Burial plans anger Danish Prince

PRINCE Henrik has said that his wife, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, does “not respect” him in an interview with a celebrity gossip magazine.

The Prince spoke to the Se og Hør weekly in the wake of his announcement last week that he does not wish to be buried with the Queen at Roskilde Cathedral, which is the tradition for Danish monarchy.

In a video clip of the interview posted on the magazine’s website, the Prince expresses his dissatisfaction with the way he is treated by the Queen. “My wife does not give me the respect a normal wife must give her spouse,” he says in the clip.

Although he stressed that he still loves his wife, the 83-year-old said he was unhappy with the expectations placed upon him regarding the traditional resting place. “It is her that is making a fool of me. I didn’t marry the Queen to be buried at Roskilde,” he said.

Henrik is upset over not being named “King Consort” when Queen Margrethe ascended to the throne in 1972, instead having to settle for “Prince Consort”.

The royal household denied reports that French-born Henrik made the request not to be buried next to the Queen because he wanted to be buried in his home country. A spokesman said the Prince’s decision did not change the Queen’s funeral plans.

In 2002, Henrik ran away to France to “reflect” after the couple’s son, Crown Prince Frederik, was granted a higher status than Henrik at a new year’s reception.