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Prince Philip attends the London 2012 Olympic Games at Greenwich Park on July 29.

Updated at 1:50 p.m. ET: LONDON -- Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has been taken to a Scottish hospital as "a precautionary measure," Buckingham Palace said Wednesday.

The 91-year-old Duke of Edinburgh was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary by car, the palace confirmed with NBC News.

According to a palace statement, he has had a recurrence of a bladder infection that led to his hospitalization for five days in June during the jubilee celebrations marking the queen's 60th year on the throne.

Philip is likely to remain in the hospital for the next few days, according to the palace statement.

The royal couple had been staying at their castle in Balmoral, Scotland, the palace told NBC.

After Philip's hospitalized in June, Philip later resumed royal duties, attending the opening ceremony of the Olympics on July 27 and carrying out engagements on the Isle of Wight on Monday.

In December last year, Philip had an operation to clear a blocked heart artery and spent Christmas in the hospital.

'Winding down'
Philip is a former naval officer who married the queen in 1947. His health remained robust through his 80s, but he has appeared frailer in recent years.

Slideshow: Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee

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Her Majesty celebrates 60 years on the throne.

Launch slideshow

When he turned 90, he told the British Broadcasting Corp. he was "winding down" his involvement with charities, and he has cut back on official duties. But he still carries out some engagements, both with his wife and on his own.

"I reckon I've done my bit so I want to enjoy myself a bit now, with less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think of something to say. On top of that your memory's going, I can't remember names and things," he told the BBC.

"It's better to get out before you reach the sell-by date," he added.

NBC News' Shanshan Dong, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Originally published June 5: A group of unemployed people were brought to London to do unpaid work at the queen’s jubilee celebrations and told to sleep under a city bridge, a British newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The Guardian newspaper reported that long-term jobless from Bristol, Bath and Plymouth in western England were taken by bus to the capital city for “work experience” as crowd-control staff lining the route of the river pageant and other events, and the chance to get paid employment at the London Olympics.

The security company that ran the security operation said while the unemployed people were not paid, they did receive boots and clothing worth more than $180 and a security industry license costing about $390. It added that the bridge incident "should never have happened."

'Raining and freezing'
One of the group told The Guardian that they arrived in London at 3 a.m. local time Sunday after a four-hour bus drive from Bristol.

“We all got off the coach and we were stranded on the side of the road for 20 minutes until they came back and told us all to follow them,” the woman told The Guardian. “We followed them under London Bridge and that’s where they told us to camp out for the night … it was raining and freezing.”

She and another jobless person -- the paper said both did not want to be named for fear they would lose their welfare payments -- said they had to change into security clothes in public and had no access to toilets for 24 hours. After a 14-hour shift Sunday, they went to sleep in a tent on the outskirts of the city.

Jubilee celebrations: Queen cuts a lonely figure at church service

They claimed they had initially been told they would be paid and only learned they would not as they got onto the bus Saturday night.

The jobless group was working for Close Protection UK, a private firm that won a contract to provide stewards to help control the crowds during the jubilee celebrations and will also provide stewards for the Olympics.

“The London Bridge incident should never have happened but was to some extent outside our control,” Molly Prince, managing director of Close Protection UK, said in an emailed statement.

'Not for the faint hearted'
“The nature of Festival & Event work is such that we often travel sleeping on coaches through the night with an early morning pre-event start,” she added. “It is the nature of the business and there is no misconception about this, it’s hard work and not for the faint hearted.”

However she said the bus drivers had “insisted on leaving” after they arrived in London at 3 a.m. Sunday.

“For this we sincerely apologize,” the statement added. “… The Drivers said their work was done even though they were there 2 hours ahead of schedule.”

A gloomy, gray - and great - day for the UK

She said the firm would not be using the bus company again.

Prince wrote that most of the people who worked at the pageant were “happy, fed and looked after as best [as] possible under the circumstances."

“We are not in the business of exploiting anyone,” she added.

Diamond Jubilee: From ska to pop, stars rock Buckingham Palace

Prince said in another email to msnbc.com that the Guardian article and media spin "could jeopardize my entire business."

She added the "20 or so volunteers" had been taken "off the job" Tuesday.

The jobless people were placed with Close Protection UK by a charity, called Tomorrow’s People.

Abi Levitt, the charity’s director of development services, told msnbc.com that the drivers' departure was a  “very unfortunate incident."

She stressed taking the unpaid work was “absolutely voluntary for a day at the jubilee.”

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Updated at 1:06 p.m. ET: LONDON - As her jubilee celebrations drew to a close, Queen Elizabeth II said the events had been a "humbling experience," adding that she will treasure "the countless kindnesses shown to me in this country and throughout the Commonwealth."

"It has touched me deeply to see so many thousands of families, neighbors and friends celebrating together in such a happy atmosphere," she said in a message to the nation, according to the BBC.

Queen Elizabeth's message was broadcast across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. She also thanked the organizers for their hard work.

"It has been a massive challenge, and I am sure that everyone who has enjoyed these festive occasions realizes how much work has been involved," she said. "I hope that memories of all this year's happy events will brighten our lives for many years to come."

Crowds chanting "God save the queen" and a fanfare of trumpets welcomed the British monarch earlier on Tuesday as she arrived at a church service on the fourth and last day of celebrations marking her 60 years on the throne. 

But, even though she was surrounded by family and greeted by thousands of her subjects, without her husband Prince Philip at her side Queen Elizabeth cut a lonely figure. 

Philip, who turns 91 on Sunday, was taken to hospital with a bladder infection on Monday as millions of people turned out -- despite the cold and rain -- to honor 86-year-old British monarch. Millions more attended street parties up and down the country.

The queen's husband was expected to be visited in hospital by his youngest son, Prince Edward, Tuesday. He will be kept under observation for a few days in a move the palace said was "precautionary," but his illness took some of the gloss off what is widely seen as a triumphant jubilee that has cemented the queen's popularity in Britain. 

ITV News: The queen's lunch menu in full

Tuesday's events began with the queen, who is head of state of 16 countries, attending a thanksgiving service in her honor at London's St Paul's Cathedral along with senior members of the royal family. Prayers were said for Philip at the service.

The spiritual leader of the Anglican church, the Archbishop of Canterbury, delivered a sermon while Prime Minister David Cameron gave a reading to pay tribute to the queen who came to the throne aged 25 in 1952. 

Slideshow: Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee

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Her Majesty celebrates 60 years on the throne.

Launch slideshow

Afterwards the royals attended receptions at two of the City of London's grandest buildings, Mansion House and the Guildhall, before a diamond jubilee lunch at Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament. 

Video: Historic St. Paul’s Cathedral prepares for Jubilee

The queen then led a carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace in a 1902 State Landau as military bands played and a 60-gun salute was fired. Charles' two sons Prince Harry and Prince William with his wife Kate followed behind in royal carriages. 

The celebrations ended with the royal family making an appearance on the balcony of the palace, with a fly-past by modern and former Royal Air Force aircraft. 

A gloomy, gray - and great - day for the UK

Tuesday's pageantry followed spectacular events pitched to the queen's younger subjects, and others that evoked the queen's royal predecessors.  

On Sunday, a million people gathered for a 1,000-vessel pageant on the River Thames and hundreds of thousands more packed the wide, red road leading to Buckingham Palace on Monday for a concert. 

Diamond Jubilee: From ska to pop, stars rock Buckingham Palace

In a tribute to his mother delivered from the concert stage late on Monday, Charles sought to sum up public affection for a monarch who is a symbol of stability at a time of economic gloom and political disillusionment. 

"As a nation this is our opportunity to thank you and my father for always being there for us, for inspiring us with your selfless duty and service and for making us proud to be British, proud at a time when I know how many of our fellow countrymen are suffering such hardship and difficulties," he said.

