Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 86, Hospitalized 2 Years After Shocking Abdication

Meredith KileThu, May 14, 2026 at 2:39 PM UTC

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Queen Margrethe of Denmark attends a state banquet on Nov. 10, 2021
Credit: Steffi Loos/Getty Images -

Queen Margrethe of Denmark was admitted to the hospital with heart health concerns

The Royal House announced the news on May 14, saying the former monarch would be staying in the hospital through the weekend and was "tired but in good spirits"

The health scare comes two years after she abdicated the throne in a shocking move

Queen Margrethe of Denmark has been admitted to the hospital with heart health issues.

The Royal House announced the news with a statement on Thursday, May 14, saying, "Queen Margrethe has been admitted to Rigshospitalet this afternoon," adding that the cause was linked to her heart health.

"Queen Margrethe will be hospitalized over the weekend for observation and further examinations," the statement continued. "Her Majesty is tired but in good spirits. The Royal House will announce when there is news."

The hospitalization is the latest health issue for the former monarch, who abdicated from the throne in January 2024 on the 52nd anniversary of her accession. She became the first Danish sovereign to voluntarily step down in nearly 900 years, passing the crown to her eldest son, King Frederik.

At that time, the King's Australian-born wife became Queen Mary, but Margrethe retains her Queen title and is styled as Her Majesty.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark, King Frederik X of Denmark and Queen Mary of Denmark attend the 86th Birthday celebrations of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark on April 16, 2026
Credit: Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty

Health concerns were part of the reason that Queen Margrethe gave for stepping down in the shocking speech announcing her abdication on New Year's Eve 2023.

"In February this year, I underwent extensive back surgery. Everything went well, thanks to the competent health personnel, who took care of me," she said at the time. "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."

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Following the abdication, Queen Margrethe continued to take on public engagements; however, she was sidelined multiple times last year by hospitalizations: once after a fall and once when she contracted a cold.

Before abdicating, Queen Margrethe sent another shockwave through the royal family when she announced that the four children of her younger son, Prince Joachim, would be stripped of their royal titles, defending the move as "necessary future-proofing of the monarchy."

Previously titled prince or princess, Joachim's children are now known as Count Nikolai, Count Felix, Count Henrik and Countess Athena. They also lost their "His/Her Highness" styling but retained their places in the line of succession. The siblings are now known instead by His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat, titles afforded through their late grandfather, Prince Henrik.

A year later, the prince and his wife, Princess Marie, relocated from their home in France to Washington, D.C., so Prince Joachim could start a new job with the Danish Embassy under the Ministry of Defense. In a March 2024 interview with The Washington Post, the couple said they'd "moved on" after their children's titles were stripped.

"We weren’t happy about the way it happened," Princess Marie said. "But it’s a family thing. It’s complicated... It’s their identity since they were born. So it’s more than just what people see as a title," she explained.

Princess Marie, Count Henrik, Countess Athena, Count Felix, Count Nikolai ad Prince Joachim of Denmark attend the 83rd birthday of Queen Margrethe on April 16, 20223
Credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty

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Queen Margrethe later apologized for any hurt feelings but said she hoped to "create the framework for the four grandchildren to be able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent" without the responsibilities related to the Royal House of Denmark.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”