The Funeral of Prince Henrik of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Photo Credit – Foto: Keld Navntoft, Kongehuset

Prince Henrik‘s funeral took place on February 20, 2018, at the Christiansborg Palace Church in Copenhagen. The funeral service was conducted by Chaplain-in-Ordinary Erik Norman Svendsen assisted by Ejgil Bank Olesen, Dean of the Holmens Church. In accordance with Prince Henrik’s wishes, the funeral was private. No foreign royalty attended. Members of the Danish Royal Family and Prince Henrik’s birth family were in attendance. The other guests were mostly Danish Royal Court officials. See the guest list below.

An honor guard consisting of members from the Danish Army, Navy, and Air Force was posted in front of the church. Church bells of all the Danish National Evangelical Lutheran Churches across the country rang for the half-hour before and the half-hour after the funeral.
After earth was sprinkled on the coffin and the benediction was given in Christiansborg Palace Church, a mourning gun salute was fired off for forty minutes at thirty-second intervals. At the same time, the kingdom’s flag was raised to full mast.

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After the funeral, ten officers from The Royal Life Guard carried Prince Henrik’s coffin from the Palace Church to the hearse. As the coffin was carried out of the church, 19th-century Danish composer Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann’s Funeral March for Bertel Thorvaldsen (a Danish/Icelandic sculptor) was played. This music has been used at other Danish royal funerals including the funeral of King Frederik IX, Queen Margrethe II’s father. The royal family followed the coffin to the hearse and made their final farewells to Prince Henrik. When the hearse was driven away, Prince Henrik’s Homage March by Preben Beyer was played. This march was composed in 1967 as a wedding gift to Prince Henrik.

After Prince Henrik’s remains were cremated, half of the ashes were spread over the Danish waters and the other half were placed in an urn in the private section of Fredensborg Palace Garden.

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Guest list for HRH Prince Henrik’s funeral service

The Royal Family

Family of Prince Henrik

  • Mrs. Françoise Bardin (sister of Prince Henrik)
  • Mr. Guillaume Bardin (nephew of Prince Henrik)
  • Mrs. Laurence Bardin (wife of Guillaume Bardin)
  • Charles-Henri Keller (nephew of Prince Henrik)
  • Sister Catherine de Monpezat (sister of Prince Henrik)
  • Count Etienne de Laborde de Monpezat (brother of Prince Henrik)
  • Countess Isabelle de Laborde de Monpezat (sister-in-law of Prince Henrik)
  • Count Jean-Baptiste de Laborde de Monpezat (brother of Prince Henrik)
  • Countess Gill de Laborde de Monpezat (sister-in-law of Prince Henrik)

Guests (in alphabetical order)

  • HE Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg (first wife of Prince Joachim)
  • Valet Officer: Anker Andersen
  • Communications Manager: Lene Balleby
  • Secretary of State for HKH Prince Joachim: Colonel Søren Bo Bojesen
  • Chairman of the National Forest Association: Jens Bjerregaard Christensen
  • Court Chief of Prince Henrik: Chamberlain Colonel Mogens Christensen
  • Professional Deputy: Marianne Gøttsche G. Dupont
  • Court Marshal: Chamberlain Michael Ehrenreich
  • Cabinet Secretary, Secretary of the Order: Chamberlain Henning Fode
  • Lady-in-Waiting for Her Majesty The Queen: Ane Vibeke Foss
  • Secretary of State for The Crown Prince: Morten Roland Hansen
  • Deputy Chief of Staff: Colonel Lasse Harkjær
  • Valet Officer Jesper G. Jensen
  • Managing Director at Fredensborg Palace: Colonel John Kidde-Hansen
  • Chairman of the Danish Parliament, Member of the Danish Parliament: Pia Kjærsgaard
  • Ceremonial Master: Colonel Kim Kristensen
  • Secretary of the Royal Civilian: Chamberlain Søren Weiskopf Kruse
  • Valet Officer: Olivier Laurent
  • Secretary-General of Prince Henrik Secretariat: Supervisor Olivier Lesenecal
  • Secretary of Prince Henrik: Major Nils Nykjær
  • Captain of the Royal Yacht Dannebrog: Commander Christian A. Nørgaard
  • Secretary of State Princess Benedikte: Chamberlain Colonel Tommy M. Paulsen
  • Secretary of State Crown Princess Mary: Christine Pii
  • Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen
  • HE Count Ingolf of Rosenborg (cousin of Queen Margrethe II)
  • Countess Sussie of Rosenborg (wife of Count Ingolf)
  • HE President of the Supreme Court: Thomas Rørdam
  • Lady-in-Waiting for Her Majesty The Queen: Colonel Annette de Scheel
  • President of the Diplomatic Corps: Chamberlain General Consul Fritz H. Schur
  • Court Chief of Crown Prince and Crown Princess Court: Chamberlain Christian Schønau
  • Lady-in-Waiting, Secretary of State for Princess Marie: Britt Siesbye
  • Palace Manager: Major Michael de Voss Court
  • Lady-in-Waiting of Her Majesty The Queen: Annelise Wern
  • HE The Ambassador of France: Francois Zimera

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