Marriages are all about compromise. Unless, that is, you’re willing to take your fights to the grave. In an act of pettiness to which most of us can only aspire, Prince Consort Henrik, 83, husband of Queen Margrethe of Denmark, has announced that he refuses to be buried next to his wife because he is upset he never received the title of “King Consort.”
The pair, who married in 1967, were previously expected to be buried together in a specially designed sarcophagus-for-two at the Roskilde Cathedral.
Prince Henrik has long been vocal about his displeasure with his lesser title, and in a 2015 interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro, decried his fate and bravely advocated for the rights of husbands:
Why be only a prince and merely a Highness but not Majesty, without any status? Denmark, which is known as a fervent defender of gender equality, would be inclined to consider husbands as worth less than their wives? How can we explain to younger generations the usefulness of the monarchical system?
Since retiring from his royal duties in January 2016, Prince Henrik has reportedly been spending most of his time at a vineyard in France, the country where he was born. He and the Queen are still married.
In a statement to the Danish tabloid BT, the palace’s director of communications said:
It is no secret that the prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title he has been awarded in the Danish monarchy. This discontent has grown more and more in recent years. For the prince, the decision not to buried beside the queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally to his spouse — by not having the title and role he has desired.
Truly a marital dispute to which we can all relate.
