Buckingham Palace says Prince Philip has had a successful heart procedure

Prince Philip has had a successful heart procedure at a London hospital, Buckingham Palace said Thursday.

The palace says the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, "underwent a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at St Bartholomew's Hospital."

"His royal highness will remain in hospital for treatment, rest and recuperation for a number of days," the palace said in a statement.

Philip has been hospitalized since being admitted on Feb. 16 to King Edward VII's Hospital in London, where he was treated for an infection. On Monday he was transferred to a specialized cardiac care hospital, St. Bartholomew's.

His illness is not believed to be related to the coronavirus. Both Philip and the monarch received COVID-19 vaccinations in January and chose to publicize the matter to encourage others to also take the vaccine.

Philip retired from public life in 2017

He has had heart issues in the past. In 2011, he was rushed to a hospital by helicopter after suffering chest pains and was treated for a blocked coronary artery.

Philip retired in 2017 and rarely appears in public. Before his hospitalization, Philip had been isolating at Windsor Castle, west of London, with the Queen.

The longest-serving royal consort in British history, Philip married the then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947. He and the Queen have four children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.