COPENHAGEN, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The husband of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Prince Henrik, is suffering from dementia, the Royal Danish Court announced on Wednesday.
A panel of specialist doctors from Rigshospitalet hospital in Copenhagen has made the decision after a series of examinations conducted during late summer, the palace said in a statement.
"The diagnosis implies a decline in the Prince's cognitive functional level. The extent of the cognitive failure is, according to Rigshospitalet, greater than expected considering the age of The Prince, and can be accompanied by changes in behaviour, reaction patterns, judgement and emotional life and may therefore also affect the interaction with the outside world," reads the statement.
Prince Henrik, 83, has been in the media spotlight after his announcement last month that he does not want to be buried in Roskilde Cathedral with Queen Margrethe II, upon his death.
The decision had been accepted by the queen.
Palace spokeswoman Lene Balleby was quoted by Danish TV2 news channel as saying that the prince's health condition had no bearing on his burial wishes, which he maintained.
The prince retired from public service in January 2016.
"As a consequence of the diagnosis, The Prince will further downgrade his future activities, just as patronages and honorary memberships will be considered," the statement continued.
Born in 1934 in Talence, France, Henrik met Margrethe, then the crown-princess, while he was stationed in London as a diplomat.
He married Margrethe in 1967, and the couple have two sons, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.
