PRINCES William and Harry were among the royal visitors who brought Christmas cheer to the Duke of Edinburgh, who is recovering in hospital after treatment for a blocked coronary artery.
The Duke of Cambridge and his younger brother drove separate cars to Papworth Hospital near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, this afternoon after the Royal Family's Christmas lunch at Sandringham, the Queen's private Norfolk estate.
With them arrived the Duke of York's daughters Beatrice and Eugenie and the Princess Royal's children Zara and Peter.
Wellwishers outside a Christmas Day church service estate were told the Duke was "getting much better" and is "in very good spirits" by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge.
William arrived driving a Range Rover with Peter and Zara his passengers, while Harry drove an Audi with Beatrice and Eugenie inside.
Philip's grandchildren appeared to have changed into more casual outfits - William was wearing a shirt and dark blue jumper and glasses, and Harry sported a shirt and zip-up top.
The Duke of Edinburgh, 90, was taken to Papworth, a specialist heart hospital, on Friday night after complaining of chest pains and, following tests, a blocked artery was discovered by doctors.
He underwent a "minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting", which was declared a success.
Today was thought to be the first time he has missed the Christmas morning service at Sandringham, the Queen's private Norfolk estate, which has become an annual tradition for the Royal Family since the early 1990s.
Tonight will be his third night in hospital and no details have been given about when he will be discharged, although medical experts have said many patients can be discharged a day after undergoing the procedure, providing there are no complications.
Philip was visited in hospital yesterday by family members, including the Queen - who was flown to Papworth from Sandringham - and the Prince of Wales.
The Earl of Wessex, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Duchess of Cornwall also visited the Duke's bedside.
Papworth describes itself as the UK's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital and the country's main heart and lung transplant centre and carries out 2,500 stent procedures a year.
Dr Simon Davies, consultant intervention cardiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, said Philip may have been on the verge of a heart attack or might actually have suffered one before the stenting procedure was performed.
Dr Davies said: "What they have done is they put a miniature sausage-shaped balloon down the artery, pushed the balloon into the narrowed section and then blown it up.
"That forces the material that is blocking the artery outwards and then gets the blood flowing down the artery again.
"The stent is like a little metal sleeve fitted over the balloon when it is blown up.
"This metallic sleeve is opened up and then, when the balloon is deflated and withdrawn, the stent stays behind."
This is the most serious health scare suffered by the Duke, who is known for being a robust and active 90-year-old.
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