Prince Henrik, husband of Danish Queen Margarethe II has died. He passed away at Fredensborg Palace with the Queen and his two sons at his side.
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The Danish royal family
The Danish monarchy can be traced back to 958. Today it has approval ratings of well over 80 percent.
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Prince Henrik of Denmark dies
Prince Henrik, husband of Danish Queen Margarethe II has died. DWs look at other members of the Danish royal family.
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Royal Family in 2009
Crown Prince Frederik, pictured left of Queen Margrethe, is next in line to take over the throne. The Danish Monarchy can be traced back to Gorm the Old, who died in the year 958. He was the first historically recognized ruler of Denmark.
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Celebrating the Queen's birthday
Queen Margrethe II celebrates her birthday on April 16, as pictured here in 2010. She was born in 1940 — the firstborn child of King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid. Margrethe has held the Danish throne for 46 years, making her the second-longest-reigning Danish monarch.
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Queen Margrethe II took over the throne in 1972
Margrethe followed her father, King Frederik, who had no male heir, after his death on 14 January 1972. Margrethe became the heir presumptive to her father in 1953, when a constitutional amendment was passed which allowed women to inherit the throne.
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Royal wedding in 2004
Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary married in 2004. Mary, who was born and raised in Tasmania, Australia, met Frederick at a Sydney pub called the Slip Inn, while Frederick was visiting Australia during the 2000 Summer Olympics.
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Royal visit to Hamburg
Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Mary were greeted by jubilant crowds during a visit to Hamburg in 2006. Before Mary took up her royal duties she worked in advertising for both Australian and global agencies. She holds a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Laws from the University of Tasmania in Australia.
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Heir to the throne
Prince Cristian was born to Prince Frederik and Princess Mary in 2006 and has three siblings: Isabella und Josephine and Vincent. He is second in the Danish line of succession, following his father. Since the 16th century, the first-born sons of Danish monarchs have traditionally been alternately named Frederik and Christian.
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Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg in Copenhagen is the residence of the Danish monarch. It was originally built for four noble families, hence why the complex is made up of four separate palaces, all with identical facades. The royal family bought the palaces and moved in after Christiansborg Palace was ruined by a fire on February 26, 1794.
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Frederik VII introduced the constitutional monarchy
Frederik VII (1808 to 1863) was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch. During his reign, he signed a constitution that established a Danish parliament and made the country a constitutional monarchy.
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The Danish royal palace on Wednesday announced the death of Prince Henrik, husband of Danish Queen Margrethe II. He was 83.
Henrik was born Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat, on June 11, 1934 in Talence, south-west France. He spent his first five years in Vietnam where his family had business interests. The family returned to France in 1939 and remained there throughout the Second World War. Henrik studied law at the Sorbonne in Paris.
He joined the military and served in the infantry in Algeria between 1959 and 1962. He then joined the French Foreign Ministry with posts in the Asia department and the French embassy in London. Henrik met Danish Crown Princess Margrethe at a dinner party in London 1965 where she was studying. They were married in 1967, five years before she was crowned queen.
When he wed Margrethe in 1967, he converted to become a Lutheran and changed his name to the more Danish Henrik.
Henrik had some difficulties with the Danish royal system which stated that the queen was the monarch. He had hoped be known as "king" and have a more prominent role but that was not to be. It was said he was upset to be ranked third in line after his two sons,
In September of 2017, the palace announced that the prince was suffering from dementia.
Henrik died peacefully in his sleep late Tuesday at Fredensborg Palace. The Queen and his two sons were by his side.
