Prince Henrik's Plans for his Final Resting Place: August 2017


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As I understand it, Denmark had to change its succession laws to allow HM Queen Margrethe II to succeed her father at all. In effect, she is queen only and precisely because rules were rewritten and precedents overuled.
Rules and precdenats can and do change. Gender-blind succession is an example of such a change.

Please don't misunderstand me; I have no intention in any way to defend the Prince's behaviour or attitudes and certainly didn't mean to portray him as a crusader for gender equality!! I'm not interested in the complexes of a man who self-can't handle his wife's dedication to and success in her job/role.

My reflection on a suitable title for a male consort was abstracted from this case. Ultimately, "Prince", "Prince Consort" or "King Consort", it matters not a jot.

Oh yes, but QMII became heir, out of necessity and a public wish. Not because of gender equality or someone feeling she was to cheated of the throne. Then then heir, and his son, Count Ingolf, was for various reasons considered unsuited certainly be the general public. And that was the reason for the change in the Law of Succession.
Very few feels that PH himself has earned the right to become king-consort and that's why it is not on the table to even contemplating changing the Constitution on this matter. Which is very difficult in the first place BTW!
Had PH been more like the Duke of Edinburgh in his support of his wife and never complained, then he might actually have had a decent chance of getting a title like king-consort or being addressed majesty. With a wide public support behind him.
It would still be an empty title though.

Unbelievable. He's literally taking this grudge about his title to the grave.

I'm not entirely certain anymore that his rants are a symptom of dementia. If the Queen and the court are taking his complaints about being buried next to his wife seriously, then they must believe him to be in his right mind when making these decisions. Which means he has no excuse except that he's being a stubborn pig-headed fool.

I'm afraid you are most likely right. In fact I'm sure you are right.

On the TV2 news it was mentioned that there was still time for PH to reconsider and decide that being buried next to the woman he loves outweighs all other considerations. - The damage would still be done however. And I don't believe he will change his mind. If he already years ago had misgivings about being buried at Roskilde, then he can't have many considerations for his wife. - I've said it before: In PH's universe the most important person is PH himself.
 
Could it be that he thought that if he insisted that he wanted to be buried elsewhere, he could make his wife the queen follow *him*, so she would forsake being buried at Roskilde too, for his sake?
(well, it backfired if he did, but heaven knows what goes on in his mind...)

I've been wondering about that myself. Or, to take it a step farther, maybe he's willing to be buried next to her if she abdicates? Farfetched, I know, but...

In any case, this is very sad. To see a couple in their twilight years having marital issues is bad enough, but it also has to be causing stress within the family. Let's hope things calm down soon for everyone's sake.
 
I think it's probably better if PH is buried in France next to his family. That will spare QMII and the DRF of the embarrassment and sorrow of laying to rest a deeply unpopular man in Denmark. A funeral where people are at best showing support for QMII rather than honoring PH.
In France it would be a more quiet family-funeral.
 
In Polish media also writing about Prince Henrik:
http://www.tvn24.pl/wiadomosci-ze-s...ie-chce-byc-pochowany-u-boku-zony,762066.html
83-year-old Henrik, the husband of Danish Queen Margrethe II, will not be buried next to his wife in the royal sarcophagus at Roskilde Cathedral - reported Thursday. - It is no secret that the prince has been unhappy for many years because of his role and title, which he received in the Danish monarchy. This dissatisfaction deepened in recent years - explained the reasons for such a decision head of the press office of the palace.
83-year-old Henrik repeatedly made it clear that he was not happy with the title he was awarded after marrying Margrethe. He considered that instead of "prince consort" should be called "king consort".
It was not until recently it became apparent that Henrik would be buried next to Margrethe in the royal necropolis of Roskilde Cathedral. On Thursday, however, it was announced that this would not happen.
- It is no secret that the prince has been unhappy for many years because of his role and title, which he received in the Danish monarchy. This dissatisfaction deepened in recent years - explained the reasons for such a decision of the head of press office of the palace Lene Balleby.
For a prince, the decision not to be buried next to his wife is a natural consequence of not being treated equally. He did not get the title or role he wanted - she added.
In the message of the royal court it was reported that Margrethe knew about her husband's decision for some time and accepted his choice. At the same time it was said that the prince wanted to be buried in Denmark.
Unlike Queen Margrethe II, he never won the heart of the Danes, who welcomed his retirement in 2016. The prince has not made or received official foreign visits since then, did not attend official parties, inaugurated a session of the parliament.
 
