Denmark’s Prince Henrik, the husband of Queen Margrethe, has been diagnosed with dementia, according to the Danish royal household.
The 83-year-old royal, who retired from public duties last year, will now further downgrade his appearances in future activities.
“Following a longer course of investigation, and most recently, a series of examinations conducted during late summer, a team of specialists at Rigshospitalet has now concluded that His Royal Highness Prince Henrik suffers from dementia,” the palace said in a statement.
“The diagnosis implies a weakening of the Prince’s cognitive function level. The extent of the cognitive failure is, according to Rigshospitalet, greater than expected for the age of the Prince, and can be accompanied by changes in behavior, reaction patterns, judgment and emotional life and thus also affect the interaction with the outside world.”
“As a consequence of the diagnosis, the Prince will further downgrade his activities in the future, as well as the protection of protests and honors.”
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It concluded: “It is the Queen and the royal family’s wish that the Prince in the future gets the peace that the situation demands.”
Henrik is pictured with his wife, Margrethe.
Since retiring from public life last year, the royal has participated in very few official duties.
The 83-year-old is, of course, Princess Mary’s father-in-law.
Henrik recently made headlines after announcing his decision not to be buried next to his wife, as planned, in an already-designed sarcophagus at Denmark’s Roskilde Cathedral. The choice, he said, was due to the fact that he was never made King Consort.
“She’s the one playing me for a fool,” he said of his wife in an interview with Danish magazine Se og Hør. “I didn’t marry The Queen to get buried at Roskilde. It’s my wife and not me that can do anything about this matter. If she wants me buried with her, she has to make me King Consort.”
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The prince has long-complained that he didn’t become head of state when his wife acceded to the throne in 1972.
“It is no secret that the Prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title he has been awarded in the Danish monarchy. This discontent has grown more and more in recent years,” the palace’s communications chief, Lene Balleby, told tabloid BT.
“For the Prince, the decision not to 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 spokesperson said.
Our thoughts are with Queen Margrethe and the entire royal family during this difficult time.
