COPENHAGEN – Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has tested positive for the coronavirus after attending the funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, the royal palace said on Wednesday.
The royal family said in a statement that Margrethe, 82, who had been on the throne for 50 years, had abdicated her official duties after the exam on Tuesday night.
The palace said her eldest son, the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Frederik, and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, will take the queen’s place, hosting a dinner with Danish government officials and members of parliament.
Margrethe previously tested positive for the virus in February. At the time, the palace said she had received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Queen was among the dignitaries who attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday.
Margret’s half-century reign makes her Europe’s longest-serving monarch since the death on September 8 of Elizabeth, 96, who ruled for 70 years.
Out of respect for the late British monarch, Margaret has asked her court to adjust the September 10-11 program for her own 50th birthday celebrations. Among the events she canceled at short notice were an appearance on the balcony of Amalienborg Palace to greet well-wishers and a horse-drawn carriage ride around Copenhagen.
Margrethe was proclaimed Queen on 15 January 1972, a day after her father, King Frederik IX, died after a short illness.
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