Prince Philip, 97, ‘looks fit as a fiddle’ as he drives himself into the Queen’s Balmoral estate

He underwent a hip replacement back in April and has had to put up with much distasteful speculation about the state of his health.

Naturally, however, Prince Philip, has taken it all in his stride and appeared to be as ‘fit as a fiddle’ as he drove himself about the Queen’s Scottish estate this week.

The 97-year-old royal, who normally answers enquiries about his well-being, with a barked: ‘Well do I look bloody ill?’, was driving himself back down from an outing to Lock Muick, in the hills above Balmoral, on Wednesday when he was spotted jumping out of his car to open a deer gate.

The 97-year-old royal was spotted jumping out of his car to open a deer gate

According to one onlooker the royal quickly dismounted from his lofty Land Rover Discovery with the ease of a man half his age.

A startled cyclist riding along an adjoining dirt track stopped to chat for a few seconds before Philip got back into his car, drove through, dismounted once again to shut the wooden gate after him – and then continued on his way.

‘He appeared to be in no pain or discomfort at all – far from it. Fit as a fiddle, really,’ they said.

Philip, who retired from public duties last year and spends much of his time at Sandringham, has joined the Queen in Scotland for the summer.

He always insists on driving around the estate without any sort of entourage, despite his advancing years and recent periods of hospitalisation. 

According to one onlooker the royal quickly dismounted from his lofty Land Rover Discovery with the ease of a man half his age

Prince Philip appeared to be as ‘fit as a fiddle’ as he drove himself about the Queen’s Scottish estate this week