Danish queen to undergo ‘major back surgery’

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s royal palace says Queen Margrethe II will undergo “major back surgery” later this month. The palace said Wednesday that the 82-year-monarch would be hospitalized afterward and undergo “a longer rehabilitation process.” Margrethe has reigned for a half-century and is Europe’s longest-serving monarch. She is Denmark’s head of state but has no political power. She will have the surgery on Feb. 22. The palace said that several official engagments will either be postponed, canceled or handled by other members of the royal family.