When I see Royals smiling for the cameras , I thought how happy are they !
and I was wrong .
 
Yes indeed maria-olivia, their smiles must hide so many feelings. However, from what I see of the Danish people, they will cope with Henrik calmly and efficiently.
 
Childish.... childish..... childish.....till the end !

Well, should, repeat should QMII choose to abdicate next year then PH will go into permanent exile, that's for sure!
That would mean he is not even the patriarch anymore.

I also think he wouldn't show up when Frederik is declared king - not unless he wish to be boo'd at or pelted with rotten tomatoes.
Because that will be seen as PH having forced an otherwise deeply respected QMII to abdicate, - certainly before time.

For all I care PH can stay away next year when Frederik turns 50, and he probably will.

Personally speaking: I won't say I'm angry, but I sure feel let down on behalf of QMII, and I also feel the tribe has been let down by him. I'm more deeply disappointed. I'm turning my back on him.
PH being a devoted grandpa, good with children and an eccentric dresser, let alone all the work he has done for the past 50 years, that's out the window.
PH has openly elected to distance himself from not only his wife but also the DRF and slammed the door behind him.
He has deserted his wife! He has also let down the rest of his family, not least Frederik, whom he should have supported as much as he could.
I hope, that's actually an odd thing to say..., I hope what PH is doing is a result of a mental deterioration. But to be honest, I don't think so. This is simply a major flaw in his character and in that case: No understanding, no sympathy, just get lost... A cold, unemotional goodbye.
Do you understand my meaning?
Thank you it is so interesting and important to know the opinion of the people in Denmark.... as I put in another place, he is so childish..... I am ashamed for him ! Please keep us informed of the reactions in Denmark !!!!!:flowers:
 
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I would have thought it would be more ego satisfying to know you will buried with your wife in a special tomb than in some random grave somewhere. But obviously that's not the way Prince Henrik thinks. What a petulant man-child. And so sad that his extreme jealousy of his wife's and his eldest son's future position has hurt his family.
 
has henrik said
a. 'he didn't want to be buried in roskilde' or
b. 'he didn't want to be buried in denmark' or
c. 'he didn't want to be buried next to his wife'?

to me, all these are different statements. if he said A, maybe he meant he wants to be buried elsewhere in denmark. if he said B, it is far from ideal given his status, but maybe his own family has a seat where his ancestors are buried somewhere and he wants to be buried with his family. if he said C, that is obviously the worst and it would reflect bad on him and the whole RF. however, in the other 2 cases... honestly, i don't think it is a major deal.
 
Wow. Just wow. I have no words.

Total disrespect to his wife. I don't care if QMII is monarch of a country, or a housewife. You cannot treat your spouse of 50 years in such a manner. And so publicly. That is harsh and cold.

I feel very sorry for CP Frederick, Prince Joachim and their families. They do not deserve to see their father treat their mother with such utter contempt and disrespect. If my father did this to my mother, it would break my heart into a million pieces.

Horrible man. Plain and a simply horrible man.

has henrik said
a. 'he didn't want to be buried in roskilde' or
b. 'he didn't want to be buried in denmark' or
c. 'he didn't want to be buried next to his wife'?

to me, all these are different statements. if he said A, maybe he meant he wants to be buried elsewhere in denmark. if he said B, it is far from ideal given his status, but maybe his own family has a seat where his ancestors are buried somewhere and he wants to be buried with his family. if he said C, that is obviously the worst and it would reflect bad on him and the whole RF. however, in the other 2 cases... honestly, i don't think it is a major deal.

D. All of the above.

It is correct that Prince Henrik has decided that he will not be buried at Rskilde Cathedral, as it was planned.

