Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, aged 86, has been admitted to the Rigshospitalet hospital due to angina pectoris. She will spend the weekend under observation and undergoing further tests. The royal court issued a short statement saying the "queen is tired, but in good spirits."

Angina pectoris is not a heart attack - but it is a serious signal from the heart. It appears when the heart muscle does not get enough blood and oxygen, usually because of a problem with the coronary arteries. The pain feels like pressure in the chest and sometimes spreads to the shoulder, neck, jaw or back. For an 86-year-old woman who underwent major back surgery two years ago, it is a heavy reminder that age does not sympathise with titles.

Margrethe stepped down from the throne a year ago after 52 years of reign - a decision taken after a difficult back intervention in February 2023. She said herself at the time: "Time goes by and ailments multiply... the surgery made me think about the future." That is a sentence many in her generation know by heart.

The hospitalisation fell exactly on the 22nd anniversary of the wedding of her eldest son Frederik to queen Mary - a symbolic reminder that every crown carries weight as well, and quiet fear. Margrethe was last seen in public on 30 April in Stockholm, at the 80th birthday celebrations of Swedish king Carl XVI Gustaf. In the photographs she looked lively, smiling, never far from her walking stick.

The royal court has not yet cancelled her attendance on 23 May at the premiere of "The Torch" at Copenhagen's Tivoli theatre - a ballet she traditionally watches every season. If the appearance stays confirmed, it will be a signal that all will pass. If it is cancelled, it will be a loud silence. Royal houses know how to speak through confirmations as well as through absences.