Sweden's king to undergo surgery next week

Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf is set to undergo a "surgical procedure" next week and will therefore postpone engagements scheduled for the second half of February, the Swedish Royal Court said on February 14.

The procedure, in the "heart area", would be done through "so called keyhole surgery", the court said in a statement without providing further details, RFI reports.

It added that it had been decided on the advice of the 76-year-old king's physician.

"After the procedure, a period of rest is recommended. This means that the king's planned engagements between February 20 and March 3 will be postponed until later in the spring", the court said.

"The king is feeling well and his official programme up to the day of the operation is being carried out as planned", continued.

The monarch is celebrating 50 years on the throne this year.

Born on April 30, 1946, Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus Bernadotte was only nine months old when his father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, was killed in a plane crash in Denmark.

He assumed the throne in 1973 following the death of his grandfather, the long-reigning Gustaf VI Adolf.