Archbishop of York in Lords speech after hospital stay

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The Archbishop of York has made a speech in the House of Lords just hours after leaving hospital.

Dr John Sentamu spent nearly two weeks at St Thomas's Hospital in London being treated for an infection after his appendix was removed.

He was discharged on Wednesday and went straight to nearby Westminster to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh ahead of his 90th birthday on Friday.

In his speech to the Lords, he praised Prince Philip's "tireless energy".

'Fragile state'

He said: "I have had particular cause to reflect on these qualities over the past couple of weeks during a stay in St Thomas's Hospital, where, in the words of the consultant surgeon, Mr Simon Atkinson, I had to have 'a nasty appendix' removed.

"I was discharged from hospital only this morning [Wednesday]. In my somewhat fragile state, the question in my mind has been a very simple one: how does the Duke do it?"

Dr Sentamu was admitted to St Thomas's on 26 May with severe gastro-enteritis.

Further examination two days later revealed a "nasty appendix" and an operation was carried out to remove it in the early hours of 29 May, he said.

However, a resulting infection meant the archbishop had to stay in hospital for treatment until Wednesday.

In a statement on his website, Dr Sentamu expressed his "gratitude for the skill and care of the surgeons, anaesthetists, doctors, nurses and all medical staff and chaplains of St Thomas's Hospital".