Denmark’s Prince Henrik, who has died at the age of 83, was cremated after he refused to be buried in a tomb prepared for him and his wife Queen Margrethe. The grieving royal family declared a month of mourning after Henrik died ‘peacefully in his sleep’ at Fredensborg Castle, north of Copenhagen, last night.
The palace said it would respect his wish not to be buried in a sarcophagus prepared for him and Margrethe who he said had never acknowledged him as her equal. A private funeral will be held on February 20 with half of his ashes spread in Danish waters and half buried on the grounds of the castle.
Resenting never being named king, in 2016, he renounced the title of prince consort and spent much of his time at a chateau on a vineyard in southwestern France, although he remained married to the queen and officially still lived with her.
The French-born prince, who was admitted to Copenhagen’s highly specialised hospital Rigshospitalet on January 28 for a lung infection and a benign lung tumour, was transferred to Fredensborg Palace, located 40 kilometres north of the capital, “where the prince wishes to spend his last days” earlier this week.
He was diagnosed with dementia in September 2017.