By the very virtue Prince Henrik stated that he will not be buried at Roskilde Catherdral explicitly illustrates he does not wish to be buried next to his wife. The man is not ignorant on Royal burials in Denmark. Wikipedia states that "The cathedral has been the main burial site for Danish monarchs since the 15th century." Looking at the Wikipedia article lists deceased Danish Monarchs and their spouses.

Prince Henrik is being pretty clear in his actions.

Danish queen's husband won't share grave

And now he's made Australian news....
 
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How sad. I know that he has openly been unhappy with his role as consort over the years- didn't he throw a public temper tantrum 10 or 15 years ago and run off to France for a while- but this feels like such a slap in the face to his wife and his family. I wonder if his dissatisfaction and acting out like this was exacerbated by age-related mental/behavioral issues. Who knows.

I'm a bit out of the loop- is there a lot of talk about Queen Margrethe abdicating next year?
 
D. All of the above.



By the very virtue Prince Henrik stated that he will not be buried at Roskilde Catherdral explicitly illustrates he does not wish to be buried next to his wife. The man is not ignorant on Royal burials in Denmark. Wikipedia states that "The cathedral has been the main burial site for Danish monarchs since the 15th century." Looking at the Wikipedia article lists deceased Danish Monarchs and their spouses.

Prince Henrik is being pretty clear in his actions.

well, i agree that he knows better than anyone else what refusing to be buried at roskilde means refusing being buried next to QM. however, the motivation for not wanting to be buried next to her is not explicit if he says he does not want to be buried 'in roskilde'. that is just us interpreting his statement into something he did not say. to extrapolate that, and say that QM and PH are divorced, in crisis or declaring war on each other is us being too far fetched. there can be many reasons why he may not want to be buried at roskilde and maybe we don't know. to put words in his mouth is wrong, in my opinion.
 
Although i would never have guessed this and this is my own opinion I think choosing the place where you
are going to rest in for eternity is as a personal choice as choosing your own religion i wouldn't care if it was my duty or what is expected from me to be buried in a place that i don't want to be buried in.

my sympathy is with my favorite monarch of all times but seeing that she known his decision for a while now and have made her peace with it i'm fine with it.

has henrik said
a. 'he didn't want to be buried in roskilde' or
b. 'he didn't want to be buried in denmark' or
c. 'he didn't want to be buried next to his wife'?

to me, all these are different statements. if he said A, maybe he meant he wants to be buried elsewhere in denmark. if he said B, it is far from ideal given his status, but maybe his own family has a seat where his ancestors are buried somewhere and he wants to be buried with his family. if he said C, that is obviously the worst and it would reflect bad on him and the whole RF. however, in the other 2 cases... honestly, i don't think it is a major deal.

totally agree with everything you said there is a difference between don't want to be buried in roskilde and don't want to be buried next to his wife who have been with him for more than 50 years.
 
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I'm sorry. But it sounds like pure spin to state that QMII has known about Prince Henrik's decision for a while and accepts it. I mean...what else can they say except to make it look like she accepted it? Royal funerals are planned years in advance. The plans for the burials of QMII and Prince Henrik have been in progress for years.

Given his decision now, I hope that not one single Danish kroner goes towards wherever he ends up being buried. Let him pay for it himself.
 
I don't understand why the DRF decided to comment on this at all. Was it somehow leaked to the press? Because otherwise it's been a disastrous decision to share this news with the public before the time came. If the Danes had found out at the time of Henrik's death there would be shock, yes, but also sadness about his death, sympathy for the family, etc that would take the edge off the decision a little. To be blunt, it would be one of several major news angles instead of the only one.

I've never understood Henrik's mindset on this issue. I know he's supposed to be intelligent so I've taken the time to try to understand where he's coming from and always come up empty. Is it really just the title that's the issue? Because surely he realizes people like Maxima, Letizia, Sylvia, and all the rest of the female consorts are called "queen" but that doesn't make them their husband's equals. There is always a difference between the person who is born royal and the person who marries the royal. This difference is especially pronounced when the royal in question is the head of state.

So, obviously it's not just the title or his function at court. What's left? I would say ego and arrogance, unfortunately. It seems like he wants to be treated identically to his wife, which is impossible. They have entirely different roles and he knew that from day one.