The crowd responded with a roar and chants of "Philip." Prince Charles' speech was followed by the national anthem and a spectacular fireworks display in front of the sumptuous 775-room palace as it was illuminated with a giant Union Jack flag. 

'I'm Still Standing'
At the concert on Monday night, Elton John sang "I'm Still Standing," Stevie Wonder crooned "Isn't She Lovely," and Paul McCartney sent "All My Loving."

Photos: Britain honors Queen Elizabeth II with Diamond Jubilee

Despite Philip's illness, many members of the royal family, including Charles, Camilla, and Princes William and Harry sat in a royal box to watch the show, performed on a specially erected stage outside the palace. 

The queen was cheered as she arrived partway through the show, wearing a gold lame cocktail dress under a dark cape. It was decided before Philip's illness that she would watch only part of the concert. 

The queen is not a noted pop music fan, and appeared to be wearing yellow ear plugs as she observed the concert.

Some 12,000 contest winners watched the show from an enclosed area, while a huge crowd stretched down the Mall, the wide boulevard leading up to the palace.

Performers also included Cliff Richard, Tom Jones, Dame Shirley Bassey and younger artists including JLS and Kylie Minogue

NBC News' Michele Neubert, Msnbc.com's F. Brinley Bruton, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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LONDON -- Four days of celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the British throne was getting under way on Saturday with one of her favorite pastimes -- a trip to the horse races. 

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend on London over the next few days for Diamond Jubilee festivities, with millions attending street parties across the country as the nation marks the queen's personal milestone. 

"The queen has given incredible service," British Prime Minister David Cameron said. "She's never put a foot wrong, she's hugely popular and respected here and around the world and it's an opportunity for people to give thanks and to say thank you for the incredible service that she's given." 

Across much of Britain, red, white and blue "Union Jack" flags billow from street lamps, outside buildings, shop fronts and houses, and sales of patriotic souvenirs have rocketed ahead of the celebrations. 

To royalists, the occasion is a chance to express their thanks and appreciation to the 86-year-old Elizabeth, head of state for 16 countries from Australia and Canada to tiny Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean, for her years of public service. 

Secret donors, foreign firms bankroll UK's Diamond Jubilee celebration

For others, the chance of some extra days off work and to enjoy the sort of extravaganza and public ceremony for which Britain is renowned has made it a welcome break from austere times, pay freezes and deep public spending cuts. 

Republicans hope the occasion marks the last hurrah of a dying anachronism, while some 2 million people are leaving Britain altogether to go on holiday. 

"Original jubilees were invented in the 19th century by the popular press as modes of national celebration for which the monarchy and monarch was almost incidental," royal biographer Robert Lacey said. 

He said the jubilee was as much about society celebrating itself as it was about the head of state and the now largely symbolic institution of the monarchy. 

"They tend to work best in times of economic hardship. It provides a tonic for the country," Lacey told Reuters. 
 

Jubilee treat: Canadian Mounties guard Britain's queen

Having acceded to the throne in February 1952 on the death of her father George VI when Winston Churchill was prime minister, Elizabeth is now the longest-lived British monarch. 

Only her great-great-grandmother Victoria spent longer on the British throne and she looks on course to overhaul her as longest-serving monarch in 2015. 

As well as being head of the Commonwealth of nations mainly made up former British colonies, Elizabeth is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. 

"I think we've been enormously fortunate in this country to have as our head of state a person who has a real personality - a personality that comes through more and more, I think, in her public utterances," said the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual head of the Anglican Church. "Someone with insight and judgment, and with immense stamina and a depth of commitment that I think is immensely impressive to all of us." 

The four days of celebrations begin on a fairly low-key note when the queen indulges her long love of horses by attending the Epsom Derby, one of the biggest events in the British horse racing calendar. 

On Sunday, there will be a flotilla of 1,000 boats assembled from around the globe travelling 25 miles along the River Thames featuring the queen and her 90-year-old husband Prince Philip on a royal barge, in the largest such pageant for 350 years. 

Thousands of street parties are also planned across Britain, including one on Downing Street outside Cameron's office, as part of a "Big Jubilee Lunch". 

Officials say there are some 9,500 street parties planned in England Wales and ABTA, the British travel association, said almost 2.5 million Britons were expected to take part. 

London's Heathrow airport said some 780,000 people were due to arrive in the next few days, although ABTA said an estimated 2 million Britons were planning to head overseas to take advantage of the two extra public holidays. 

The queen's London residence Buckingham Palace will play host to a pop concert on Monday featuring the likes of Paul McCartney and Elton John, before a network of 4,200 beacons will also be lit across Britain with more set alight around the Commonwealth. 

The celebrations culminate on Tuesday with a memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral, a carriage procession through central London and flypast by present and former royal air force aircraft. 

Police said the weekend would include the largest royal security operation ever conducted. Some 13,000 officials including about 6,000 police officers will be on duty for the Thames pageant, which poses challenges never before encountered. 

"We're treating it as a unique event, to have that many dignitaries on that many boats moving along the Thames," London police's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh told Reuters. 

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National Portrait Gallery, London

'Lightness of Being' by Chris Levine, 2004.

LONDON – She is the most photographed woman in the world and no monarch has been more depicted in portraits.

Her image is everywhere – from our English bank bills and postage stamps to countless photographs in newspapers and magazines. While not a royalist, I never tire of looking at pictures of Queen Elizabeth II, but I cannot tell you why.

Until now.

National Portrait Gallery, London

Queen Elizabeth II by Hiroshi Sugimoto, 1999.

Paul Moorhouse, curator of 'The Queen: Art and Image', an exhibition that recently opened at London's National Portrait Gallery, told me my fascination was shared by many.

"What we all try to do is understand the enigma," he said. "It's a paradox. We have all these images of her, but for most of us, we actually know very little about the queen."

And it's true. By looking at a range of different images and listening to her occasional public statements, I hope to glean a little more about the woman, the great-grandmother, the human being behind the icon.

An early visitor to the exhibition, Gareth Jones, from Camden in London, agrees.

"You think you know things about her," he said. "But it's not until you see it laid-out like this that you start to appreciate the life she has led over sixty years. It's powerful."

Fit for a queen: 60 years of style

Jones, a self-described fan of the queen, found one work particularly revealing.

Looking at Chris Levine's 2004 holographic photograph 'Lightness of Being' was like "intruding on a private moment, as the queen closes her eyes, almost in meditation," he said.

National Portrait Gallery, London

Queen Elizabeth II, by Pietro Annigoni, 1969.

Yvonne Bennett, from Sevenoaks, outside of London, was captivated by the same image.

"I could stand and look at it all day," she said.

Among the dozens of varied pictures, photographs and mixed media in the exhibition, one portrait stands out.  Amid the Pop Art, punk art and high art depictions, Hiroshi Sugimoto's 1999 portrait feels wrong and out of place.

One visitor wondered why it lacked the warmth of other pictures. We then discovered that the photograph is of a waxwork, and not the monarch herself.

Queen Elizabeth II's lunch for world monarchs sparks controversy

There was a tangible difference between that portrait and, for example, a much earlier, highly formal painting by Pietro Annigoni, dating from 1954-5, the early years of her reign.

In the Annigoni, the young queen is noble and remote, like an empress, but also very human.

While the exhibit tells a story of a changing monarchy, it is also obvious that the queen has carefully controlled her image over the years.

NBC News

Kim Dong-Yoo's mosaic 'Elizabeth vs Diana', left, is made up of hundreds of tiny images of Princess Diana. A close-up view is shown at right.

"But when you compare portraits from one decade with another, you start to understand the preoccupations of the time, and then you appreciate that the queen has had to face some very dark times,” said Bridget Findlay of Portsmouth. 

Video: Queen seen as inspiration at Jubilee parade

Findlay’s favorite was a reflection of those dark times: 'Elizabeth vs Diana' is a mosaic of the queen's head created from tiny images of Princess Diana, her erstwhile daughter-in-law who died in a car crash in 1997 after an embarrassingly public split with Prince Charles.

