Prince Philip
Prince PhilipReuters

Britain's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has been admitted to hospital following an infection.

The Buckingham Palace on Wednesday announced that the Queen's husband has been hospitalised as a "precautionary measure" for the treatment of his infection.

Prince Philip's infection arose from "a pre-existing condition", according to the palace's statement.

Reports state that Prince Philip, who is also The Duke of Edinburgh, is set to retire from his public duties later this year. The public figure was admitted to hospital on Tuesday night.

Prince Philip
Britain's Queen Elizabeth sits with Prince Philip during a visit to Whipsnade Zoo where she opened the new Centre for Elephant Care, in Dunstable, Britain April 11, 2017.Reuters

Prince Philip is a patron, president or a member of more than 780 organisations and will continue to be associated with them, but "will no longer play an active role by attending engagements," the Buckingham Palace had said in May.

The palace's spokesperson in a statement had said that the Duke "may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time."

There were speculations going on that Prince Philip had passed away after Queen Elizabeth II called for an emergency meeting at the Buckingham Palace last month. However, the palace had later confirmed that both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were healthy.