Prince Henrik of Denmark has been diagnosed with dementia, the Danish palace has confirmed. A statement was released on the royal family's official website, which read: "It is with deep regret that Her Majesty The Queen has asked the Lord Chamberlain to announce: Following a longer course of investigation, and most recently, a series of examinations conducted during late summer, a team of specialists at Rigshospitalet has now concluded that His Royal Highness Prince Henrik suffers from dementia."
Prince Henrik has been diagnosed with dementia
It continued: "The diagnosis implies a decline in The Prince’s cognitive functional level. The extent of the cognitive failure is… greater than expected considering the age of the Prince, and can be accompanied by changes in behaviour, reaction patterns, judgement and emotional life and may therefore also affect the interaction with the outside world. As a consequence of the diagnosis, The Prince will further downgrade his future activities, just as patronages and honorary memberships will be considered. It is the wish of The Queen and the Royal Family that the Prince will have the peace and quiet as required by the situation."
Prince Henrik and Queen Margrethe have been married since 1967
The prince is the husband of Queen Margrethe II and retired from service in 2016 while renouncing his title of Prince Consort. The pair, who wed in 1967, share two sons, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim. Prince Henrik recently caused a stir after revealing he didn't wish to be buried with his wife at Roskilde Cathedral. In an interview with Se og Hor, he said: "I didn't marry the Queen to be buried at Roskilde. My wife has decided that she wants to be Queen, and I'm very happy about that. But as a human being she needs to know that if a man and wife are married, they are equal."
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Following his comments, a statement from the palace read: "The Queen has for some time been familiar with the decision of His Royal Highness and acknowledges the decision. The Prince's decision does not change The Queen's funeral plans. The Prince's wish to be buried in Denmark remains, but the circumstances are not yet in place."