As Prince Philip, 99, continues to recover from an infection in his longest-ever hospital stay, he’s summoned Prince Charles by his side to talk about the future of the royal family.
A former press spokesman for the Queen, Dickie Arbiter, told True Royalty TV’s weekly The Royal Beat that the Duke of Edinburgh would’ve wanted to speak to Prince Charles to “lay the ground”.
“He was just saying to Charles, ‘one day you are going to be the leading man of the family’,” Arbiter said.
Mr Arbiter told The Royal Beat: “I think it was at the request of the Duke that the Prince of Wales visited.
“To lay the ground. Look the man is 99, he is in with an infection.
“My guess is that he will come out, he will walk out and he will go back to Windsor.
“But eventually he is going to die and he was just saying to Charles, ‘one day you are going to be the leading man of the family’”.
Prince Charles was the first member of the royal family to visit Prince Philip since he was admitted to the hospital for observation and rest.
Buckingham Palace has released a statement saying that the Duke of Edinburgh was going to remain in the hospital for “several days more”.
“The Duke of Edinburgh remains at King Edward VII’s Hospital where he is receiving medical attention for an infection.
“He is comfortable and responding to treatment but is not expected to leave hospital for several days.”
The Queen is allegedly leaning on “loved ones for support” after an insider spoke to US Weekly about how she was handling her husband being in hospital.
“It’s a lot to take on, but as usual, Elizabeth is handling the stress and sadness with dignity,” the insider said.
“Prince William, Duchess Kate, Duchess Camilla and Prince Charles and Princess Beatrice are rallying around Elizabeth, even Princess Eugenie who has just given birth is checking in.
“Prince Charles, in particular, is making an effort to step up. Elizabeth is the first to admit that he has been her pillar of strength.”
This article originally appeared on Over60.