"It's simply startling," Findlay said.  "I never expected to see that and it took me a while to work out what it was."

The Queen makes her first televised Christmas broadcast on Dec. 25,1957.

Kim Dong-Yoo's 2007 mosaic – one of several works that would be seen as irreverent if not almost disrespectful – is confirmation that this is not an official exhibition sanctioned by Buckingham Palace. Instead, curator Paul Moorhouse called it a celebration for a diamond jubilee.

If I had to choose one image that summed up the exhibit for me, it would be a small, rather insignificant newspaper photograph of a family gathered around a TV set watching the queen's first televised Christmas message broadcast in 1957.

She speaks while we, the observers, look and listen. Six decades on, are we any closer to knowing the most depicted woman in history?

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John Stillwell / Pool via Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II poses for a group photo with her royal guests at Windsor Castle.

LONDON -- A lunch of monarchs, hosted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Friday as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations, has attracted protests from campaigners angry at the attendance of the king of Bahrain and the king of Swaziland.

The king of Bahrain, whose regime is accused of brutally suppressing pro-democracy demonstrations, was among dozens of sovereign monarchs invited to the banquet at Windsor Castle.

On Wednesday, protesters gathered outside the recently-refurbished Savoy hotel -- where Swaziland’s King Mswati III is believed to be staying. With more than a dozen wives and an entourage of 30, Africa’s last monarch lives in luxury despite the abject poverty of his subjects. Pictures of the protest were posted on a campaign blog.

Meanwhile, demonstrators were expected to stage protests outside Bahrain's embassy in London later on Friday.

The former Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane accused his old department of placing the Queen in an impossible position. The Labour party lawmaker told The Guardian newspaper: “Many in Britain will regret that the foreign secretary, who approves all invitations sent in the queen's name as head of state, has decided to include a representative of the Bahraini regime which has done such terrible things to its own people since the Arab awakening a year ago."

Read more on this story from Britain's ITV News

However, pro-Bahrain monarchy supporter Lubna Sulaipeekh told ITV News that King Hamad of Bahrain's attendance at the Queen's Jubilee lunch is "appropriate" as Britain and Bahrain have "always had good relations".

Among those not attending is Queen Sofía of Spain, whose government turned down the invitation in a diplomatic spat over Gibraltar, the U.K. overseas territory Spain wants returned.

Graham Smith, from British anti-monarchy campaign group, Republic, told the London Evening Standard: “The queen cannot hide behind protocol and precedent — this is a crisis of her own making. The British people strongly support the struggle for democracy in the Middle East and around the world — this is a catastrophic error of judgment."

Responding to criticism, a Foreign Office spokesman said that maintaining a close relationship with Bahrain allowed it to "have a full and frank discussion on a range of issues".

He told ITV News:  "On human rights we support the reforms already under way in Bahrain and we want to help promote that reform. We have consistently encouraged the Bahraini government to take further urgent steps to implement in full the recommendations of the Independent Commission of Inquiry as the his majesty the king has committed to doing. This includes bringing to account those individuals responsible for human rights abuses."

Slideshow: Fit for a queen: 60 years of style

Getty Images

From unique prints to fabulous hats, the British monarch's fashion choices often show a sense of fun. Take a look through Queen Elizabeth II's signature looks over the years.

Launch slideshow

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LONDON -- Queen Sofia of Spain has reportedly decided not to attend a lunch celebrating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee on Friday because of a diplomatic spat over Gibraltar.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy earlier this year raised Madrid's long-standing demand for the return of Gibraltar -- a British territory on the Mediterranean Sea -- during talks with U.K. counterpart David Cameron.

Click here for more coverage of the UK's royal family

According to El Pais newspaper, Queen Sofia's snub was in response to a scheduled trip to Gibraltar by Prince Edward.

Celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne will culminate with a four-day long weekend from June 2 - 5.

Read more on this story from Britain's ITV News.

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