That is three times in less than a year.

I was really keeping my fingers crossed that nothing happened to him or the Queen during the games, it would really have put the dampers on matters and if he died then the funeral would have had to be delayed as it would't have been possible to have it and the games at the same time.

It has just occured to me, I bet the hospital are in a right panic, normally if the Royals are due to make a visit everything gets a coat of paint.

I think Philip is more likely to notice how attractive the nurses are, rather than the paintwork.

I think you're probably right on that one.

Seriously though, he is 91 and this is his third time in hospital in about 9 months. I know the Queen will never abdicate, but given their ages would anyone really blame them if they put their feet up a bit more and let the younger generation do more of the work.

I think they're already doing that - she was represented at the Olympics closing ceremony by her grandson!

Probably worried she'd have to listen to "Hey Jude" again LOL

And who can blame her!

Talking about this today with a friend who works in a general practice, in the presence of tabloid headlines about how he'd been "rushed" to hospital for the third time in a year.

When he went to Papworth, he was "rushed" there by helicopter. This visit, described as precautionary, took a 50-mile ride by ambulance: hardly what would happen in an emergency. My friend said three times in a year for a 91yo is pretty good going - there are people his age going into hospital once a month.

I feel so sorry for him, not just because the infection is likely to have caused considerable discomfort, but more that most people, and in particular older people would be mortified to have people other than close family knowing that they had trouble with their waterworks!

I am not really sure that the public have a right to know exactly what ails the poor man, surely just to say that he has an infection, with the body part undisclosed, would be far kinder.

despite the the positive consensus that the Queen consented (to pressure, no doubt, from her grandsons lol) to the "Bond thing", I did feel that the look on her face at the opening ceremonies showed more "concern" than jublilation. Maybe this illness has something to do with that... as well as the fact that Harry was at the closing (?)

Apparently her grandsons didn't know about the Bond thing in advance so they can't have pressured her - and according to Danny Boyle she agreed as soon as she was asked, there was no "I'll think about it and get back to you" it was just "I can do that" straightaway. I just assumed her straight face was an attempt to keep a straight face - she's quite good at doing those. And I imagine that she wasn't at the closing ceremony because she'd been told it was all pop music - she's not known to be a fan. Prince Charles is doing lots of things his parents used to do, and William, Kate, and Harry are doing things he used to do. The Queen still does too much but she's the Queen, people don't often argue, lol.

ah, interesting that the rest of the family didn't know. She has very good staff LOL. And it wasn't so much the "straight face" (which we're quite familiar with, even here) that I noticed, but the look in her eyes. Of course, she may just have been tired. Wears me out just THINKing about being her age and still working : )

I'm not a great royal watcher, I can think of more exciting things, such as watching paint dry, but I did catch part of a documentary recently which showed how the Queen and her sister used to act skits as family entertainment. Maybe she's been hankering after the footlights ever since, lol. Harry said that they didn't find out about the opening ceremony thing until they were behind the scenes waiting to go on - and even then I don't think they were told everything.

My sister is the same age as the Queen - she still gets about and probably has more energy than I do, but I can't imagine her doing as much as Madge does, at least not so consistently and not in the public gaze. Although she did bend my ear about not getting a Paralympics ticket for her. *sigh*

Today we have the great news that the Old Boy is home from hospital.

He looked pretty spry on the news footage of him leaving hospital.

If they have done nothing else they have given a lesson in staying married.
I have been waving little Brit flags aat the queen since I was five and do not hold any animosity to her at all.
I dont think she should retire people who have worked all their lives and then retired have usually been back at work in six months.
The nasty gossip that an ordinary person suffers in their own life is very hurtful and spread by fools - imagine having it published in some grotty little Tabloid and worse still it may well be called a life of privilege, I call having a choice a privilege and
I meet Princess Margret years ago I was in the third row from her and all I could see was a really nice person it seemed to shine from her - it really surprised me - do not know what I expected to see?

I think it was clear how much they mean to each other when he had to miss some of the Diamond Jubilee events earlier in the year. HM just looked sort of lost without him, I felt sorry for her.