Prince Philip appears in public for first time since surgery

The Duke of Edinburgh has undertaken his first public engagement since he left hospital following an exploratory abdominal operation.

Prince Philip, 92, handed out medals at the Royal Society of Edinburgh to recipients in categories including life sciences and business.

He said it was "a great pleasure to be back in circulation again".

The duke spent 11 nights in hospital in June following surgery which Buckingham Palace said was pre-arranged.

His appearance on Monday followed a two-month period of convalescence.

He will now join the Queen at their summer retreat of Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters, and was established in 1783.

The duke has been an honorary fellow since 1951 and has presented Royal Medals eight times since 2001.

On Monday he presented medals to the University of Dundee's Prof Michael Ferguson for life sciences, eminent organic chemist Sir John Cadogan for physical sciences and former oil services company chief executive Sir Ian Wood for business, commerce and public service.

When referring to the winners the duke joked: "I wish to God I could understand what they'd been doing!"

Details about what prompted the duke's surgical procedure in June have not been made public.

But when he left hospital, Buckingham Palace said he was "in good condition and good spirits".