Edward and Sophie's son ready to leave hospital after allergy scare

The baby son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex was due to leave hospital last night after having tests following an allergic reaction.

Five-week-old James was taken into Great Ormond Street Hospital on Thursday by the Countess.

He was kept in overnight, with his mother sleeping by his side. There were further tests yesterday morning.

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According to family friends, doctors confirmed yesterday that he had had a minor allergic reaction.

They did not reveal what may have caused it but indicated that the condition was treatable.

"As any new parent will tell you, the first few weeks of a new baby's life are real maelstrom so they were not taking any chances," a source said.

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"They took him to Great Ormond Street because it is the best children's hospital in the world.

"The good news is that it is nothing too serious. The doctors are happy with the tests."

Yesterday Prince Edward carried on with his official duties, but kept in constant contact with his wife at the hospital in Bloomsbury.

He arrived by helicopter at a school in Bromsgrove, smiling as he greeted by dignitaries and children, before visiting a rugby club and householders affected by the recent floods.

A friend said: "He was very insistent about keeping his diary commitments because he really didn't want to let anyone down."

The news that James's condition is treatable will come as something of a relief to his parents who have been through a series of traumas in their efforts to start a family.

In 2002, two and a half years after they married, the countess lost a baby to an ectopic pregnancy.

Their daughter Lady Louise Windsor, four, was born by emergency Caesarean. The Countess almost died as a result of excessive blood loss.

James - full name James Alexander Philip Theo - was born at Frimley Park hospital in Surrey on December 17 weighing 6lb and 2oz.