Charles travelled 100 miles to the London hospital to see his father. Photo / Getty Images
Charles travelled 100 miles to the London hospital to see his father. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Charles has been criticised online for his 200-mile journey to visit Prince Philip in hospital amid the ongoing lockdown in the UK.
Charles arrived at King Edward VII's hospital over the weekend to visit his 99-year-old father, who was admitted as a "precautionary measure" last week, reports the Daily Mail.
Since photos emerged of a tearful Prince Charles leaving the hospital, the hashtag #princephilip has been trending on Twitter, with many slamming the Prince of Wales' visit amid the lockdown.
"I do hope Prince Phillip gets better but why was Prince Charles allowed to visit his father in hospital when families all around the country are not getting to visit their loved ones who are in hospital when it's not Covid related?" one Twitter user asked.
But many came to Philip's defence, insisting that Charles was simply "going to see his sick dad in hospital".
Even Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan was vocal in his defence of Charles, writing: "What an incredibly sad picture. A tearful son after seeing his seriously ill 99yr-old father in hospital. If your first instinct is to spew abuse or rage about Prince Charles visiting Prince Philip today, shut the f*** up."
Charles is the first of the royals to visit Philip in hospital. The heir to the throne is said to have spent around 30 minutes with his father after the 100-mile trip from Highgrove, Gloucestershire to London.
😢What an incredibly sad picture. A tearful son after seeing his seriously ill 99yr-old father in hospital. If your first instinct is to spew abuse or rage about Prince Charles visiting Prince Philip today, shut the f*ck up. pic.twitter.com/4jwhGEiPSS
And Charles appeared emotional as he left the London hospital, which currently only admits visitors in "exceptional circumstances" because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Social media reaction began not long after photos of Charles leaving the hospital emerged.
"Not disrespect to #princephillip. But double standards. Is prince Charles getting a fine?" one enraged Twitter user wrote.
And another asked, "Why is it #PrinceCharles can visit his father #princephillip in hospital? Relatives who have lost family through #Covid-19 have been unable to say goodbye to there loved ones. once again double standards in our country."
But others pointed out that there was nothing wrong with the royal visiting a sick family member, despite the fact that the pandemic has kept countless loved ones apart.
Prince Charles visiting Prince Philip shows that his condition isn’t great :(
Just for context, SOME hospitals ARE allowing visitors for patients who are at the end of life or extremely critical.
"I didn't get the chance to rush to the hospital that my boyfriend was flown to and I didn't get to go to the funeral to say goodbye either. Does this mean I begrudge Prince Charles visiting his father? NO. What happened to showing a bit of kindness guys eh?" another person shared.
Buckingham Palace repeated their statement to MailOnline today that Philip is likely to stay in hospital until next week, saying that decisions have been made with "an abundance of caution".
Charles arrived at the hospital on Saturday around 3.30pm and was seen leaving the vehicle wearing a face mask.
Philip was admitted to hospital last week "as a precaution" after feeling unwell. Photo / Getty Images
Last night Clarence House confirmed that Charles did not stay in London but made the two-hour journey back home instead of staying close to the hospital or with his mother Queen Elizabeth in Windsor.
It's thought that Charles had not seen Philip since before Christmas due to coronavirus restrictions.
Today marks Philip's sixth day spent in the private hospital and comes amid the continuing fallout from Harry and Meghan's decision to leave the royal family permanently.
