How Queen Margrethe honored his last request

Queen Margrethe II’s love story with Prince Henrik was one of Europe’s most enduring royal romances. Although their relationship faced public challenges over the years, their decades-long marriage remained defined by deep affection and mutual devotion. 

Now, nearly eight years after Henrik’s death, their eldest grandson, Count Nikolai, has shared a previously unknown detail about the prince’s final farewell.

In his new documentary series, Nikolai reveals how Prince Henrik’s ashes were scattered in one of the gardens at Fredensborg Palace. The same royal residence where the couple celebrated their wedding banquet after marrying in 1967. 

For the Danish royal family, it was a deeply symbolic tribute to the place where their life together officially began.

A love story that changed Denmark’s monarchy:

Queen Margrethe, who reigned from 1972 until her abdication in 2024, met French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Monpezat while studying in London. Their romance blossomed despite coming from different worlds, and they married in 1967.

© PEER PEDERSEN

Over the next five decades, Henrik became the Queen’s closest companion and strongest supporter as she led Denmark through one of the longest reigns in the country’s history. 

Together they welcomed two sons, King Frederik X and Prince Joachim, and later became grandparents to eight grandchildren.

© ALLAN MOE

Margrethe often spoke openly about marrying for love rather than duty.

“Marriage is about two people understanding each other and still being able to surprise one another from time to time. I never wanted to marry without love simply so I could become queen, because that would have deceived both my parents and Denmark,” she once said.

© Luc Castel

The prince’s final wish:

Following Prince Henrik’s death in 2018, the Danish Royal House announced that his final wishes would be honored.

Part of his ashes would be placed in an urn in the private gardens of Fredensborg Palace, while the remaining ashes would be scattered in Danish waters. At the time, the palace said the royal family had gathered privately for both ceremonies and that no further details would be made public.

© Luc Castel

Now, Count Nikolai has revealed that the second ceremony took place in the Øresund Strait, one of Denmark’s most historically and symbolically important waterways.

The revelation adds new meaning to Henrik’s farewell, connecting him permanently to both the palace where his royal journey began and the waters that have long shaped Denmark’s history.

A complicated role within the monarchy:

Prince Henrik’s later years were marked by frustration over his royal title. Although he served as Prince Consort for decades, he publicly expressed disappointment that he was never granted the title of King Consort.

© JOERGEN JESSEN

“For many years I have been Denmark’s number two, and I’ve been satisfied with that role, but I don’t want to be relegated to number three after so many years,” Henrik said toward the end of his life.

Despite those tensions, the Queen ensured his final wishes were carried out exactly as he had requested. During his funeral, Margrethe visibly broke down in tears while reading the liturgy and, despite being Denmark’s sovereign, bowed before her husband’s coffin in one of the ceremony’s most emotional moments.

© IDA MARIE ODGAARD

Count Nikolai continues to preserve his grandfather’s legacy:

Among Prince Henrik’s grandchildren, Count Nikolai shared one of the closest relationships with his grandfather. Over the years, he has regularly honored Henrik’s memory through social media by posting previously unseen family photographs and even recreating images originally taken by the late prince.

© Nina Franova

Many of those memories were made at the family’s beloved Château de Cayx vineyard in southern France, where Henrik spent some of his happiest moments away from royal protocol.

With this latest revelation, Nikolai has once again highlighted the enduring bond between his grandparents. Showing that, despite public disagreements and the passing of time, the love between Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik remained at the heart of their remarkable royal story.