Prince Henrik has Died

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The Danish Royal Court has announced that Prince Henrik of Denmark, consort of Queen Margrethe for over 46 years, has died at Fredensborg Palace, aged 83! Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim were at his side. Burial plans will be released later this week.

Born Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat to Count André de Laborde de Monpezat and Renee Doursenot in France, he spent several years of his childhood in French controlled Vietnam. Educated in Hanoi, Saigon, Hong Kong, and Paris, Count Henri was working in the French Embassy in London when he met then Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark. Their courtship was later described by his father-in-law as: “He came, he saw, and you conquered.” The couple got married in 1967 (celebrating their 50th Anniversary last year) and have two sons, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, and eight grandchildren. She succeeded to the throne as Queen Margrethe II in 1972. Like his British counterpart, Prince Henrik found it hard to adjust to his role as Prince Consort, though unlike the Duke of Edinburgh, he has been quite vocal about his struggle.  He retired from Official Duties in 2016, and last year, he announced his intention to not be buried with Queen Margrethe and spoke out about not being made ‘King Consort’ before being diagnosed with dementia. He has had serious health problems in in the past few years, most recently a lung tumor and infection. Prince Henrik also published several books of poetry in French and Danish.

My condolences to the Danish Royal Family on this tragic loss! May he rest in peace!

 

 

UPDATE-

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On February 15th, Prince Henrik’s body was moved from Fredensborg Palace to Amalienborg Palace, from where it was moved to Christiansborg Palace on the 16th.

The private funeral will take place at the Chapel at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on February 20th. The funeral will be a fairly small, private and personal event. Click HERE for the Guest List. According to Prince Henrik’s wishes, his body will be cremated, with half of his ashes to be spread over the Danish seas and the other half buried in the royal private garden at the Fredensborg Palace.

One thought on “Prince Henrik has Died

  1. Even though I expected his death to happen soon, it was still very sad to hear. I must confess that in many ways I’m glad the end was quick, for him as well as his family. I know first hand the despair that accompanies a decline in the mental faculties of a loved one. But I believe he still knew his family and was able to feel their love. May he rest in peace.

    The Danish Royal family is going through a very rough emotional time. This is the second death in the family within the past year, and I read elsewhere that former King Constantine is not in good health. “When sorrows come, they come not in single spies, but in battalions”. My heart goes out to all of them.

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