This is all the more silly because Henrik wants to be equal to a person whose role is essentially ceremonial. This is not the 17th century. Margrethe is not out there leading troops into battle or directing government policy. She has no actual power. She has a lot of respect and influence but she built these things up over time by showing the Danes that she's a person of character, a deep thinker, someone who cares about the people she interacts with and who has various interests and causes to which she's devoted. Henrik had every opportunity to earn this same sort of respect. The sad part is he's done a lot of good work for Denmark but it's been more than cancelled out by his whining about things like titles and who goes first in line at blah blah blah.

The decision not to be buried with his wife is moronic - it accomplishes nothing and makes him look ridiculous, once again focusing on the superficial instead of the substance. It places his family in a horrible position. If he didn't want to be buried at Roskilde he should have chosen France instead of somewhere else in Denmark.

I hope Margrethe doesn't abdicate, certainly not over this.
 
I agree it is a personal choice on where one is buried, but why announce it officially then? This could have been announced AFTER his demise, not now.

I'm sorry. But it sounds like pure spin to state that QMII has known about Prince Henrik's decision for a while and accepts it. I mean...what else can they say except to make it look like she accepted it? Royal funerals are planned years in advance. The plans for the burials of QMII and Prince Henrik have been in progress for years.

Given his decision now, I hope that not one single Danish kroner goes towards wherever he ends up being buried. Let him pay for it himself.
:previous::previous:AGREE!
 
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PH has recently been hospitalized and has undergone surgery. Perhaps he is more ill than we know. Even an 83-year-old Prince may fear death, and like the moving Dylan Thomas poem, he is raging 'against the dying of the light.'

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


Dylan Thomas

I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt at this point. People facing death are not always stiff-lipped and noble.
 
Now I have had some time to think a lot, this might be an explanation. Maybe he just doesnt want to be put in a crypt to be embalmed.
Maybe he wants to be buried at the outside graveyard in Roskilde, where the Queens parents are laid to rest.
If that is the issue, I actually do understand, but then the Royal House should have communicated that out.
 
I don't understand why the DRF decided to comment on this at all. Was it somehow leaked to the press? Because otherwise it's been a disastrous decision to share this news with the public before the time came. If the Danes had found out at the time of Henrik's death there would be shock, yes, but also sadness about his death, sympathy for the family, etc that would take the edge off the decision a little. To be blunt, it would be one of several major news angles instead of the only one.

I think they commented, and in such blunt words, because they have more than enough.
The talk about being King went on for years, sometimes even publicly when Henrik brought it up at some press conference and Margrethe had to step in.
When he didn't stop, I believe they tried to sideline him by announcing his retirement, and now this.
I am tolerant and like a free opinion, but this wanting to be King topic has been ridiculous from the start and was getting nowhere.
You need to know and respect certain things when you marry into royalty.
Everybody has the right to decide where to be rested and where not, but this decision only screems petty revenge to the family who prevented him to be King.
Had he explained that he wants to be buried with his family in France because in the end this is the country of his birth, so what, nobody would care.
But announcing it now and not eg in a testament is only to embarrass people and show hurt and anger towards them.
 
Thank you, Muhler, for your coverage and analysis of this odd development in the affairs of the DRF. All I can say is that I hope PH reads all the media coverage and understands that he has made a serious strategic mistake. Relations with the Court must be at an all-time low for this news to have been released in this way.
 
There is nothing wrong with the wishes of Prince Henrik.

There have been other royals in Europe opposing the idea to be interred in a crypt (preferring to be buried in the earth), opposing the idea to be embalmed (preferring to leave it to nature), opposing the idea to te "purified" in a chamber (preferring to follow normal decomposition), opposing the idea to be parted (the heart in place A and the body in place B) but preferring to keep the body intact, opposing the idea to laid at rest in a country (preferring to be buried in another country) etc. etc. etc.

As funerary arrangements are a person's very last wish, there is no need to mock the Prince for it.

