The well-being of the 64-year-old German chancellor, who has been leading Europe’s largest economy for years, has become a topic of speculation after being spotted trembling during two public events over the last month. Officials stated that one of the incidents was caused by dehydration, while the other was "psychologically driven”.

One Western nation’s leading secret service is sure that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s health issues are “associated with a neurological problem”, the German tabloid Bild reports. The outlet claims that the hunt for the chancellor’s medical records has surely started as foreign intelligence agencies have mobilised their efforts to gain insights into the matter.

Merkel, who has repeatedly been proclaimed the world’s most powerful woman during her time as chancellor, has recently attempted to stop the speculations about her health issues, fuelled by the two shaking episodes, stating "I have nothing special to report. But I'm fine”.

"I'm convinced that just as this reaction has appeared, so too it will pass”, Merkel told reporters on the sidelines of the second day of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

However, as The Daily Mail pointed out, she “appeared at times to have been sidelined” and strayed away from confronting other heads of state.

Angela Merkel was spotted shaking on 18 June when she greeted newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which prompted debates about the German head of state’s condition. The bout was explained by dehydration.

About a weak after the first episode, speculations flared up again when she was observed shaking during a ceremony for outgoing Justice Minister Katarina Barley on 27 June. Officials, however, insisted that "the chancellor is well" and said that the recent bout was "psychologically driven”.

(Image credits: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)