Prince Henrik's Tantrum: January 2002

[iowabelle]

How did they manage to calm the Prince down and get him back into the fold? I never heard how that story ended!

 

[Princess BellyFlop]

I do not know how they did it but I admire that he expressed it clearly - and didn't end up acting up because of it (like ending up toe -sucking because of royal pressure and adjustment difficulties).

 

[Ennyllorac]

What are you all talking about? I am clueless.

 

[Elspeth]

Back in 2002 Prince Henrik threw a public snit when the Queen started to introduce Prince Frederik into more areas of public life and gave him a higher status than Prince Henrik in some areas. Prince Henrik made some remarks along the lines that he was fed up with being treated like an afterthought and the Danish people had never liked him anyway, and flounced off to his French castle for a while.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1801763.stm

 

[Ennyllorac]

Thanks Elspeth for shedding some light in the discussion.

 

[Elspeth]

I added the link in edit after you posted; it gives a few more details.

 

[Alexandria]

To add to this story: The media dubbed it a late mid-life crisis for Henrik. He gave an interivew in Cahors (before Margrethe, Frederik and Joachim arrived there) that he was fed up with being third in his family, behind his wife (which was enough to bruise his male ego), but then to be after his own son in importance, too.

Like a sulking child, the rest of the family dropped what they were doing and headed to Cahors (they were going to end up there anyways for the summer, but all went early to comfort Henrik). The family posed for pictures and the Queen was seen to have her arms around Henrik in most of the pictures.

 

[Lady Jennifer]

Back in 2002 Prince Henrik threw a public snit when the Queen started to introduce Prince Frederik into more areas of public life and gave him a higher status than Prince Henrik in some areas. Prince Henrik made some remarks along the lines that he was fed up with being treated like an afterthought and the Danish people had never liked him anyway, and flounced off to his French castle for a while.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1801763.stm

I just got an image in my mind of Prince Henrik stomping around & pouting.

 

[Elspeth]

Well, it might have been interesting to be a fly on the wall in the royal apartments after that interview was made public. It was said that the Queen had read and approved the transcript before it was published, but that might just have been damage control.

 

[H.M. Margrethe]

I can´t see why he was wynig at that time... When he got marryied to Queen Margrethe he knew that his oldest son one day woud take over that job his mother has had since her dad King Frederik dide.

 

[Alexandria]

Wasn't the Queen attending something abroad with other royals at the time? I seem to think for some reason that it was a royal wedding (Constantijn and Laurentien's maybe?) that the Queen was attending when the interview with Henrik's mid-life crisis broke. How embarassing it must've been for Margrethe to be in the presence of other royals while her husband was throwing a hissy fit because he wasn't as important as his wife or his eldest son.

But bless Margrethe who behaved so stoically through it all.

 

[Ennyllorac]

According to the article Elspeth posted the tantrum happened in February and he didn't go to Maxima and Wilhem's wedding.

 

[Reina]

It was the wedding of CP Wilhelm and Maxima Zorreguita (sp)

 

[Alexandria]

Thank you for the corrections Ennyllorac and Reina. I recall the news emerging while Margrethe was out of the country and in attendance of a rather public royal event, but I just couldn't remember which one.

 

[norwegianne]

He threw the temper tantrum in February, over being placed after his son at the Queen's New Year's party, after the Queen was forced to not attend by her bad health.

Something that had built up for many years, and was, in my opinion, while it should never have made it as far as into an interview in the newspaper in the first place, something that should have been caught by the court, and most especially Margrethe long before it exploded like that.

And I think that the whole thing was handled badly by the court from the beginning, as well. Especially if Henrik expected in his wife's stead to be host, and had to defer to his son. I think that there was some mixing up with whether it was a state-affair, in which Frederik should be the stand in, or if the party was something more personal of Margrethe, in which it would only be fair that the husband was host when the wife couldn't attend. Or maybe I'm just remembering it wrong. (I couldn't believe it was back in 2002... It seems so recent.)

To be fair, Henrik seem pretty jovial about his role, in most of the biographies I've read about him, he's been joking about how he, Prince Claus and Prince Phillip had their own little club of the Queens' husbands.

This tantrum also brings to light the fact that the situation in Europe in, hopefully, many years, will see many new prince consorts. Perhaps in countries where they haven't been all that common in recent years, and that the royal families in those countries, along with the courts, will have to make a brand new protocol for what will happen. The first to come is probably in Sweden, hopefully the title of prince consort not for many years, and that will probably shape a bit for the rest.

 

[iowabelle]

Sounds like the Danish equivalent of Prince Philip complaining that he was nothing but a bloody amoeba (I think he really meant sperm donor but he was showing some restraint and didn't say that).

