Princess Mary's father-in-law makes surprising announcement
It has been revealed that Danish Prince Consort Henrik, father-in-law to Aussie-born Princess Mary, has broken royal tradition by choosing not to be buried alongside his wife, Queen Margrethe II, in Roskilde Cathedral when the time comes.
The 83-year-old French-born prince hasn’t been shy about his frustration in being consigned to a supporting role in his wife’s reign, arguing that since they were not equals in life, they should not be so in death.
“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,” Lene Balleby, the Royal Danish House’s director of communications, told BT. “This discontent has grown more and more in recent years."
“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.”
Prince Henrik retired from his role as prince consort last year, and while still being married to the queen and still “officially” living with her, has been spending much of his time in his homeland of France, taking on much fewer royal duties.
Despite this, Balleby confirmed Henrik still plans on being buried in Denmark. “[He] loves Denmark and worked for Denmark for more than 50 years,” she explained. “The prince therefore wants to be buried in Denmark, but the details have not been settled yet.”