Prince Henrik Won’t Be Buried At Roskilde Cathedral, Court Confirms

In a surprising statement on Thursday, the Danish Royal Court announced that Prince Henrik has changed his mind and will no longer be buried at Roskilde Cathedral next to his wife of fifty years, Queen Margrethe II.

“It is correct that Prince Henrik has decided that he will not be buried at Rskilde Cathedral, as it was planned. It is no secret that the Prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title has been given in the Danish monarchy…For the Prince the decision not to be interred next to the Queen is a natural consequence of him not being treated as an equal in relation to his spouse – by not getting the title and functions, which he has wished for,” the Royal Court’s communications chief Lene Balleby said to BT. She also said that Prince Henrik will be buried in Denmark, not France as some media speculated, but the exact location has not be determined yet.

The couple’s original burial details were announced several years ago, including the design of a sarcophagus created by Bjørn Nørgaard for the couple. Roskilde Cathedral has for centuries been the burial site of Danish monarchs and their consorts.

Much has been said about the Prince’s about-face, but the general consensus – in the Danish media, royal watching circles and seemingly the Danish public – is that Prince Henrik’s decision is both embarrassing and disrespectful to his loyal wife, his family and to Denmark at large who have supported him for five decades. Especially when it appears the only reason behind it is that Henrik is ‘merely’ a Prince and has not been made King Consort by his wife.

Henrik’s thoughts on his ‘status’ have been well-known for many years: he threw a tantrum in 2002 when his son, Crown Prince Frederik – the heir to the throne, was the one to step into the Queen’s place to host the New Year’s Court gala when the Queen took ill. Prince Henrik felt that role should have gone to him, despite the monarch’s consort having no constitutional role in Denmark, not his son. The result? Henrik flew off to his chateau in the south of France in a strop, skipping the wedding of the Dutch Crown Prince and forcing his wife and two sons to travel to France to appease him and bring him back to Denmark.

Since then, the Prince has voiced his “I should be King” opinion on numerous occasions, the most notable of which was during a press conference prior to the King and Queen of the Netherlands’ state visit to Denmark in 2015. Queen Margrethe was visibly embarrassed by her husband’s outburst during the press conference, and his behaviour drew criticism from royal watchers.

This latest announcement has also led to pondering of what Prince Henrik will do or say next – how much more embarrassment can he cause his family?

Perhaps, when Prince Henrik heads to Château de Caïx in France for the summer, he should stay there permanently?

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Tagged Prince Henrik the Prince Consort.

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