 

[auntie]

I read somewhere that Her Majesty Elizabeth II gave her (at the time of her coronation, perhaps?!) husband some sort of precedence over every man in the country, including her oldest son, Prince charles, to prevent him feeling like this. I think Prince Claus seemed to me a very devoted husband, who didn't care being second when affairs of the monarchy was concerned Am I right? Dutch people, please comment

 

[bct88]

I had heard that it was the 2002 New Year's reception when Queen Margrethe II was ill due to a broken rib, and was unable to host. I had read somewhere that Margrethe designated Henrik as the host, but the media there made it as if Crown Prince Frederik was the host, and the press ignored Henrik. Henrik got fed up, and immediately traveled to his home in Cahors, France. That is what I had read somewhere, but I am writing this from memory, so I could be wrong.

 

[marezdote]

I wonder how Frederik felt about this.I'm sure it was quite uncomfortable for him to be caught between his father and his duty as Crown Prince.

 

[Mandy]

On February 4, 2002, Margrethe, Frederik and Joachim joined Henrik in Caix to work this out as a family.

Pictures from fotomarksplatz

 

[Reina]

So do they actually love each other? Are they in love?

 

[Sean.~]

I had heard that it was the 2002 New Year's reception when Queen Margrethe II was ill due to a broken rib, and was unable to host. I had read somewhere that Margrethe designated Henrik as the host, but the media there made it as if Crown Prince Frederik was the host, and the press ignored Henrik. Henrik got fed up, and immediately traveled to his home in Cahors, France. That is what I had read somewhere, but I am writing this from memory, so I could be wrong.

That's the correct version. The media and the politicians, as well.

 

[samitude]

Wasn't the Queen attending something abroad with other royals at the time? I seem to think for some reason that it was a royal wedding (Constantijn and Laurentien's maybe?) that the Queen was attending when the interview with Henrik's mid-life crisis broke. How embarassing it must've been for Margrethe to be in the presence of other royals while her husband was throwing a hissy fit because he wasn't as important as his wife or his eldest son.

But bless Margrethe who behaved so stoically through it all.

If it was 2002 it was probably Martha Louise of Norway's wedding. Margrethe attended that one, but did not attend Constantijn and Laurentien's 2001 wedding. Actually, nobody directly from the Danish royal family attended Constantijn and Laurentien's wedding. The only ones who might have been considered representatives were Princess Alexandra zu-Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and her husband, Count Jefferson und-Klein-Ellguth.

 

[lashinka2002]

I actually feel sorry for Henrik. It really defies the concept of a father son relationship when your son has and will have precedence over you in every possible situation, publically, carrer wise (princely affairs) maybe even in their pesonal lives (or maybe not). How is the son suppose to take the father seriously when even in thier work he is above him? Something should have really been done about the situation sooner. I think if Margarethe and Henrik were really in love this situation would have been resolved years ago.

 

[Mandy]

All the answers are found in the article provided by Elspeth in post #4. Here is the link to her post.
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=255337&postcount=4

To recap, Margrethe could not attend the annual royal New Year's reception because of a broken rib. At Margrethe's behest, Henrik hosted the function, but everyone assumed that Frederik was the host and ignored Henrik. So Henrik left for Caix. Margrethe attended Maxima and WA's wedding before joining Henrik in Caix to resolve this issue.

 

[Sean.~]

I actually feel sorry for Henrik. It really defies the concept of a father son relationship when your son has and will have precedence over you in every possible situation, publically, carrer wise (princely affairs) maybe even in their pesonal lives (or maybe not). How is the son suppose to take the father seriously when even in thier work he is above him? Something should have really been done about the situation sooner. I think if Margarethe and Henrik were really in love this situation would have been resolved years ago.

I think they are in love, but when one spouse (particularly the male) has to play second fiddle & junior partner to the other for their entire relationship, there is bound are bound to be hiccups & bruised egos and feelings.

He went on 'strike' back in the mid 80s as well, as he felt he wasn't getting paid enough.

 

[auntie]

He went on 'strike' back in the mid 80s as well, as he felt he wasn't getting paid enough.

What do you mean paid? his allowance from the state?

 

[norwegianne]

What do you mean paid? his allowance from the state?

He didn't get his own allowance. The only money he got was from the Queen's allowance, and he felt that it was demeaning for a man to go to his wife to ask for money whenever he needed it. Especially since he did royal duties of his own. (I also believe this was said by politicians in regards to Frederik and Mary's allowance, where Mary doesn't actually have one, but has to ask Frederik for what she needs, in theory.)

 

[Australian]

I guess we all throw a temper tantrum once in a while lol. Maybe for attention or just plain fed up and need a break from things.

 

[acdc1]

He probably did need a little bit of a break. I think that being the husband of a Queen may be one of the hardest jobs around. It's hard for a man to be of lower rank than his wife (in royalty or regular jobs as well). I think it's much easier for Queens of reigning Kings, as women are traditionally thought of as being "below" their husbands.