Oct 22, 2009, 11:29 GMT
The Belgian royal family has denied Queen Fabiola is ill.
Spokesman Pierre-Emmanuel De Bauw insists the 81-year-old dowager-queen has simply been "too tired" to attended recent royal events.
He is quoted as saying: "She is not ill, just tired. There is nothing wrong. She walks, moves about, but she is tired and needs rest. That is why she is not travelling or going out."
Fabiola has not been seen in public since July 31, the anniversary of the death of her late husband King Baudouin.
It's not the first time the royal's health has been questioned.
Earlier this year she underwent surgery to correct a thyroid problem and ended up spending weeks in hospital as she battled a serious lung infection and throat problems.
During her hospitalisation, Fabiola was mistakenly declared dead by a Belgian television station's website.
The website quickly withdrew the inaccurate story, blaming a "publishing error", and apologised to the royal family.
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