Thank you, Muhler, for your coverage and analysis of this odd development in the affairs of the DRF. All I can say is that I hope PH reads all the media coverage and understands that he has made a serious strategic mistake. Relations with the Court must be at an all-time low for this news to have been released in this way.

Strategic mistake? We are talking about a person's last wish what should happen to his remains. We are not talking about an advertorial campaign to launch a new flavour to the Coca-Cola range...

Now I have had some time to think a lot, this might be an explanation. Maybe he just doesnt want to be put in a crypt to be embalmed.
Maybe he wants to be buried at the outside graveyard in Roskilde, where the Queens parents are laid to rest.
If that is the issue, I actually do understand, but then the Royal House should have communicated that out.

Ha, thank you for your refreshing and sound opinion! Amen to that.
:flowers:
 
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There is nothing wrong with the wishes of Prince Henrik.

There have been other royals in Europe opposing the idea to be interred in a crypt (preferring to be buried in the earth), opposing the idea to be embalmed (preferring to leave it to nature), opposing the idea to te "purified" in a chamber (preferring to follow normal decomposition), opposing the idea to be parted (the heart in place A and the body in place B) but preferring to keep the body intact, opposing the idea to laid at rest in a country (preferring to be buried in another country) etc. etc. etc.

As funerary arrangements are a person's very last wish, there is no need to mock the Prince for it.

His reasons have nothing to do with not wanting to be buried in a crypt or preferring to be buried in the earth. His reasons were made quite clear by Lene Balleby/the court. If he was given the title "King Consort" (or whatever he wants) today, he would be perfectly happy to lie in the already ready made crypt. The crypt he has been involved in planning, death mask and all.
 
There is nothing wrong with the wishes of Prince Henrik.

There have been other royals in Europe opposing the idea to be interred in a crypt (preferring to be buried in the earth), opposing the idea to be embalmed (preferring to leave it to nature), opposing the idea to te "purified" in a chamber (preferring to follow normal decomposition), opposing the idea to be parted (the heart in place A and the body in place B) but preferring to keep the body intact, opposing the idea to laid at rest in a country (preferring to be buried in another country) etc. etc. etc.

As funerary arrangements are a person's very last wish, there is no need to mock the Prince for it.

You are correct Duc_et_Pair, there is nothing wrong with his wishes. But it is VERY clear why he is doing it:

"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.
That dissatisfaction has in later years taken up more and more room. 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."

His reasoning has nothing to do with the laws of nature. It is based on his pure childish and narcissistic beliefs.
 
For whatever reasons he has done this I find it really sad for his wife. Take away all the royal parts of their lives and you have a married couple who will be buried apart. After all those years really sad
 
Strategic mistake? We are talking about a person's last wish what should happen to his remains. We are not talking about an advertorial campaign to launch a new flavour to the Coca-Cola range...



There are nuances in this decision by PH which are very obvious to many on this forum. It is not a straight-forward personal preference, as many others have observed here. It does seem to have an element of spite, and that is having repercussions in how PH is regarded. That's something I cannot help but feel sad about. He must have been aware of the ramifications, that's why I think that he made a strategic mistake. It will now take something extraordinary to turn public opinion in Denmark back in his favour.

But in the end, it's not down to how you or I see it, but the people of Denmark. I wish them the best in managing this situation.
 
There is nothing wrong with the wishes of Prince Henrik.

There have been other royals in Europe opposing the idea to be interred in a crypt (preferring to be buried in the earth), opposing the idea to be embalmed (preferring to leave it to nature), opposing the idea to te "purified" in a chamber (preferring to follow normal decomposition), opposing the idea to be parted (the heart in place A and the body in place B) but preferring to keep the body intact, opposing the idea to laid at rest in a country (preferring to be buried in another country) etc. etc. etc.

As funerary arrangements are a person's very last wish, there is no need to mock the Prince for it.

Except that's NOT why he made this choice?

The press release and the interview with the Press Officer made it VERY CLEAR that Henrik refused to be buried together with Margrethe because of his long-time dissatisfaction with his title and position.

They didn't even try to hide it by citing some sentimental or cultural reason. It's purely out of spite and that's why it's appalling and disrespectful to his wife of 50 YEARS.

