UK's Prince Philip has heart operation: palace

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth, had an operation to relieve a blocked artery in his heart on Friday after being rushed to hospital with chest pains, Buckingham Palace said.

"The Duke of Edinburgh was found to have a blocked coronary artery which caused his chest pains," the palace said in a statement. "This was treated successfully by the minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting."

A stent is a small tube inserted into a blood vessel to keep it open and avoid blockages. The stent is often fitted through a small incision in the chest during keyhole surgery.

Philip, 90, will remain in Papworth Hospital, eastern England, "for a short period," the palace added.

(Reporting by Peter Griffiths)