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Denmark's former Queen Margrethe II was taken to Copenhagen's Rigshospitalet on Sunday after developing a fresh blood clot near her hip, alongside symptoms of mild dehydration, marking her third emergency hospital admission in 2026.

The 86-year-old, who handed the throne to her son King Frederik X two years ago, is expected to stay in hospital for several days while doctors monitor her condition and administer treatment.

According to a statement from the Danish Royal House, Margrethe is in "good spirits and, given the circumstances, is doing well."

However, the sudden health setback means she will not be present at Wednesday's funeral of King Harald V of Norway, an engagement she had been due to attend.

This latest episode follows a troubling pattern of medical emergencies for the former monarch throughout the year.

In May, she was hospitalised after physicians identified a substantial build-up of blood in the hip area, which had resulted from a fall.

That admission came barely a fortnight after Margrethe had undergone an angioplasty, a procedure used to widen blocked or constricted blood vessels, after experiencing chest pains.

Margrethe has contended with a series of health complications in recent years, raising concerns about the wellbeing of one of Denmark's most beloved public figures.

The recurring nature of her hip-related issues in particular appears to underscore the ongoing fragility of her condition, despite the resilience she has shown in maintaining her public engagements.

Margrethe relinquished the crown in January 2024, a decision she attributed to a major back operation that prompted reflection on whether the moment had come to entrust responsibility to the next generation.

"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," she declared in her abdication address.

Despite stepping back from official duties, she has remained a visible presence in Danish public life.

At her 86th birthday celebrations in Fredensborg earlier this year, she reprimanded Queen Mary for bending down to pet her dachshund Tilia during the formal occasion.

"I don't think this is the right time for that," Margrethe reportedly told the Australian-born queen, prompting Mary to immediately straighten up.

That exchange drew comparisons with the late Queen Elizabeth II, Margrethe's third cousin and fellow descendant of Queen Victoria, who famously ordered Prince William to stand up on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour in 2016.

The two queens shared a warm bond, forged over decades of state visits, the most recent being Margrethe's reception at Windsor in 2000.

Born in 1940, Margrethe became heir presumptive only in 1953, after a constitutional referendum backed by more than 85 per cent of voters opened the Danish succession to women.

She married Frenchman Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, later known as Prince Henrik, in 1967, and the couple had two sons, Frederik and Joachim.

Widely admired for her linguistic talents, artistic flair and approachable manner, Margrethe is credited with having gently modernised the Danish monarchy over her 52-year reign.