Prince Philip admitted to hospital

Prince Philip has been admitted to a hospital for treatment of an infection, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday.

Philip, Queen Elizabeth'shusband, was admitted as a precautionary measure and is in good spirits, the palace said.

Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is 96 and recently said he was cutting down his public appearances and would not take on new charity roles.

Philip announced in May his decision to reduce his commitments.

• Prince Philip to retire from public engagements

He suffered a blocked coronary artery and a severe bladder infection in recent years but has been in generally good health. He still attends summer garden parties with the Queen, hosting more than 2,000 guests at a time.

The palace said the infection that required hospitalizationrelates to a pre-existing condition.

Hishospitalization meant Philip was unable toattend the Queen's speech at Wednesday's ceremonial opening of Parliament, where Elizabeth outlined the government's legislative agenda. Prince Charles attended in Philip's place.

• Queen outlines U.K. government agenda in scaled-down speech

Thepalace said Philip was admitted Tuesday night toKing Edward VII Hospital in London.

He seemed fine Tuesday when he attended the horse races at Royal Ascot with the Queen and other senior members of the Royal Family.

The Queen plans to attend the Royal Ascot on Wednesday afternoon, the palace said. She usually attends each session of the annual event.

The Queen and Philip both suffered from severe cases of the flu at Christmas but recovered.