Belgium’s Queen Paola fractures vertebra in fall

Queen Paola, the 79-year-old mother of Belgian King Philippe, has been hospitalised after a vertebral fracture following a fall, the royal palace announced Wednesday.

A statement said there were no neurological complications but that Queen Paola would have to undergo therapy for many months.

“The queen’s life is not in danger,” a spokesman said. “It’s a fracture in a delicate area but it’s the kind of fracture that heals.”

The Italian-born Paola has retained her title although her husband Albert II abdicated in 2013. She has had stints of ill health recently.