by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2012

All photos of Roskilde Cathedral and its tombs were taken by Susan Flantzer in August 2011. Please do not copy any photos that I have taken.  If you wish to use a photo please contact me.  Photos of monarchs and consorts are from Wikipedia.

Roskilde Cathedral has been the main site for Danish royal burials since the 15th century. King Harald Bluetooth named Roskilde the capital of Denmark in 960 and a small wooden church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was built on the location of the current cathedral. The first stone cathedral, in the Romanesque style, was completed in 1080 and a monastery was completed soon afterward. In 1200, an expansion of the cathedral was begun. The new cathedral was in the Gothic style and was twice as high as the old one. Renovation of the interior of the cathedral started in 1439, but a fire in 1443 burned the cathedral and it had to be reconstructed. During the Reformation, in 1538, the cathedral ceased being a place of Catholic worship and became a Protestant house of worship. Today the Danish Royal Family are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark sometimes called The Church of Denmark, the established, state-supported church in Denmark.

• Unofficial Royalty: Roskilde Cathedral
• Official Website of Roskilde Cathedral (in Danish)
• YouTube: Roskilde Cathedral
• YouTube: Roskilde Cathedral History

House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

• Christian IX, reigned November 15, 1863 – January 29, 1906
• Frederik VIII, reigned January 29, 1906 – May 14, 1912
• Christian X, reigned May 14, 1912 – April 20, 1947
• Frederik IX, reigned April 20, 1947 – January 14, 1972
• Margrethe II, reigned January 14, 1972 – present

Unofficial Royalty: Danish Index
Official Website: The Danish Monarchy

King Christian IX of Denmark, reigned November 15, 1863 – January 29, 1906

• Unofficial Royalty: King Christian IX of Denmark

Christian IX was born a German prince, the son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck and Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse, on April 8, 1818, at Gottorp Castle in Schleswig, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Christian’s mother was a granddaughter of King Frederik V of Denmark and Christian, her fourth son, was chosen by the childless King Frederik VII of Denmark to be his heir. On May 26, 1842, Christian married his second cousin Louise of Hesse-Kassel, a grandniece of King Christian VIII of Denmark. Christian became king in 1863 when King Frederik VII died.

Christian and Louise had six children:

• King Frederik VIII of Denmark, who married Princess Louise of Sweden and succeeded his father
• Alexandra, who married King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and was the mother of King George V of the United Kingdom
• William, who became King George I of Greece and married Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
• Dagmar, who married Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and was the mother of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of All Russia
• Thyra, who married Crown Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale
• Valdemar, who married Princess Marie of Orléans

King Christian’s grandsons included Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, and King Haakon VII of Norway. King Charles III of the United Kingdom, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Harald V of Norway, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Sofia of Spain, the late former King Michael of Romania, and the late former King Constantine II of Greece are among his many descendants.

Christian IX died at age 87 on January 29, 1906, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen and was buried in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral.

Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark

• Unofficial Royalty: Louise of Hesse-Kassel

Louise of Hesse-Kassel was born in Kassel, Electorate of Hesse, now in the German state of Hesse, on September 7, 1817. Her parents were Prince William of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Charlotte of Denmark. Louise lived in Denmark from the time she was three years old and was a closer heir to the Danish throne than her husband but rescinded her succession rights to her husband in 1851.
Act of Acceptance and Assurance, July 15, 1851 (or how Christian became king)

Louise, aged 81, died on September 29, 1898, at Bernstorff Palace near Copenhagen and was buried in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral.

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King Frederik VIII of Denmark, January 29, 1906 – May 14, 1912

• Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik VIII of Denmark

Frederik VIII was born in the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen on June 3, 1843, and was the eldest child of King Christian IX and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Frederick and Louise of Sweden were married at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on July 28, 1869. The couple had four sons and four daughters including King Christian X who succeeded his father and Carl who became King Haakon VII of Norway. Frederik became king upon his father’s death in 1906.

Frederik died in Hamburg, Germany on May 14, 1912, at the age of 68. He was returning to Denmark after a trip to Nice, France, and made a stop in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, now in Germany. He went out for a walk on the evening of his arrival, became faint, collapsed, and died on a park bench where he was found by a policeman. He was buried in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral.

Louise of Sweden, Queen of Denmark

• Unofficial Royalty: Louise of Sweden

Louise of Sweden was born on October 31, 1851, at Stockholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. Her parents were King Carl XV of Sweden and Norway and Louise of the Netherlands. Louise’s brother Carl Oscar died when he was a year old, leaving Louise as her parents’ only child since her mother could not have any more children. There was talk of making Louise the heir to the throne, but the discussion stopped when her uncle (the future King Oscar II) had a son (the future King Gustav V). She married the then Crown Prince of Denmark in 1869 and served 37 years as Crown Princess before her husband became King.

