Royal Profile: Prince Henrik of Denmark, Conte de Laborde de Monpézat

Prince Henrik of Denmark, Conte de Laborde de Monpézat was born 11 June 1934 as the youngest son of André de Laborde de Monpezat, Comte de Laborde de Monpezat & Reneé de Laborde de Monpezat, Comte de Laborde de Monpezat{Source}. He has two older siblings {Source}:

1. Maurille de Laborde de Monpezat (d. 2015)
2. Françoise de Laborde de Monpezat (1932)

He was educated in Vietnam (then known as French Indo-China), France, Hong Kong, and China. His earliest educational years were spent in Vietnam, while his father was in charge of the family's industrial enterprises there{Source}. When the family returned to France in 1939, he was educated at home for several years{Source}. In 1947, he was sent to a Jesuti boarding school in Bordeaux, France{Source}. He attended an upper secondary school in Cahors, France for two years {Source}. In 1950, he returned to Vietnam, where he graduated from the French upper secondary school in 1952{Source}. For five years after obtaining his upper secondary education, he studied law and political science at Sorbonne while studying Chinese and Vietnamese at École Nationale des Langues Orientales {Source}.He also studied for a period in Saigon in 1958{Source}.

Prince Henrik has an extensive knowledge of military, business, and languages. He served in the military with an infantry in Algeria from 1959-1962 {Source}. He holds the honorary rank of General and Admiral in the Danish Armed Forces{Source}. He has a background in diplomatic service{Source}. In 1962, he worked with the Asia Department of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and worked as a secretary to the FRench Embassy in London from 1963-1967{Source}. He speaks many languages-French (mother tongue), learned Danish upon moving to Denmark, and also speaks English, Chinese and Vietnamese{Source}.

Prince Henrik has also written and translated several books. Together, with his wife, they translated Simone de Beauvoir’s Tous les hommes sont mortels into Danish in 1981{Source}. The next year (1982), Prince Henrik published Chemin Faisant (a volume of French poetry){Source}. In 1996, Destin Oblige, his memoir, was published{Source}. In 1999, he moved on to publish a book of his favorite recipes, Ikke Altid Gåselever (Not Always Goose Liver) with Jakob Johannsen {Source}. The year after that (2000), he went back to poetry, publishing another collection of poetry,Cantabile{Source}. In 2003, he published his third volume of poetry, Les escargots de Marie Lanceline{Source}. In 2004, he published a book in both Danish and French titles Fotos fra Prins Henriks private album (Danish title) and in French, it was Intimité royale {Source}. Also in 2004 he published a book called Chateau de Caïx{Source}. In 2005, he published his fourth book of poems, in French and Danish, Murmures de vent (French) and Hviskende brise {Source}. Also in 2005, he released another cook book, Til glæde for ganen - nye opskrifter til et kongeligt køkken{Source}. In 2007, he wrote a culture-history book with Barbara Zalewiski called Absolutely Magnifique – French Chefs at the Danish Court{Source}. Two years later (2009), he released a collection of poems in French, Greenlandic and Danish called Bruises on the Soul{Source}. In 2010, he was back to poetry, released in French as Roue-Libre and Danish as Frihjul{Source}. In 2011, it was another book of poems,Fabula{Source}. In 2013, his latest poetry collection was released as La part des anges{Source}.

As a Prince Consort of Denmark, he held many appointments on national organizations, institutions, and foundations, as well as served as an honorary member of many societies{Source}. In late 2015, it was announced, with full support of Queen Margrethe II and their sons, that he would retire from public duties, and that he was renoucing his official title as Prince Consort of Denmark, and was given the official title Prince of Denmark by Queen Margrethe II {Source}. It was  revealed in September 2017 that Prince Henrik had been diagnosed with dementia {Source}. The previous month, he announced his wishes to not be buried next to his wife, per royal tradition, and his wife had accepted his decision and the family will honor his request {Source}. In January 2018, following a trip abroad, the Danish consort was hospitalized at Rigshospitalet, where it was discovered that he had a benign tumor in his left lung {Source}. Prince Henrik's health worsened, and his eldest son, who was in South Korea for the winter Olympics at the time, cut his trip short to return to his father's side {Source}. On 13 Februrary 2018, Prince Henrik returned to Fredensborg Palace, where the Royal Court stated that he wished to spend his final days {Source}. It was announced the next morning that he had died in his sleep surrounded by his wife and two sons{Source}.

He married Princess Margrethe of Denmark on 10 June 1967{Source}. Together, they have two sons, three daughter-in-laws (one is divorced) and eight grandchildren{Source}:

1. Crown Prince Frederik André Henrik Christian of Denmark (1968)
1. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (1972, m 2004)\
1. Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John of Denmark (2005)
2. Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe of Denmark (2007)
3. Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander of Denmark (2011)
4. Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda of Denmark (2011)
2. Prince Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian of Denmark (1969)
1. Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg (1964, 1995-2005)
1. Prince Nikolai William Alexander Fredrick of Denmark (1999)
2. Prince Felix Henrik Valdemar Christian of Denmark (2002)
2. Princess Marie of Denmark (1976, m. 2008)
1. Prince Henrik Carl Jochim Alin of Denmark (2009)
2. Princess Athena Marguerite Françoise Marie of Denmark (2012)

Funeral plans were announced as follows:

• There will be a month of official mourning per the order of the Prime Minister, meaning that the Royal family and members of the court will not participate in social or entertaining events and will wear dark clothes in public and flags will be at half staff on the palaces and government buildings {Source}.
• His coffin will be placed in The Palace Chapel at christiansborg for a Castrum doloris
• On Thursday, 15 February, there will be a cannon salut in his honor Battery Sixtus at Holmen in Copenhagen and from the cannons at Kronborg Castle in Helsingør lasting 40 minutes-27 shots in 30 second intervals.
• While his funeral itself will not be public, the members of the public may express their condolences and show their respects by visiting his coffin at Christiansborg Castle church on Saturday 15:00- 19:00, Sunday from 12 -19 and Monday from 15-19 local time.
• He will be cremated and his ashes spread out half in Danish seas, and the other in the gardens at Fredensborg Palace
• His funeral will take place on 20 February (Source).

Likely attendees, at least:

1. Queen Margrethe II
2. Crown Prince Fredrik
3. Crown Princess Mary
4. Prince Joachim
5. Princess Marie
6. Prince Christian
7. Princess Isabella
8. Prince Vincent
9. Princess Josephine
10. Prince Nikolai
11. Prince Felix
12. Prince Henrik
13. Princess Athena
14. Princess Benedikte, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
15. Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
16. Carina Axelsson
17. Alexandra, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Countess von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth
18. Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth
19. Count Friedrich Richard Oscar von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (1999)
20. Countess Ingrid Alexandra  von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (2003)
21. Nathalie, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1975)
22. Alexander Johannasman
23. Françoise de Laborde de Monpezat (sister of Prince Henrik)
24. Queen Anne Marie of Greece
25. King Constantine II of Greece
26. Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece
27. Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece
28. Princess Maria Olympia of Greece
29. Prince Constantine-Alexios of Greece
30. Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece
31. Prince Odysseus-Kimon of Greece
32. Prince Aristidis-Stavros of Greece
33. Princess Alexia of Greece
34. Prince Nikolaos of Greece
35. Princess Tatiana of Greece
36. Prince Philippos of Greece
37. Princess Theodora of Greece