Microsoft’s search engine Bing has mistakenly claimed Prince Philip has died in hospital.
A search for ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ or ‘Prince Philip’ brings up a fact box which says he was born on June 10, 1921 in Corfu and died in 2021 in King Edward VII Hospital.
The latest news of the Duke’s illness from Buckingham Palace came on Friday, when it was revealed he had left the NHS hospital where he had heart surgery and been moved back to the private King Edward VII’s Hospital for continuing treatment.
The Queen’s husband, 99, underwent a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the City of London on Wednesday – just three months before his 100th birthday.
The Palace said in a statement: ‘Following the Duke of Edinburgh’s successful procedure at St Bartholomew’s Hospital on Wednesday, His Royal Highness has been transferred to King Edward VII’s Hospital this morning.
‘The Duke is expected to remain in hospital for continuing treatment for a number of days.’
He was initially admitted to King Edward VII’s – the royal family’s favoured hospital – in central London on February 16 after feeling unwell at Windsor Castle, before being moved by ambulance to St Bartholomew’s on Monday.
It comes amid the fall-out from a bombshell interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry overnight, which the Sussexes had faced calls to postpone out of respect for Prince Philip.
During the discussion, Meghan said she had felt driven to thoughts of suicide while living as a senior member of the royal family, while she revealed that someone within the family had raised concerns about the colour of her future children’s skin would be.
Interviewer Oprah Winfrey later confirmed that this unnamed person was not the Queen or Prince Philip.
Buckingham Palace meanwhile has begun an investigation into allegations which surfaced in The Times that Meghan drove out two personal assistants and ‘humiliated’ staff, leaving them in tears, which she denies.
Philip has been treated for heart problems in the past and in 2011 was rushed to hospital by helicopter from Sandringham after suffering chest pains as the royal family was preparing for Christmas.
In the serious health scare, he was treated for a blocked coronary artery at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire and underwent a minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting.
St Bartholomew’s is home to Barts Heart Centre – Europe’s largest specialised cardiovascular service.
The duke was visited in King Edward VII’s Hospital on February 20 by his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, who made a 200-mile round trip and stayed for around 30 minutes.
Philip has spent most of lockdown at Windsor Castle with the Queen for their safety, alongside a reduced household of staff dubbed HMS Bubble.
The couple, who have been married for 73 years, received their first Covid-19 jabs in January.
Bing has been contacted for comment.
