Queen Margrethe has been forced to cancel a public engagement on Thursday as she has fallen ill. The former Queen, who abdicated in 2024, was due to take part in celebrations for the 125th anniversary of the Sankt Lukas Foundation in Hellerup, a foundation which provides health and welfare services in Denmark.
There has been no statement issued on the former Queen’s health, however, the event on the Royal Family’s calendar now states: “Cancelled,” and according to Danish publication, Billed-Bladet. The Royal House has subsequently told the publication that Margrethe has fallen ill.
The former Queen was last seen publicly last Sunday as she joined other members of the Royal Family to attend the memorial service for the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Denmark’s liberation, at Ryvangen Memorial Park in Copenhagen.
Queen Margrethe announced her abdication on New Year’s Eve in 2023 and was succeeded by her eldest son, King Frederik X, two weeks later in a ceremony at the Christiansborg Palace.
The Queen previously made headlines in 2022 when she made the shock announcement that she was going to strip four of her grandchildren – Nikolai, Felix, Henrik, and Athena – of their royal titles.
The children of her younger son, Prince Joachim, have since become styled as Counts and a Countess of Monpezat.
Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid was born on April 16, 1940 in Denmark to Frederick IX and Ingrid of Sweden. She is the great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria and is a third cousin to Queen Elizabeth.
Her succession to the Danish throne was historic as only male royals had previously been allowed to rule. In 1953, a new Act of Succession was brought in which placed Margrethe as the heir presumptive as she had no brothers.
She came to the throne when her father died in 1972 and the popularity of the Danish monarchy has gone from strength to strength ever since. Margrethe’s own personal popularity is also immensely high owing to her relatable character and passion for everything from art to design.