Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 84, Hospitalized After Fall, Cancels Royal Appearance

Queen Margrethe of Denmark was hospitalized after falling at home. 

On Sept. 18, the former monarch, 84, was hospitalized in Copenhagen after falling at Fredensborg Castle, according to multiple reports. Queen Margrethe was said to be doing well, but her appearance at an event the following day was canceled.

“Queen Margrethe was taken to Rigshospitalet yesterday evening after falling at Fredensborg Castle. According to the circumstances, the Queen is doing well, but is temporarily hospitalized for observation,” Lene Balleby, the Danish Royal House’s head of communications, said in a statement shared by Danish outlets B.T. and Ekstra Bladet.

Fredensborg Castle is a seasonal retreat for the Danish royal family, often used in the summer months. King Frederik’s mother was due to make a royal engagement on Sept. 19 and appear at an event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Department of Archeology at Aarhus University. However, an update from the court confirmed her attendance was canceled, apparently amended following her fall. No further information was given.

Queen Margrethe studied archaeology at the University of Cambridge in England and earned a degree in prehistoric archaeology, according to her royal bio, and has said that if she wasn’t Queen, she would have been an archaeologist, per the Associated Press. Margrethe has continued in her working royal role, albeit with reduced ceremonial duties, following her abdication in January.

At the start of the year, Queen Margrethe made modern royal history when she abdicated on the 52nd anniversary of her accession, becoming the first Danish sovereign to voluntarily step down from the throne in nearly 900 years. The sovereign caused shock across the country when she announced the plan in December 2023, as she previously hinted that she intended to reign for life.

The move made her eldest son King Frederik X and his wife, Queen Mary, and the couple’s four children — Crown Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 17, and 13-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine — each moved up a spot in the line of succession. 

Queen Margrethe had been the longest-reigning monarch in Danish history before relinquishing the role, and referred to both her record reign and back surgery that February in the speech revealing the news. 

“In two weeks time I have been Queen of Denmark for 52 years. Such an amount will leave its mark on anybody – also on me! The time takes its toll, and the number of ‘ailments’ increases. One cannot undertake as much as one managed in the past,” Queen Margrethe began her traditional New Year Address, per an English translation.

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“In February this year I underwent extensive back surgery. Everything went well, thanks to the competent health personnel, who took care of me. 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,” she said. “I have decided that now is the right time.”

Queen Margrethe appeared at the opening of the Sclerosis Conference ECTRIMS 2024 in Copenhagen on Sept. 18, attending the world’s largest international medical research conference on multiple sclerosis. A cause close to heart, the Queen has been patron of the Sclerosis Association since 1959.