A királynő a kórházban karácsonyozik férjével

The Queen has visited the Duke of Edinburgh in hospital in Cambridgeshire, where he has been treated for a blocked coronary artery.

A "minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting" was successfully performed after he was taken to hospital suffering chest pains.

The duke, 90, is in "good spirits" but remains under observation at Papworth Hospital, Buckingham Palace said.

The Queen was accompanied by their sons Edward and Andrew, and daughter, Anne.

They arrived by helicopter for a 45-minute visit, where they were met by the hospital's chief executive and Professor John Cunningham, chief physician to the Queen.

After they left, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived by car from Highgrove.
Specialist unit

BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said the fact the Queen had visited her husband so promptly suggested it was a "moment of real anxiety" for the royal family, albeit one which appeared to have passed.

The coronary stenting procedure involves pushing a balloon into the artery and blowing it up to remove the blockage.

The stent is a metal sleeve fitted over the balloon, which remains inside the body when the balloon is removed.

The duke would have remained conscious during the procedure.

He was flown to the hospital by an RAF helicopter. No other member of the Royal Family travelled with him.

Buckingham Palace said he was eager to leave but it was likely he would have to stay in overnight.

Papworth is the UK's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital and the country's main heart and lung transplant centre, treating more than 22,800 inpatient and day cases and 53,400 outpatients each year.
'Extraordinarily fit'

Senior members of the Royal Family, including the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, had been due to arrive at Sandringham on Saturday for Christmas.

Prince Philip, who arrived at Sandringham on Monday, is the longest-serving royal consort and celebrated 64 years of marriage to the Queen in November.

The treatment, we are told, has been successful. The focus now, and in the coming days, is on how a 90-year-old duke recovers from what Buckingham Palace has called a "minimally invasive procedure".

His advancing age is obviously a factor. His health though has been good. The duke's last significant problem was in 2008 when he spent three nights in hospital with a chest infection.

And he leads an active life. One member of his staff once said their task was not so much organising his diary as trying to keep up with him.

It's far from clear whether Prince Philip will be joining his family at Sandringham for Christmas, or whether he'll remain confined to a hospital bed.

He was last in hospital in April 2008, when he spent three days in London with a chest infection. On that occasion, the Queen did not visit him.

In October this year he pulled out of travelling to Assisi in Italy because he had a cold - he had just returned from an 11-day tour of Australia with the Queen.

Speaking ahead of his 90th birthday, in June, the duke said he wanted to slow down. He stepped down as president or patron of more than a dozen organisations.

Royal biographer Penny Junor said the duke was generally in good health for his age.

"He is an extraordinarily fit man. He takes a lot of exercise, he does an awful lot of work. He's in very good shape generally. So with luck this is a blip and he'll be back fighting fit and back with the family for Christmas."

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister has been kept informed of the situation and wishes the Duke of Edinburgh a very speedy recovery."

Meanwhile, the Queen's Christmas Day broadcast to the nation will highlight the importance of the family unit. The speech, taped on 9 December, reflects on a year in which her grandson Prince William got married and her husband turned 90.