Following the death of Prince Henrik of Denmark, the Danish Royal House has released rare family photos of the 83-year-old - including one taken shortly before his death. The never-before-seen photograph sees the late royal posing in front of a beautiful floral backdrop during a recent holiday to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. It comes after the palace confirmed on Wednesday that the prince had died "peacefully in his sleep" on 13 February at 11.18pm at Fredensborg Castle, north of Copenhagen. Queen Margrethe and their two sons were by his side.
Prince Henrik of Denmark in Egypt at the start of the year
Prince Henrik of Denmark was born Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat in France, on 11 June 1934. One of the pictures released sees a four-year-old Prince Henrik playing with his toy car in Hanoi, Vietnam in 1938, while another childhood picture shows him again aged six at the place he grew up, Laborde de Monpezat. Before his marriage, Henrik served in the French Army in the Algerian War, and worked for the French Foreign Affairs ministry at the French Embassy in London.
STORY: Prince Henrik of Denmark dies aged 83
A four-year-old Prince Henrik with his toy car in Hanoi, Vietnam
The prince married Princess Margarethe, who later became Queen Margarethe II, on 10 June 1967 at the Church of Holmen, Copenhagen. Upon marriage, he changed his name from Henri to Henrik. They had two sons together, Crown Prince Frederick and Prince Joachim, before welcoming eight grandchildren. Eventually, Henrik was titled prince consort - the husband of a reigning queen but not a king - his oldest son Frederik being the heir. The royal retired from service in 2016 while renouncing his title of Prince Consort.
The prince married Princess Margarethe on 10 June 1967
Henrik was first admitted to hospital on 28 January during his trip to Egypt, where he was diagnosed with a lung infection. The prince was immediately transported back to Copenhagen, where tests revealed he had a tumour in his left lung. Although the tumour was found to be benign, the father-of-two was left fighting a pulmonary infection, from which he never recovered. In September the palace revealed that the octogenarian had been diagnosed with dementia.
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."
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