Spain’s King Juan Carlos was able to rest overnight after undergoing surgery for a herniated disc and is already out of intensive care, his doctors said Monday.
The king was moved Monday to a room in the La Milagrosa private clinic in central Madrid, clinic director Gaspar Palet said, reading from the bulletin signed by neurosurgeon Manuel de la Torre and the chief physician for the royal household, Miguel Fernandez Tapia-Ruano.
The medical team that operated on him Sunday was headed by De la Torre, who removed herniated disc segments in two intervertebral spaces in the lumbosacral area of the spinal column, in an operation that lasted around three hours.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy visited the monarch Monday at the hospital.
Queen Sofia and the monarchs’ three children, including Crown Prince Felipe, visited the king on Sunday.
Juan Carlos was happy to have come through a very painful condition and was getting ready to face the time of “hard work” required for his recovery, Prince Felipe said.
After the operation, the neurosurgeon said the king will remain hospitalized for about a week, and could recover completely in a period from two to six months, after which he will no longer need to walk with crutches.
