Prince Henrik of Denmark, the husband of Queen Margrethe who was famous for his public unhappiness at never being named king, has died at the age of 83.
The controversial French-born prince had been diagnosed with dementia last year and was admitted to hospital in January with a lung infection.
His flamboyant style was both loved and criticised by Danes.
Frustrated with his royal title, he announced in 2017 that he did not want to be buried next to his wife.
The 77-year-old queen accepted her husband's decision, the Royal House said at the time, breaking a 459-year-old tradition of burying royal spouses together.
The prince died "peacefully in his sleep" at the Fredensborg Castle, north of Copenhagen, with Queen Margrethe and their two sons - Crown Prince Frederick and Prince Joachim - at his side.
Born Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat on 11 June 1934, Prince Henrik married the then-crown princess Margrethe in 1967. He met her while stationed in London as a diplomat.
When she became queen in 1972, he was named Prince Consort - as in most monarchies, a princess traditionally becomes queen when her husband takes the throne, but a man does not become king if his wife becomes queen.
But over the years, the prince - who changed his name to Henrik as a mark of respect - made no secret about his unhappiness at being denied the title of king. And many Danes disliked him for that, seeing it as a sign of an arrogant man hungry for recognition.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment