Denmark’s Prince Henrik passed away on Tuesday at the age of 83, the family confirmed.
“His Royal Highness Prince Henrik died on Tuesday, February 13, at 23:18 quietly at Fredensborg Palace. The Prince was surrounded by Her Majesty the Queen and her two sons,” the statement read.
The prince had been diagnosed with dementia last year and was admitted to hospital in January with a lung infection. His son, Crown Prince Frederik, left the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, last week as it was announced that his father’s health had worsened.
Prince Henrik was married to Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II. The couple wed in 1967 and had two children together, Crown Prince Frederik, 49, and Prince Joachim, 48. Crown Prince Frederik is next in line for the throne and is married to Princess Mary.
The French-born prince was often considered controversial, for his open statements about how he was frustrated by his title of “prince consort.” The title is awarded to men who marry a female monarch, however, Henrik often talked about how he thought he should be king. In 2017, he publicly declared that he didn’t want to be buried next to his wife, the queen, because she would not name him king.
“For the prince, the decision not to be buried beside the queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally to his spouse – by not having the title and role he has desired,” the Royal Danish House’s director said in a previous statement.
Following his wishes, the prince will not be buried at a sarcophagus prepared for him and his wife in Roskilde Cathedral, instead, Henrik’s body will be cremated his ashes will be scattered between Danish waters and also in the garden of Fredensborg Castle, where he died, Reuters reports.
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