Queen Sofia of Spain, 85, is rushed to hospital: King Felipe shares update on his mother’s health after visiting her bedside

Queen Sofia of Spain has been rushed to hospital in Madrid after her son King Felipe issued an update on her health.

The royal, 85, was admitted to the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid on Wednesday to treat a urinary tract infection.

Her son King Felipe, 56, was later pictured waving from the passenger seat of his Lexus after visiting her in hospital on Wednesday afternoon – and was also at her bedside on Tuesday evening. according to Spanish paper El Mundo.

He quickly reassured concerned royal fans, telling media outside the hospital: “She is very well, in good spirits and is keen to be discharged and return as soon as possible.”

It is unclear how long Queen Sofia will remain under supervision at the health center.

Sofia has been Spain’s ‘Queen Mother’ since her husband, King Juan Carlos, abdicated in favor of their son Felipe in 2014.

Since then, she has kept up a busy schedule of public appearances with her son Felipe and his glamorous wife, Queen Letizia.

She concentrated on her sponsorship activities and spent her time in the summer months between La Zarzuela and the Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca.

As recently as Monday, she attended Fernando Gomez-Acebo y Borbon’s tribute but was rushed to hospital the next day.

She also attended the wedding reception of Teresa Urquijo and Madrid Mayor Luis Martínez-Almeida on Saturday, along with a host of celebrity guests.

Sofia was accompanied by her husband Juan Carlos and their two daughters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina. Elena’s children, Victoria and Felipe, and Cristina’s son Juan, were also present.

Queen Sofia had planned to travel to Huesca on Friday for an engagement at the city’s food banks, but that has since been cancelled.

She is generally known for her good health and stays active, including using a walking machine daily in her room in La Zarzuela. This is the first time she has been in hospital since she gave birth to King Felipe in 1968.

Born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark on November 2, 1938 at the Tatoi Palace in Athens, Greece, she is the eldest daughter of King Paul of Greece and Frederica of Hanover.

A member of the Greek branch of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg dynasty, her great-great-grandmother is also Queen Victoria.

This made her a relative of both her friend the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Because Sofia’s family was forced into exile during World War II, she spent part of her childhood in Egypt and South Africa.

She completed her education at the prestigious Schloss Salem boarding school in southern Germany and then studied childcare, music and archeology in Athens.

Sofia also studied at Fitzwilliam College, part of the University of Cambridge.

An avid sailor, the royal represented her home country of Greece as a reserve member of the gold medal-winning sailing team at the 1960 Summer Olympics, alongside her brother Constantine (heir apparent to the now deposed Greek monarchy).

Sofía met Infante Juan Carlos, her paternal third cousin, in 1954 on a cruise in the Greek Islands and again at the Duke of Kent’s wedding in 1961.

They married less than a year later in Athens at the Catholic Cathedral of St. Dionysius.

After their marriage, she converted from the Greek Orthodox Church to Catholicism and changed her name from Sophia to Sofia.

Shortly afterwards, in 1973, the monarchy was abolished in Greece.

Together she and Juan Carlos have three children: Infanta Elena, Infanta Cristina and King Felipe.

Juan Carlos is considered to have played an important role in Spain’s peaceful transition to democracy and, together with his wife Queen Sofia, was admired for many years.

The couple had a close relationship with Queen Elizabeth and the British royal family: Prince Charles, Princess Diana and their two sons, Princes William and Harry, often spent holidays at the summer palace in Mallorca.

In addition to accompanying her husband on official visits and occasions, Sofía also undertook solo assignments.

She is Executive Chair of the Queen Sofía Foundation and Honorary Chair of the Royal Council for Education and Care of the Disabled of Spain, as well as the Spanish Foundation for Aid to Drug Addicts.

As queen, Sofia never commented publicly on political issues.

When her only son Felipe, then known as Prince of Asturias, announced his engagement to Letizia Ortiz in November 2003, Sofia took the former journalist and news presenter under her wing.

Letizia paid tribute to her future mother-in-law during her first speech since her engagement.

She said: “From now on, and more and more, I will fully integrate into this new life, with the responsibilities that come with it… and with the support and affection of the King and Queen and the Queen’s invaluable example. ‘

In June 2014, Juan Carlos abdicated in favor of his son and Felipe and Letizia became King and Queen of Spain. For all his early popularity, Juan Carlos has been serially unfaithful and has been accused of multiple corruption charges.

That said, three investigations against the former king were ultimately dropped and he has denied any wrongdoing.