Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, 86, hospitalised for third time this year - and will miss King Harald of Norway's funeral on Wednesday

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II has been rushed to hospital for the third time this year due to a new blood clot in the hip region and mild dehydration.The 86-year-old, who abdicated two years ago, was admitted to Copenhagen's Rigshospitalet on September 6, where she is expected to remain over the coming days for treatment and observation.A statement released by the Danish Royal House confirmed that Margrethe is in 'good spirits and, given the circumstances, is doing well'.Her sudden hospitalisation means that Margrethe will be unable to attend the funeral of King Harald V of Norway on Wednesday, as was previously announced.Margrethe, a heavy smoker for much of her life, remains popular among Danes for having subtly modernised the monarchy - but has faced multiple health problems in recent years.In May, she was admitted to hospital after doctors discovered a 'significant accumulation of blood in the hip area following a fall'.It came just two weeks after the Danish royal underwent an angioplasty, a medical procedure that opens up closed or narrowed blood vessels, after suffering chest pains.Margrethe stepped down from the throne in January 2024 due to a major back operation, passing the crown to her son, King Frederik X. Denmark's Queen Margrethe has been rushed to hospital for the third time this year due to a new blood clot in the hip region and mild dehydration The 86-year-old, who abdicated two years ago, was admitted to Copenhagen's Rigshospitalet on September 6, where she is expected to remain over the coming days for treatment and observationBut Margrethe still plays a significant role in public life in Denmark. Earlier this year, she chided current monarch Queen Mary after she crouched down to stroke a dog at a royal event.In the family's first outing following the death of her father, John Dalgleish Donaldson, Mary, 54, joined Margrethe's 86th birthday celebrations in Fredensborg.The mother-of-four, dressed in a smart, navy suit, stood alongside her husband, King Frederik, Margrethe and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Margrethe's sister, as they waved to well-wishers gathered outside the palace.In one moment, the former monarch's dog Tilia appeared and stood next to Mary, and after noticing her, she bent down to stroke the dachshund.According to a translation from Hello, however, it was met with disapproval from Margrethe, who shook her head to the side and, when translated into English, said: 'I don't think this is the right time for that.'Her comment led Mary to stop abruptly.It was reminiscent of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Margrethe's distant cousin, scolding Prince William in 2016 on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour.The late monarch was seen tapping William on the arm and gesturing him to stand up as he crouched down to tend to a boisterous Prince George. Close examination of the moment appeared to show Queen Elizabeth saying: 'Stand up William.' Margrethe (pictured in 1972), a heavy smoker for much of her life, remains popular among Danes for having subtly modernised the monarchy - but has faced multiple health problems in recent years Margrethe stepped down from the throne in January 2024 due to a major back operation, passing the crown to her son, King Frederik X.William rose to his feet, looking rather sheepish over the public telling off from his then-90-year-old grandmother.At the time of her abdication, Queen Margrethe was the longest-serving monarch in Europe following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.'The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future - whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,' she said in her speech.'I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark.'I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.'Born in 1940, Margrethe has throughout her life enjoyed broad support from Danes, who are fond of her tactful and yet creative personality.The monarch hit the headlines previously when she removed royal titles from the four children of her younger son Prince Joachim.She enjoyed a close relationship with her third cousin Queen Elizabeth II, both descendants of Queen Victoria, having bonded during several state visits to each other's countries down the decades - most recently in 2000, when Margrethe was received at Windsor.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed the decision in a news release that paid tribute to the 83-year-old monarch, offering a 'heartfelt thank you to Her Majesty the Queen for her lifelong dedication and tireless efforts for the Kingdom'.Margrethe is the 'epitome of Denmark' Ms Frederiksen's statement read, and 'throughout the years has put words and feelings into who we are as a people and as a nation'.The six-feet-tall Margrethe has been one of the most popular public figures in Denmark. She often walked the streets of Copenhagen virtually unescorted and won the admiration of Danes for her warm manners and for her talents as a linguist and designer.She ascended the throne on January 15, 1972, after the death of her father.But, although she was his eldest child, she did not become heir presumptive until 1953, when Denmark's constitution was amended to allow women to inherit the throne.That followed a referendum in which more than 85 per cent of participants voted to allow female succession.She was married in 1967 to a Frenchman, Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat, later styled as Prince Henrik. They had two sons, Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.Sign up to our Palace Confidential newsletter for FREE and we'll send you an exclusive article on the moment the Royal Family started to question Meghan's motivations. Get it HERE