Prince Henrik of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, was born Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat on 11 June 1934 in Talence near Bordeaux, France, and died on 13 February 2018 at Fredensborg Palace.
He was the husband of Queen Margrethe II and served as her royal consort from her accession in 1972 until his death.
The couple married on 10 June 1967 in Holmens Kirke in Copenhagen. Together they had two sons, King Frederik X and Prince Joachim.
Born into an old French noble family, he spent early childhood years in French Indochina (present-day Vietnam), where his family held business interests, before returning to France.
Upon marriage he Danishised his name to Henrik and learned the language while adapting to life as a member of the Danish royal family.
Siblings
Prince Henrik was the second of nine children born to Count André de Laborde de Monpezat and Renée Yvonne Doursenot.
He had an older sister, Françoise, and several younger siblings: brothers Joseph “Jason,” Étienne and Jean-Baptiste, and sisters Anne-Marie, Thérèse, Catherine and Maurille.
Some of his siblings died young.
The family background was rooted in French nobility with longstanding connections to Indochina through business and plantation interests established by his grandfather.
Career
Prince Henrik received early education at home and at a Jesuit boarding school in Bordeaux, later attending school in Cahors and graduating from the French secondary school in Hanoi in 1952.
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He studied law and political science at the Sorbonne in Paris while simultaneously learning Chinese and Vietnamese at the École Nationale des Langues Orientales.
Further language studies took place in Hong Kong in 1957 and Saigon in 1958.
He performed military service as an infantry conscript with the French Army in Algeria from 1959 to 1962 during the Algerian War.
After completing his service he joined the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working in the Asia Department in 1962 and serving as a secretary at the French Embassy in London from 1963 to 1967.
It was during this London posting that he met the then Princess Margrethe.
As consort he accompanied the Queen on numerous state visits, supported Danish export and cultural initiatives, and held many patronages, including long-term roles with the Danish Red Cross, the World Wildlife Fund in Denmark, and Europa Nostra.
He also pursued personal interests in poetry, publishing several collections of French verse, translation, wine production at the family’s Château de Cayx in France, and collecting.
In the Danish Defence he held the honorary ranks of General and Admiral à la suite.
Accolades
Prince Henrik was a Knight of the Order of the Elephant, Denmark’s highest order of chivalry, and Grand Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog.
He also received the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog and numerous Danish commemorative medals marking royal jubilees, birthdays and anniversaries.
Among foreign honours he held the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour from France and high decorations from many other countries, reflecting his role in international diplomacy and royal representation.
He served as Chancellor of the Danish orders for a period and was recognised for his contributions to cultural, environmental and humanitarian causes through various presidencies and honorary memberships.
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