The procedure is scheduled for February 22nd at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen’s main hospital where the queen will also convalesce.

A popular figure after ruling for 51 years, she has suffered from back pain for a long time, the palace said.

“For quite some time, Her Majesty has been affected by problems with her back, and the situation has worsened recently. After consultation with Rigshospitalet’s specialists, The Queen has decided to undergo extensive surgery,” the press release  read. 

The Queen’s official program will be postponed, canceled or handled by other members of The Royal Family for the near future. 

Margrethe last week cancelled a planned vacation in Norway.

A polyglot known for her sharp wit and chain smoking, Margrethe ascended to the throne in January 1972 and became Europe’s longest serving head of state, and the world’s second longest reigning monarch, when Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022.

“I’ll stay on the throne until I fall down from it,” she once quipped.

Thousands of people turned out last year to celebrate her 50th anniversary on the throne in a country where 80 percent of the population consider themselves monarchists, according to opinion polls.

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