Copenhagen: Denmark's Queen Margrethe, 85, who abdicated last year, has been admitted to hospital due to a cold, the Danish royal household said Thursday.
"As a result of the cold that Her Majesty Queen Margrethe has contracted, it has been decided that the Queen will be hospitalised for observation," the Royal House said in a statement, calling it "a precaution".
It said the Queen was admitted to Rigshospitalet -- Copenhagen's main hospital -- but provided no further information.
Margrethe, who turned 85 on April 16, was last seen in public on Sunday during a service commemorating the 80th anniversary of Denmark's liberation from Nazi occupation.
The former sovereign reigned in the Scandinavian country for 52 years before passing the throne to her eldest son Frederik in January 2024.
Hugely popular among Danes for subtly modernising the monarchy, Margrethe has faced multiple health problems in recent years.
Last autumn, she was hospitalised for several days due to a fall.
She had long vowed that she would never abdicate, but major back surgery in 2023 led to a change of heart.
Margrethe has a significant interest in the arts.
As a designer she won a Danish film award for best costume in 2024 and translated Simone de Beauvoir's "All Men Are Mortal" under a pseudonym with her late husband, Prince Consort Henrik.
She has also illustrated several books, including J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".
