Prince Henrik, 83-year-old husband of Queen Margrethe, says he does not want grave beside hers as he is unhappy at never being made king

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Prince Henrik of Denmark has announced that he does not wish to be buried next to his wife, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, saying he is unhappy he was never acknowledged as her equal.

Henrik, 83, married Queen Margrethe in 1967 and was later named prince consort. But he has repeatedly said he would have liked to be named king consort.

“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. This discontent has grown more and more in recent years,” the palace’s communications chief, Lene Balleby, told the tabloid BT.

“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.”

That decision has been accepted by the queen, Balleby said.

Prince Henrik retired last year and renounced his title of prince consort. Since then he has participated in very few official duties and instead spent much of his time at his private vineyard in France, although he is still married to the queen and they officially live together.

In Denmark, a princess traditionally becomes queen when her husband takes the throne.

It had been expected that the prince would be buried next to the queen, 77, who is to be interred in Roskilde Cathedral in a sarcophagus made by Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard.

Born Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat on 11 June 1934 in Talence, near Bordeaux, he met Margrethe, then the crown-princess, while he was stationed in London as a diplomat.

On marrying her, he changed his name to Henrik, converted from Catholicism to Protestantism and renounced his French citizenship to become a Dane.

By the time Margrethe acceded to the throne, the couple had two young children: Prince Frederik, born in 1968, and Joakim, born in 1969.