UK's Prince Philip, 90, has heart surgery

Britain's Prince Philip, the 90-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth, had heart surgery to ease a blocked artery on Friday after being rushed to hospital with chest pains as he prepared to celebrate Christmas with the royal family.

Britain's longest-serving royal consort, known for his outspoken and sometimes brusque manner, needed an operation to fit a small tube known as a stent that keeps the blood vessel open.

Philip had been preparing to spend Christmas with other members of the royal family, reportedly including Prince William and his wife Catherine, at the Sandringham royal estate in eastern England.

He was taken to the Papworth Hospital, one of Britain's main heart and chest centres, about 60 miles (100 km) away in Cambridge, a palace spokeswoman said.

"The Duke of Edinburgh was found to have a blocked coronary artery which caused his chest pains," the palace said in a statement. "This was treated successfully by the minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting."

He will stay in hospital "for a short period" under observation, it added. The hospital declined to comment.

Philip had attended a lunch for staff a week ago and had been on "very good form", the BBC reported.