Prince Philip undergoes minor surgery on hand

The Duke of Edinburgh has had a minor operation on his left hand to treat a common condition that can cause pain and numbness.

Prince Philip had the surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome as a day patient at an undisclosed hospital on Monday.

The prince, 89 in two days, missed an evening dinner engagement in the City.

He will not join the Queen on a visit to Crewe on Thursday, but is expected to visit the Olympic Park in east London on Friday.

"The Duke of Edinburgh has reduced his engagements to help the recovery of his hand," said Buckingham Palace in a statement.

At an engagement with the Queen on Tuesday evening, the prince joked that he was glad hospital staff had operated on the correct hand.

The royal couple were attending a function at the central London home of Canada's High Commissioner James Wright.

Canadian journalist Tom Kennedy said: "The duke was joking about how they got the right hand and said it was feeling good. He was really charming and seemed on top form."

Carpal tunnel syndrome syndrome is caused by pressure on a nerve that runs into the hand and can leave sufferers with tingling, numbness or pain in their thumb and fingers.

The prince has previously suffered wrist problems attributed to shaking hundreds of hands every year, but was able to alleviate these by loosening his grip.

In April this year, he suffered a "minor injury" to his ankle while carriage driving at the Windsor estate.