If he had any problems with the burial traditions, he could have said it a long time ago, a decade or two, before the court has LONG begun planning for their eventual deaths. Not when the sarcophagus is complete and the cathedral site renovated.
 
Well, the editorials this morning are very harsh! Even the first political comment is very hard.

Eksperter: Prins Henrik straffer Dronningen og tager den ultimative hævn - TV 2

The serious royal reporter from the conservative newspaper Berlingske, Thomas Larsen, says under the headline: Prince Henrik's fatal letdown of the Queen:
"With his demonstrative and selfish decision about not wanting to be buried next to his wife (formal), Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik is creating an unworthy end to his marriage and work for the DRF".

The serious and mainly republican newspaper Politiken believe PH is punishing QMII for not becoming king in Denmark. "That's why his annoyance reach into death, and he plays the trumph and in that punish and discredit both the Queen and the royal family".

Royal corespondent from DR1, Anette Kokholm, says: "I think people must understand it like that the dissatisfaction which Prince Henrik has expressed for a lot of years has not gone away and that it is so overwhelming that he presents the ultimate revenge".

The businessman, Asger Aamund, who is often heard in any debate, says: "It's not a good idea he has had. He has known all along what he went into.
So you can't come in in the middle of the whole thing and want to be king. It's sad for the Queen that he out with this primitive rebellion. She didn't deserve that".

The self-declared ultra royalist, Jim Lyngvild, who is also not afraid of speaking his mind when a member of the DRF goofs, says: "It might be that the man is suffering from mild dementia or going nuts. But I will not stand for this. That you first say: that I will not celebrate my golden anniversary with the women who has been by my side for a whole life, and that you will not be buried with her. Then get a divorce. Leave her. Renounce your apanage, you old a**hole".

The long-time royal reporter, Lally Hoffmann, believe it's nonsense that PH is not acknowledged within the DRF: "The Queen has carried him forward and done everything in order for him to be treated as her equal. That he isn't equal is only in his own head".

A leading spokesman for the Conservative party, Naser Khader, says: "It's silly and childish. He's unfair in the way he is treating the Queen. (Actually the expression is even more rebuking towards PH, but this is the best translation I can come up with). It might be that there is a discrimination in him not being made king, but that is an unreasonable reasoning for not wanting to be buried with her".

Det skriver aviserne om prins Henriks beslutning: Han sætter sig selv over pligten - TV 2

Berlingske's editorial (by Thomas Larsen) says: "With his wish about not being buried next to Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik has both formally as well as privately damaged the DRF as well as his own reputation.
It's an unecessary and way too demonstrative decision Prince Henrik has made. It must fill every supporter of the Danish monarchy with tristesse (sadness).
The decision is not only a personal low, the 83 year old Henrik also risk losing all the sympathy and respect he has build up over his many years in Denmark.
His decision is also a totally unreasonable treatment of the Queen. It puts the Monarch of the realm in a pretty impossible situation. She doesn't deserve that".
On top of that it can damage the reputation of the monarchy. The high approval of the monarchy among people is very much due to the members of the DRF are aware that with the privileges follow duty.
"With his inconsiderate/ill-considered decision Prince Henrik, in the eyes of many Danes, no doubt puts his own person above duty. That's not good".

Ekstra Bladet (trashy tabloid, but read by many) believe "Prince Henrik makes the DRF a laughing stock abroad where no one has an understanding for his impossible expectation for a king-title".

BT, another tabloid, label PH's decision as "spoiled and wrong" - "Spoiled, because Prince Henrik has always known what the job as Prince in Denmark entailed - to follow his Queen for better or worse.
And wrong, because he in this way puts his own person above the position as Prince of Denmark and disregard the historical tradition he has signed up to".

--------------

Especially Thomas Larsen from Berlingske is harsh! I cannot recall him ever being this hard before!

