Prince Philip, 98, was taken to the King Edward VII’s Hospital in London on Friday on the advice of his doctor. Buckingham Palace said the “observation and treatment” was a “precautionary measure” and the Duke of Edinburgh was discharged on Christmas Eve.

While the Duke was filmed walking on his own from the hospital to the car awaiting him, he is understandably frail and will likely need to take it easy this Christmas.

His son, Prince Charles, said his father had been “looked after very well” by hospital staff in London.

However, he added: “When you get to that age things don’t work so well.”

The Queen, 93, recorded her annual Christmas Day message before Prince Philip was admitted to hospital, and will use it to acknowledge that 2019 has been “quite bumpy”.

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Which Christmas traditions will Philip have to miss out on?

While the whole family will be relieved to have Philip home for Christmas, the Duke will likely have to take a step back from some of the more robust traditional activities.

The family attends a black-tie dinner on Christmas Eve, and given the Duke’s poor health, he is not likely to attend for very long.

The Christmas hunt will also likely have to be skipped, which takes place on Boxing Day.

This annual pheasant shoot is one of the royals’ most beloved traditions and takes place in the sweeping grounds of the Sandringham estate.

The Queen is also known to enjoy long walks around the grounds over Christmas.

She is said to always take a walk when her pre-recorded Christmas broadcast airs at 3pm, as she doesn’t like to watch herself.

Prince Philip is unlikely to be able to join her but perhaps she might opt for one a little closer to the property so her husband can join her.

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Each Christmas, the whole family heads to church, another event we might not see Philip partake in.

But this might not only be due to health reasons – he skipped the 2018 church service too, so perhaps he has other plans for this time.

As for the rest of it, the Duke will likely be able to relax and enjoy the company of his family.

The royals exchange gifts on Christmas Eve and are known to enjoy games such as charades on Christmas Day.

Plenty of great-grandchildren will be at Sandringham, so there won’t be any shortage of Christmas cheer.

On Christmas morning, the Queen is served breakfast in bed as a treat.

Prince Philip would usually join the rest of the family for a full breakfast but perhaps this year he will take a leaf out of the Queen’s book and enjoy a more relaxed setting.

Once the family leaves, it is expected Prince Philip will remain at Sandringham, where he has been enjoying his retirement since 2017.

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