Denmark’s Prince Henrik, the husband of Queen Margrethe, has been diagnosed with dementia, a condition that has affected his behavior and judgement, the palace said Wednesday.
The announcement came weeks after the 83-year-old announced he did not want to be buried next to his wife, saying he was unhappy he had never been acknowledged as her equal.
“Following a longer diagnostic process and lately a series of examinations during late summer, a specialist team … has now concluded that his Royal Highness Prince Henrik suffers from dementia,” the Royal House said in a statement.
“The extent of the cognitive failure is … greater than expected considering the age of The Prince,” it added.
Henrik, who married Margrethe in 1967, retired last year and renounced his title of Prince Consort, saying he was disappointed not to be named King Consort. Since then he has participated in very few official duties and spent much of his time at his private vineyard in France.
In Denmark, a princess traditionally becomes queen when her husband takes the throne, but a man does not become king when the roles are reversed.
Born Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat in France in 1934, Henrik has two sons with the queen, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.
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