Queen Margrethe of Denmark’s illness mystery as royal calendar cleared – but it’s business as usual for Mary

Queen Margrethe of Denmark was recently hospitalised before being released just a couple of days later.

But the Danish Royal House’s rapid-fire series of updates in response to the former monarch ‘contracting a cold’ has raised eyebrows among royal watchers.

On Thursday 8 May, the Danish Royal House put out an official statement, confirming the 85-year-old had been hospitalised.

The translated message read: ‘As a result of the cold HM Queen Margrethe has contracted, it has been decided that the Queen will be admitted to Rigshospitalet for observation as a precaution.’

In tandem, the Danish Royal House cleared Margrethe’s calendar and cancelled an upcoming scheduled engagement.

Queen Margrethe was due to attend the Sankt Lukas Foundation for its 125th anniversary celebration in Hellerup, but this was swiftly removed from the royal’s calendar.

However, just a day later there was a promising update on the Queen’s health as the palace issued a follow-up statement.

‘HM Queen Margrethe is still hospitalized at Rigshospitalet on Friday morning,’ read the second update in as many days. 

Just four days before being hospitalised as a ‘precaution’ on 8 May, Queen Margrethe was seen happily attending a service commemorating the 80th anniversary of Denmark’s liberation in Copenhagen on 4 May

The Danish Royal House confirmed in a succession of rapid-fire statements that Queen Margrethe, 85, was hospitalised at Copenhagen’s Rigshospitalet (left) as a ‘precaution’ after contracting a ‘cold’. A few days later she returned home to continue ‘recovering’ at her residence at Fredensborg Palace (right)

‘Her Majesty is recovering and in good spirits. Queen Margrethe is therefore expected to be discharged from Rigshospitalet and return to Fredensborg Palace during the weekend.’

The next day, the palace issued a third consecutive statement declaring that the elderly Queen had been officially ‘discharged’ on the morning of Saturday 10 May. 

‘Her Majesty is well and is now back in her residence at Fredensborg Palace,’ the statement read.

While the Danish royal’s latest hospitalisation was done as a ‘precaution’, the succession of health updates from the palace along with the swift cancellation of her event attendance may prompt concern over Margrethe’s general health and wellbeing.

When Queen Margrethe made the unexpected decision to abdicate the throne in January 2024, she became the first Danish sovereign to voluntarily step down in nearly 900 years. The crown passed to her eldest son, who is now known as King Frederik X, while his wife is styled as Queen Mary.

The shock abdication speech delivered on New Year’s Eve 2023 saw Queen Margrethe reference her declining health as a driving factor behind her decision to hand over the monarch role to her eldest son.

The speech also saw Queen Margrethe explicitly reference her ‘extensive back surgery’ in 2023.

‘Inevitably, the operation gave cause to thoughts about the future – whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation. I have decided that now is the right time,’ she said in the unexpected abdication announcement.

Just weeks before her latest health scare, Queen Margrethe appeared in jovial spirits as she celebrated her milestone 85th birthday at an intimate party on 16 April

A smiling Queen Margrethe was joined by royal family members to celebrate her 85th birthday on 16 April, including daughter-in-law Queen Mary (far right), grandson Crown Prince Christian (right), granddaughter Princess Isabella (left), and her sisters Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (top left) and Princess Benedikte (top right).

The abdication became official in January 2024, and although Queen Margrethe is no longer monarch, she has continued to hold her Queen title and is still styled as Her Majesty. 

Margrethe has similarly continued to maintain an active schedule of royal engagements.

However, this latest health hiccup and the accompanying speedy cancellation of her upcoming calendar of events has left royal watchers pondering whether this is a pattern we should expect to see repeated in the future.

Since stepping down last year, Margrethe also dealt with another health episode after falling at Fredensborg Castle.

In September 2024, it was confirmed that the octogenarian had suffered a damaged vertebrae in her neck and a fracture in her left hand following the mishap.

‘According to the circumstances, the Queen is doing well but was admitted for observation for the time being,’ the head of communications, Lene Balleby, said at the time.

Since her recovery, the former sovereign is now sometimes seen walking with a cane for support.

Prior to this latest precautionary hospitalisation, Margrethe was most recently seen just four days earlier at a service commemorating the 80th anniversary of Denmark’s liberation.

Despite the announcement about Queen Margrethe’s hospitalisation on 8 May, it was business as usual the following day for her daughter-in-law Queen Mary (pictured), who carried on with her scheduled royal engagement on the island of Bornholm

Margrethe attended a peace service at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen on 4 May alongside King Frederik, 56 and Queen Mary, 53, as well as a host of other Danish royals and overseas visiting royalty.

A few weeks prior, the Queen was in jovial spirits as she celebrated her 85th birthday with family at Fredensborg Castle. 

On April 16, she hosted an intimate birthday banquet and was even seen blowing out a cake with dozens of candles.

Despite Margrethe’s latest health scare, it was business as usual for her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary.

The day after the announcement of Margrethe’s hospitalisation, the Aussie-born royal was out and about visiting the island of Bornholm.

Although the Queen did not offer any statement or update about Margrethe’s health during the visit, Mary was her usual warm and poised self as she greeted royal well-wishers.

Queen Mary also met with patients and medical staffers at a local dialysis clinic in her capacity as patron for the Danish Kidney Association.

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