‘Much better’ Philip gets royal Christmas visit

The Duke of Edinburgh is “getting much better” and is “in very good spirits”, members of the Royal Family have said.

They answered questions about Prince Philip as they chatted to well-wishers after leaving a Christmas Day church service on the Queen’s estate at Sandringham, Norfolk, yesterday.

The Prince of Wales described his father as “resilient” and “very determined”.

The Queen and other members of the Royal Family attended the service as the duke recuperated in hospital following surgery. The Duchess of Cambridge joined them at the service for the first time.

Philip, 90, is being treated at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire after treatment for a blocked coronary artery.

He was taken to the specialist heart hospital on Friday night after complaining of chest pains, and, following tests, a blocked artery was discovered.

He underwent a “minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting”, which was declared a success.

An estimated 3,000 well-wishers gathered outside St Mary Magdalene Church yesterday to see the royals, including the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

The Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips and England rugby player Mike Tindall, who married in Edinburgh in the summer, also attended.

The royals traditionally gather at Sandringham for Christmas. Philip, who normally walks the few hundred yards from the main house to the church, is not thought to have missed a Christmas Day service before.

Carmilla Fitt, 71, who lives near Dover, Kent, and is spending Christmas in the Sandringham area, said: “Charles said he is coming on. He is very well and in very good spirits. He said he is very determined.”

The Duke of Cambridge told well-wishers his grandfather was “very well, thank you – getting much better”.

Buckingham Palace officials said he “remains in good spirits”.

Last night, the Duke of Cambridge and his brother Prince Harry were among the visitors to their grandfather’s bedside.

They drove separate cars to Papworth Hospital. With them arrived the Duke of York’s daughters Beatrice and Eugenie and the Princess Royal’s children Zara and Peter.

Earlier, Sandringham rector the Rev Jonathan Riviere told the congregation: “We pray for the Queen and the Royal Family. Especially today, we pray for Prince Philip and his continued recovery.”

The Duchess of Cambridge was the centre of attention as the Royal Family arrived. She is spending her first Christmas as part of the family following her marriage to Prince William, now the Duke of Cambridge, in April.

By 9:30am, hundreds were waiting at the gates, with queues stretching back about 300 yards.

The duchess, with her husband at her side, spent 20 minutes greeting well-wishers after leaving the service.

Veteran royal watcher Mary Relph, 77, from Shouldham, near Sandringham, was amazed at the public turnout.

“I have never seen queues like this on Christmas Day before. I have never seen this amount of people here since Diana was alive,” she said.

“People obviously came to see Kate Middleton. And she was fantastic.”

Cath Davies, 49, who comes from Cardiff, said of the duchess: “She looked very relaxed with the crowds and very relaxed with William. She was confident but not over-confident. She seemed to be enjoying herself.”

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the duchess had been wearing a hat by Jane Corbett.Her coat was created by an independent British dressmaker, but he declined to name him or her.