Royal expert Victoria Arbiter has revealed why Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family did not visit Prince Philip while he was in the hospital. Taking to Twitter, Arbiter said that such visits are regarded as disruptive and may cause undue stress for other patients. The Duke of Edinburgh has been discharged from King Edward VII hospital after being admitted for a "pre-existing condition," and spending four days and nights in the facility.
The news that Prince Philip, who will turn 99 next year, was not visited by his children and other members of the royal family frustrated some members of the British public. In her Twitter post, royal expert Victoria Arbiter explained that generally, royals do not visit each other in the hospital, except for some special cases, noting that at the core of this tradition is sensible thinking and not a lack of sensitivity.
...at the core not a lack of sensitivity. Were the Queen to visit him the security requirements alone would be incredibly disruptive. Conscious of other patients undergoing treatment they don’t want to cause undue stress for them or their families. Not only...
— Victoria Arbiter (@victoriaarbiter) December 24, 2019
The expert said that if her Majesty decided to visit the Duke of Edinburgh, the security requirements at the hospital would "cause undue stress" for other patients. Arbiter noted that royals, who are always under public and media scrutiny, are very private when it comes to medical issues, and want to avoid any speculation. She also stressed that by not visiting her husband the Queen respected his wishes as the Duke of Edinburgh "abhors any kind of fuss" and wanted his spouse to "continue as normal for the rest of the family".
