I woke up one morning two weeks ago, and as soon as I entered the kitchen for breakfast Bent and Irene informed me that Prince Henrik had died. Prince Henrik is the husband to Denmark’s Queen, Queen Margrethe. Everyone had known Prince Henrik had a medical condition (and was removed from the public eye), but many people were still surprised and taken aback by his sudden death. The Prince had a pulmonary infection and was suffering from dementia. Prince Henrik was 83 years old. The country of Denmark is certainly in mourning. The flags around the country are all at half-mast. Over 19,000 people visited the prince’s closed casket at Christiansborg Palace Chapel between Saturday, Feb. 17 and Monday, Feb. 19. Bent, Irene, and I visited the casket late Monday afternoon. I’m really thankful for having this opportunity to become more immersed in Danish culture by sharing in their collective mourning. The burial of Prince Henrik was a private, family affair. The burial is particularly noteworthy because Prince Henrik announced last year that he did not want to be buried with his wife. This marked a clear difference from the tradition of burying royal spouses together in Roskilde Cathedral.
Danny in Denmark 