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Queen admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis Queen admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis
(about 3 hours later)
The Queen has been admitted to hospital after experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis and has cancelled a planned visit to Rome this week. The Queen has been taken to hospital for the first time in 10 years after symptoms of gastroenteritis led her to cancel a visit to Rome this week. She is expected to remain in the King Edward VII hospital, central London, for assessment after being admitted on Sunday afternoon.
Buckingham Palace said the 86-year-old monarch, who was taken ill on Friday, had been driven to the King Edward VII hospital in central London by private car. In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen is being assessed at the King Edward VII's hospital, London, after experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis. As a precaution, all official engagements for this week will regrettably be either postponed or cancelled."
She and the Duke of Edinburgh were due to visit Italy on Wednesday for a two-day visit at the invitation of Italy's president, Giorgio Napolitano. The palace revealed details of the illness on Friday, when the Queen was said to be resting at Windsor Castle and was forced to cancel a St David's Day engagement in Swansea on Saturday.
The couple were due to attend a private lunch and also visit the Pantheon, the ancient Roman monument where two Italian kings are buried. But, as she struggled to recover from the stomach and bowel bug, the decision was made to admit her to hospital. She was driven by private car from Windsor to the hospital in Marylebone.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen is being assessed at the King Edward VII Hospital, London, after experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said she was in "good spirits" and was otherwise in "good health". Stressing she had been taken to hospital as a "precautionary measure", he said: "She was not taken into hospital immediately after feeling the symptoms. This is simply to enable doctors to better assess her."
"As a precaution, all official engagements for this week will regrettably be either postponed or cancelled." Given the Queen's age – she will be 87 next month – doctors will have been anxious to ensure she remained properly hydrated while suffering for the stomach and bowel infection, which causes vomiting and repeated episodes of diarrhoea.
The King Edward VII hospital, which is the preferred choice of hospital for the royal family, was at the centre of a media storm in December when the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted suffering from a severe form of morning sickness. It is understood the Queen had an audience with a member of staff to award them a long-service medal in her private apartments at Windsor before she left.
An inquiry was launched after two Australian radio DJs made a hoax call pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles, asking for details of the duchess's medical condition. However, her illness means the two-day trip she and the Duke of Edinburgh were due to take to Rome on Wednesday and Thursday has been cancelled.
Three days later one of the nurses who was hoaxed, Jacintha Saldanha, 46, a mother of two children, was found hanged at her accommodation. The full inquest into her death is expected to reopen later this month. The royal couple were visiting at the invitation of Italy's president, Giorgio Napolitano, and were due to receive a ceremonial welcome and attend a private lunch, as well as visit the Pantheon, the ancient Roman monument where two Italian kings are buried.
The Queen, who celebrates her 87th birthday next month, is expected to remain in hospital for about two days while she is being assessed. She was driven to the hospital in Marylebone by private car from Windsor Castle, where she had been resting. A reception for MPs and MEPs at Buckingham Palace this week will go ahead with other members of the royal family present.
A spokesman for the Queen said she was in good spirits and was otherwise in good health besides the symptoms of gastroenteritis. The Queen is seldom ill. The last time she was taken to hospital was when she was admitted to the King Edward VII in 2003 for surgery to remove torn cartilage in her right knee and lesions from her face.
He said: "This is a precautionary measure. She was not taken into hospital immediately after feeling the symptoms. This is simply to enable doctors to better assess her." TV crews and photographers were last night gathering outside the hospital, which has been used by many members of the royal family.
The illness forced the Queen to cancel a military celebration in Swansea on Saturday to mark St David's day. The King Edward VII hospital, which is the preferred hospital for the royal family, was at the centre of a media storm in December when the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted suffering from a severe form of morning sickness.
The Queen was last in hospital 10 years ago, when she was admitted to the King Edward VII for surgery to remove a torn cartilage from her right knee and lesions from her face. An inquiry was launched after two Australian radio DJs made a hoax call pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles, asking for details of the duchess's medical condition. Three days later one of the nurses who was hoaxed, Jacintha Saldanha, was found hanged at her accommodation. The full inquest into her death is expected to reopen later this month.