Britain's Queen visits Prince Philip in hospital

CAMBRIDGE: Britain's Prince Philip was in "good spirits" after his wife Queen Elizabeth II and his children visited him in hospital Saturday as he recovered from heart surgery, officials said.

The 90-year-old, Britain's longest serving royal consort, was airlifted on Friday from the Sandringham estate where the royals were celebrating Christmas and taken to hospital for an operation to unblock a coronary artery.

Heir to the throne Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne joined the queen at Philip's bedside at Papworth hospital near Cambridge in eastern England, Buckingham Palace said.

"The Duke of Edinburgh had a good night and is in good spirits but he is eager to leave," a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman told reporters outside the hospital.

He is however set to remain in hospital under observation for a "short period", the palace said without elaborating.

Reports suggested he could be kept there for up to five days. (AFP)