Prince Philip’s attendance at the opening of the Paralympic games was in question today, after he left a Scottish hospital after five days of treatment with antibiotics for a bladder infection, which flared up again after being originally contracted immediately after the cold and wet jubilee riverboat pageant.

The 91-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II was rushed to hospital on Wednesday with a recurrence of the infection. An RAF helicopter was unable to land due to poor weather, so he was taken by road instead.

Buckingham Palace said Philip was discharged from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in northeast Scotland and would be returning to the 50,000 acre Balmoral estate, where the royal family is on vacation.

The prince, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, looked relaxed as he shook hands with staff outside the hospital before getting into a waiting Range Rover.

"The duke was a very good patient," said senior staff nurse Denise Webster, "and as he left the hospital he told staff to behave themselves and he said he was going back to enjoy the rest of his holiday."

It was Philip's third hospital stay in the last eight months. In December, he underwent a coronary stent procedure to clear a blocked artery.