Prince Henrik, the outspoken husband of Danish Queen Margrethe, died Tuesday night. He was 83.
In January, Henrik, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2017, was hospitalized with a lung infection. The royal palace said he was moved on Tuesday to his home north of Copenhagen, and he died surrounded by the queen and their sons, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.
Prince Henrik was born in France on June 11, 1934, the son of a count and countess. His name was Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat; when he married Margrethe in 1967, his name was changed to Henrik and he became a Lutheran. Henrik often spoke about the frustration he felt over not having equal status to his wife and son Frederik — in the 1980s, after he complained publicly, a law was changed so he received a paycheck rather than relying on the queen, and last August, he caused a stir by saying he did not want to be buried next to Margrethe in the custom-designed sarcophagus waiting for the couple at Roskilde Cathedral. This bucked tradition, but Margrethe agreed.
Henrik held several honorary ranks in the Danish military, including general in the army and air force and admiral in the navy, bestowed to him as a member of the royal family. In addition to his wife and two sons, he is survived by eight grandchildren.