Queen shares rare photo of her and Prince Philip after his ‘successful’ heart operation

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh attend The OUT-SOURCING Inc Royal Windsor Cup 2018 polo match at Guards Polo Club on June 24, 2018 in Egham, England
(Image credit: Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images)

The Queen has shared a sweet throwback photo of herself and Prince Philip yesterday, as it’s understood he is recovering from a “successful” heart operation. 

The Queen shared a heartfelt photo of herself and Prince Philip yesterday in honor of World Book Day. Posted by the official Royal Family Instagram account, the photo shows the royal couple in the Balmoral Castle library.

This intimate portrait of the Queen and Prince Philip gave royal fans a unique glimpse, not only into their decades-long relationship, but into the heart of their majestic Scottish home. 

The caption read, ‘Happy #WorldBookDay 📚 The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are pictured in the Library at Balmoral Castle in 1976.

A photo posted by on

And the royal history didn’t stop there, as the next photo included in this heartfelt post was one of the Queen’s great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Swipe ⬅️ to see Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. The Royal Library is a treasure trove of more than 50,000 books and manuscripts collected by British monarchs over the centuries’ the caption continued. 

The Queen surpassed her ancestor Queen Victoria to become Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in 2015. Though it seems Her Majesty still treasures the books that have been much-loved by her family for generations. The heartwarming post also included the Duchess of Cornwall discussing the joys of owning your first book. 

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This rare insight into the royal couple comes at a difficult time for the Royal Family.

Prince Philip was admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital in London on February 16, as a “precautionary measure” after “feeling unwell”. 

He was then transferred earlier this week to St Bartholomew’s.

Buckingham Palace stated he would receive further treatment for an “infection” and undergo testing and observation for a “pre-existing heart condition”.

Following this, Philip is said to have received a heart operation and is "recovering successfully".

A photo posted by on

Prior to Prince Philip's admission to hospital, Princess Eugenie revealed her son’s name - August Philip Hawke Brooksbank. Little August’s middle name is understood to be a sweet tribute to his great-grandfather. 

The Duke of Edinburgh will no doubt have been very touched by her choice.

Emma Shacklock
Senior Lifestyle Writer

Emma is a Senior Lifestyle Writer with six years of experience working in digital publishing, ranging from book publishing to magazines. She currently looks after all things Lifestyle for Woman&Home, Goodto.com, and My Imperfect Life.