Denmark’s former Queen Margrethe, 86, was rushed to Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen on Thursday, May 14, after suffering angina pectoris, a condition caused by restricted blood flow to the heart muscle.
The Danish royal court confirmed the hospitalisation in a brief statement, saying Margrethe would remain at the capital’s largest public teaching hospital over the weekend for observation and further medical examinations. She had cancelled a public engagement earlier the same day before the admission was announced.
“Her Majesty is tired, but in good spirits,” the court said.
Angina pectoris, known in Danish as “heart cramps,” causes chest pain, pressure and breathlessness and does not constitute a full heart attack, though it signals that the heart muscle is not receiving adequate blood supply.
The admission adds to a growing list of medical episodes Margrethe has faced since she abdicated in January 2024, becoming the first Danish sovereign to willingly step down from the throne in nearly 900 years. In September 2024, she was hospitalised after falling at Fredensborg Castle, sustaining a fractured wrist and damage to vertebrae in her neck. In May 2025, she spent several days in hospital after falling ill with a cold.
Those episodes follow the extensive back surgery she underwent in 2023, which she later cited as a key reason for her decision to pass the throne to her son, now King Frederik X, and his Australian-born wife, Queen Mary.
Despite stepping back from formal royal duties, Margrethe has remained publicly active. She recently travelled to Sweden to attend the 80th birthday celebrations of King Carl XVI Gustaf.
The royal court said it would issue further updates only when new medical information becomes available.