Louise died at age 74 on March 20, 1926, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, and is buried with her husband in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral.

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King Christian X of Denmark, reigned May 14, 1912 – April 20, 1947

• Unofficial Royalty: King Christian X of Denmark

Christian X was born on September 26, 1870, at the Charlottenlund Palace near Copenhagen. His parents were King Frederik VIII and Louise of Sweden. Christian married Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in Cannes, France on April 26, 1898. The couple had two sons, King Frederik IX, who succeeded his father, and Prince Knud. Christian X is remembered for his daily horse ride without a guard through the streets of Copenhagen during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, a symbol of Danish sovereignty.

Christian X died at Amalienborg Palace on April 20, 1947, at age 76, and is buried in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral.

Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen of Denmark

• Unofficial Royalty: Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Born on December 24, 1879, in Schwerin, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the daughter of Grand Duke Frederick Franx III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia who was a granddaughter of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. She married the future King Christian X in 1898 when she was 18. Even though she was German, her loyalty to Denmark during World War II was unwavering and Kaj Munk, a Danish playwright, said of her, ” “Protect our Queen, the only German we would like to keep!”

Alexandrine died in Copenhagen on December 28, 1952, at age 73, and is buried with her husband in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral.

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King Frederik IX of Denmark, reigned April 20, 1947 – January 14, 1972

• Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik IX of Denmark

Frederik IX was born in Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby-Taarbæk near Copenhagen on March 11, 1899, the son of King Christian X and Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. On May 24, 1935, in Stockholm, Frederik married Ingrid of Sweden. They had three daughters, Margrethe II who succeeded her father, Benedikte, and Anne-Marie who married King Constantine II of Greece.

Frederik IX died on January 14, 1972, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen at age 72. Instead of being buried inside Roskilde Cathedral, he wished to be buried outside the cathedral with a view of the sea.

• YouTube: Funeral of Frederik IX (Procession in street)
• YouTube: Funeral of Frederik IX (Procession in the cathedral)

Ingrid of Sweden, Queen of Denmark

• Unofficial Royalty: Ingrid of Sweden

Ingrid of Sweden was born on March 28, 1910, in Stockholm, Sweden. Her parents were Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf (later King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden) and Princess Margaret of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Tragically, Ingrid’s mother died while pregnant with her sixth child in 1920. When Ingrid married the future Frederik IX of Denmark in 1935, it was considered an important media event and received much attention from the press. Ingrid was very involved in social organizations and continued these duties as long as her health permitted.

Ingrid died at age 90 on November 7, 2000, at Fredensborg Palace in Fredensborg, Denmark. She was buried with her husband outside of Roskilde Cathedral.

• YouTube: Queen Ingrid’s Funeral
• Unofficial Royalty: In Memoriam: Queen Ingrid (1910-2000)

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Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, Prince Henrik of Denmark

• Unofficial Royalty: Prince Henrik of Denmark

Prince Henrik was born in France in 1934 as Henri de Laborde de Monpezat.  Henri entered the French foreign services and was working as the third secretary at the French embassy in the Department of Oriental Affairs in London when he met his future wife in 1965, who was studying at the London School of Economics

In 1967, Henri married the then Princess Margrethe of Denmark and the couple had two sons Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim. After the wedding, Henri began to be known by the Danish version of his name, Henrik.  His wife became Queen of Denmark upon the death of her father King Frederik IX in 1972.

Prince Henrik died peacefully in his sleep on February 13, 2018, at Fredensborg Palace at the age of 83 with his wife Queen Margrethe II and their two sons at his side.

The Danish Royal Court announced on August 3, 2017, that Prince Henrik did not want to be buried in Roskilde Cathedral, as had been planned. Following his funeral, Prince Henrik’s remains were cremated with half of his ashes spread over Danish waters, and the other half interred in the private garden at Fredensborg Castle.

• Unofficial Royalty: The Funeral of Prince Henrik
• YouTube: Prince Henrik’s Funeral

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Future Burial Site of Queen Margrethe II

In 2010, it was announced that Queen Margrethe II had chosen St. Brigid’s Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral as the burial site for herself and her husband Prince Henrik.  However, The Danish Royal Court announced on August 3, 2017,  that Prince Henrik did not want to be buried in Roskilde Cathedral, as had been planned.

Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard designed the double sarcophagus. The photos below are from my visit to Roskilde Cathedral in August 2011 where this writer was able to see a conservator restoring the 500-year-old murals on the chapel’s walls.

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