With Crown Prince Frederik in hot water for being alone with a woman, not his wife, we thought we’d jump back a generation and examine his father, Prince Henrik. For those who mightn’t know, Henrik wanted to be the King to be his wife, Margrethe’s Queen. However, he could never accept that the moniker of King is higher than Queen.
Let’s jump in, shall we?
Who Was Prince Henrik Before He Married Queen Margrethe II?
Before his marriage, Prince Henrik was born Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat on June 11 1934, in France. He held the courtesy title of Count, though it has no legal standing. He was employed at the French Foreign Embassy as a secretary at the Embassy in London. At a dinner in 1963, he met the then Princess Margrethe, the heir to the Danish throne, who was a student at the London School of Economics.
Henrik and Margrethe married in 1967. Their eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, was born in 1968 while their youngest son, Prince Joachim was born in 1969.
The King Henrik Could Never Be
Henrik’s name was altered from Henri to Henrik. He also converted his religion to Lutheranism and became HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark. In 2005, he became known as ‘The Prince Consort.‘ However, he wanted equal treatment and to be the ‘King Consort.’ There is no such thing as a ‘King Consort.’ However, he could not understand this. His wife, being the Queen as her father had been the monarch before her, holds the power.
For years, Prince Henrik complained about “unfair treatment” when he knew going into the marriage that Margrethe would be Queen and that she would hold the power. Henrik also was open about vocalising his opinion on the situation.
The situation became so bad that in 2017, Prince Henrik decided not to be buried beside his wife, breaking a centuries-long tradition of monarchs and their spouses being buried together.
Prince Henrik Was In A Similar Situation To Prince Philip
Prince Henrik had a lot in common with Britain’s Prince Philip. Both were foreigners who had to walk behind their wives, and they struggled to do so. However, there is also a difference between them.
Philip understood where his place was. He and Queen Elizabeth II agreed that she was the monarch while he was the head of their family. Having grown up as a Prince of Greece and Denmark, he knew he was second to his wife, and he understood that. Prince Henrik didn’t understand that there is no king when there’s a Queen regnant.
