageant. He is set to accompany the Queen to Henley-on-Thames on June 25, when the royal couple will travel by boat from Hambleden Lock to Henley Business School in Oxfordshire.