Denmark’s Queen Mary was pictured leaving Copenhagen for an event today, with her public appearance believed to be her first since her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe was discharged from hospital last week.
The 84-year-old queen, who made the shock decision to abdicate in January to allow her son King Frederik to succeed her, suffered a fall while staying at Fredensborg Castle last week.
Last Friday, Danish publication DRThe Danish royal palace said an official statement updating the Queen’s condition said she had been discharged but had suffered an injury to her neck vertebrae and a fracture to her left hand during the fall.
The statement said: ‘Queen Margaret is in good spirits and doing well under the circumstances, but will be on sick leave for a longer period.’
Today, King Frederick’s wife Maria was photographed attending the National Health Visitors Conference with The Mary Foundation, where she gave a speech.
Queen Mary was pictured attending an event in Copenhagen today, days after her mother-in-law was discharged from hospital after suffering a fall.
The mother of four looked prepared and happy to attend the National Health Visitors Conference on Monday.
Despite recent stress over her mother-in-law’s accident, Queen Mary, 52, appeared serene and was photographed smiling as she made her public appearance.
With a fresh, summery vibe, she opted for a pale blue long-sleeved blouse. Her top was tucked into a long white pleated skirt with a floral print that incorporated multiple shades, including blue and red.
She completed the outfit with a pair of nude pointed toe high heels and a red handbag.
Mother-of-four Mary wore her shiny brown hair loose, letting it fall over her shoulders in soft waves. Her makeup was natural, with a fresh foundation and pink lipstick.
Following Queen Margaret’s accident last week, it is believed that all planned public engagements have been cancelled while the royal recovers, and that the Queen will have to wear a neck brace to help heal her injured vertebra.
King Frederik, 55, the eldest of Margaret’s two sons, spoke publicly on Thursday about the news that his mother had been hospitalized.
Speaking to reporters, he revealed that he had spoken to his mother and was confident that he was “in good hands.”
He added: “We take it day by day. The doctors are the ones who decide.”
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe has been discharged from hospital after a fall at Fredensborg Castle last week, but suffered an injury to her neck and left arm, the palace said on Friday. She is pictured at the Karen Blixen Museum in Copenhagen in September
The King spoke on his arrival at the City Hall in the Danish capital to attend the centenary celebrations of the Royal Chapel Choir in Copenhagen.
Queen Elizabeth’s third cousin Margrethe was due to attend an event at Aarhus University today, but has now cancelled her participation.
Her Majesty, known for her fondness for smoking and her love of dachshunds, was last seen on Monday attending the 2024 Rungstedlund Prize at the Karen Blixen Museum.
Despite stepping down in her New Year’s Eve speech last year, the monarch remains active and performs royal duties alongside her son.
Fredensborg Castle on the Dutch island of Zealand is the royal family’s summer residence.
Margrethe shocked the nation with the announcement of her abdication during her live New Year’s Eve television segment.
Just 14 days later, Margaret, who had ruled for 52 years, ceded the throne at a meeting of the Council of State and her son, Frederick, was crowned King of Denmark.
He said one of the reasons he decided to give up the throne was because of his health problems, adding that he underwent back surgery in February 2023.
“Everything went well thanks to the qualified medical staff who looked after me,” he says. “Of course, the operation also made me think about the future: whether it was time to hand over the responsibility to the next generation.”
She is still known as Her Majesty Queen Margaret and can act as regent if King Frederick, Queen Mary and Crown Prince Christian are abroad, ill or on holiday.
Just one week after giving up the crown, the Queen attended a special church service at Aarhus Cathedral with her son, King Frederick, and his wife, Queen Mary.
In Denmark, formal power resides in the elected parliament and its government. The monarch is expected to stay out of partisan politics and represent the nation with traditional duties ranging from state visits to national day celebrations.
Born in 1940, Margrethe has enjoyed a lifelong support from Danes who appreciate her diplomatic yet creative personality; the Prime Minister has previously described her as “the epitome of Denmark”.
The monarch made headlines in 2022 when she stripped the royal titles of the four children of her youngest son, Prince Joachim.
She enjoyed a close relationship with her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, both descendants of Queen Victoria, having joined during several state visits to each other’s countries over the decades, most recently in 2000, when Margrethe was welcomed at Windsor.
The royal looked fresh and summery as she attended the event in Copenhagen today, after what was undoubtedly a stressful time for the royals following Queen Margaret’s accident.
Mother-of-four Mary opted for a long-sleeved blue blouse which she paired with a long pleated skirt for the outing.
Margrethe, who is 1.80 metres tall, has been one of Denmark’s most popular public figures. She often walked the streets of Copenhagen virtually unescorted and won the admiration of Danes for her warm manner and her talents as a linguist and designer.
A keen skier, she was a member of a Danish women’s air force unit when she was a princess and took part in judo courses and snow endurance tests.
In 2011, aged 70, he visited Danish troops in southern Afghanistan wearing a military jumpsuit.
As monarch, she toured the country, regularly visiting Greenland and the Faroe Islands, two semi-independent territories that are part of the Danish Kingdom, and was greeted everywhere by cheering crowds.
Denmark has the oldest ruling monarchy in Europe, tracing its ancestry back to the Viking king Gorm the Old, who died in 958. Although Margrethe is head of state, the Danish constitution strictly excludes her involvement in partisan politics.
Margrethe was born a week after Nazi Germany invaded Denmark. The occupation made the little princess a symbol of hope for the Danes.
He ascended to the throne on 15 January 1972, following the death of his father.
But although she was the eldest daughter, she did not become heir presumptive until 1953, when Denmark’s constitution was amended to allow women to inherit the throne.
The 52-year-old royal was pictured beaming as she attended today’s event in Copenhagen.
During her public appearance at the National Health Visitors Conference with the Mary Foundation, Queen Mary gave a speech
This followed a referendum in which more than 85 percent of participants voted to allow female succession.
She married a Frenchman, Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat, later known as Prince Henrik, in 1967. They had two sons, Prince Frederic and Prince Joachim.
Despite enjoying a 50-year marriage, her relationship with Henrik was plagued by controversy. Henrik shocked Danes by saying he felt ostracised in his own home by his wife.
Prince Henrik died in 2018 at the age of 83.
On the day she became monarch, she stood on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Denmark and pledged her loyalty to the nation.