The Duke of Edinburgh has been hospitalised with a chest infection, Buckingham Palace said today.

The Queen's 86-year-old husband was taken to King Edward VII Hospital in Windsor yesterday afternoon to be assessed and treated for the condition, the severity of which has not yet been reported.

However it is understood he walked into hospital unaided and has been sitting up in bed working on his correspondence.

Just last week he appeared in fine form as he chatted and joked with Carla Bruni, the former supermodel who accompanied her new husband, President Sarkozy of France, on a state visit.

But earlier this week he became ill with a heavy cold, from which the chest infection appears to have developed. His illness caused him to miss a thanksgiving service for Sir Edmund Hillary at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, the palace said.

A palace spokeswoman said: “The Duke of Edinburgh has been admitted to King Edward VII Hospital for assessment and treatment for a chest infection.”

It was not known how long he would be staying in hospital, or whether any other royals would be visiting him, the spokeswoman said. The palace has cancelled all of the Duke's official engagements scheduled for the weekend to allow him time to recuperate, though his diary remains full for next week.

The health of the Duke, famed for his acerbic wit and blunt speech, became the subject of speculation last year when it was reported that he had a longstanding heart condition for which he had to take daily medication. However the reports were never confirmed.

His hospitalisation comes as the Royal Family awaits the verdict of the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a Paris car crash in 1997.

The Duke has attracted some unwelcome headlines over the course of the inquest as jurors probed Mohammed al-Fayed's allegation that he orchestrated a plot to kill Diana and his son Dodi. During a vitriolic attack from the witness box the Harrods owner branded him both a Nazi and a racist.

Earlier this week the coroner told jurors they could not concur with Mr al-Fayed's theory, which, he said, was not supported by a "single shred of evidence". However if they believed the deaths were in any way suspicious, they could record an open verdict, he said.

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