COPENHAGEN, May 9, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Denmark's Queen Margrethe, 85, who abdicated last year, is expected to leave the hospital she was admitted to for observation for a cold, the Danish royal household said Friday.

"Her Majesty is recovering and in good spirits," the Royal House said in a statement.

"Queen Margrethe is therefore expected to be discharged from Rigshospitalet and return to Fredensborg Palace over the weekend," it added.

The palace said Thursday that the queen had been admitted to Copenhagen's main hospital for observation due to a cold, as "a precaution".

Margrethe, who turned 85 on April 16, was last seen in public on Sunday during a service commemorating the 80th anniversary of Denmark's liberation from Nazi occupation.

The former sovereign reigned in the Scandinavian country for 52 years before passing the throne to her eldest son, Frederik, in January 2024.

Hugely popular among Danes for subtly modernising the monarchy, Margrethe has faced multiple health problems in recent years.

Last autumn, she was hospitalised for several days due to a fall.

She had long vowed she would never abdicate, but major back surgery in 2023 led to a change of heart.

Margrethe has a significant interest in the arts.

As a designer she won a Danish film award for best costume in 2024 and translated Simone de Beauvoir's "All Men Are Mortal" under a pseudonym with her late husband, Prince Consort Henrik.

She has also illustrated several books, including J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".