Okay, let's put this into perspective: While this will be immensely damaging to PH, probably fatally damaging, it will not harm the monarchy as a whole.
It's after all not a case of PH being caught pants down committing adultery, being involved in corruption or having killed someone by running them over by a car.
PH will have his place in history! Not as a man who remained faithful to his wife. Not as a man, who despite considerable problems, did his duty and eventually endeared himself to the Danes. Not as a devoted grandfather. Not as a fun-loving, funny and eccentric dresser with a great sense of humor. - No, he will be remembered as a petty man who snubbed his wife of 50 years, who in a fit of pique, snubbed the monarchy. That's what is going to be remembered when people stand at the tomb in Roskilde Cathedral in a couple of generations from now.
It will also cast a shadow over QMII's reign, because historians and royalists are going to focus quite a lot on this, rather than what she accomplished; raising the Danish monarchy from a not that popular and deeply conservative and old-fashioned institution, to being immensely respected and having a very high approval rating indeed.

This is also hurtful for the other members of the DRF. They are going to see an entire country basically turning its back on a beloved father, and by all accounts a loving father-in-law as well. And they can't do anything about it. If they go out and support PH, it will be seen as them going against QMII, their mother, against tradition.

Apart from angering the Danes by his behavior, he is hurting his own family. He is in particular hurting his wife, that I think is the worst part in the eyes of the public.
He has known from day one, that he was destined to be interred at Roskilde and quite a lot on money has been put into the preparations. If he had other wishes, he had ample opportunity to say so. And people might understand, if he wished to be buried in France with his family. A break with tradition perhaps, but nothing worse than that. But this? Now?

We have discussed PH's psychology at length in the retirement thread, and I won't pretend that I know how he thinks, (because I don't!) I can only offer my theory. And that is that PH is indeed very spoiled, and very egocentric with a very megalomaniac streak.
He sees himself as the patriarch of the DRF and he simply cannot understand why everybody else don't see him that way. He cannot understand why he, the patriarch of the DRF, is not as a matter of course, involved in the constitutional matters of the head of state. I think he sees himself as a kind of Prince Albert, who in many ways ruled on behalf of Queen Victoria - and that's how it should be.
If he married a president of a republic, he would insist on not only being involved in the political affairs, but also be publicly acknowledged as being equal to the president.
That in my opinion is megalomania, which since he is obviously brooding more and more over that, takes up ever increasing proportions in his mind and world-view. Now to the extent that he is going completely irrational. Also to the point that he completely disregards the feelings of those nearest and dearest to him. - And he cannot see it.
Without suffering from dementia or insanity he is going juvenile. He acts like the spoiled child, without considering the longterm consequences.
With a child you can at least grab hold of them and rein them in. But an irrational adult? What are they going to do? Put him under palace-arrest? Exile him?
Now, each time he doesn't get his way, and at the end he will really only settle for being the monarch, he will find a way to retaliate. Even to the point where it's completely irrational!

We are witnessing a meltdown!

And unless PH is eventually declared of being not of sound mind (and that's very difficult!) he may come up with more crazy stuff.
And that's why I believe there is a genuine possibility that QMII may decide to abdicate. Because then it's no longer the Monarch's husband who is going nuts.
There may come a point where PH's behavior detracts so much from QMII, that it dominates the agenda. Because it will not end here.
Once PH finds out that this act did not help. That people still refuse to grant him his rightful title as king and refuse to acknowledge what a great man he is, he will come up with something else. If for no other reason than to take a childish revenge on those who have slighted him: QMI, the court, Denmark and the Danes. Then it may be better for her to bow out, rather than have this be what people will remember her for. That's the highest sacrifice on the alter of duty, she can possibly do and QMII has a very high sense of duty. She will not remain sitting on the throne if she feels it is better if she didn't.
 
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Except that's NOT why he made this choice?

The press release and the interview with the Press Officer made it VERY CLEAR that Henrik refused to be buried together with Margrethe because of his long-time dissatisfaction with his title and position.

They didn't even try to hide it by citing some sentimental or cultural reason. It's purely out of spite and that's why it's appalling and disrespectful to his wife of 50 YEARS.

If he had any problems with the burial traditions, he could have said it a long time ago, a decade or two, before the court has LONG begun planning for their eventual deaths. Not when the sarcophagus is complete and the cathedral site renovated.

Congratulations on your first post. :flowers:

I couldn't have said it better myself.
 
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