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Queen Margrethe II of Denmark will be undergoing back surgery later this month. The Danish Royal House revealed on Wednesday, Feb. 8, that the 82-year-old monarch has “been affected by problems with her back” for quite some time and that the “situation has worsened recently.”
“After consultation with Rigshospitalet’s specialists, The Queen has decided to undergo extensive surgery,” the Royal House said in a statement.
The operation is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, where the Queen will also be hospitalized after the surgery.
The Royal House noted that “consequently, a longer sequence of physical rehabilitation is expected,” adding, “This means that Her Majesty’s official program in the near future will be postponed, canceled or handled by other members of The Royal Family.”
The Queen of Denmark’s “duties can be handled” by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik as regent, or by her younger son Prince Joachim, daughter-in-law Crown Princess Mary and sister Princess Benedikte as acting regents.