His father reportedly tried to convince the king to allow Ingolf to retain his royal title after the marriage, but Frederick refused.
If he was still eligible, the count would be 12th in line to the Danish throne.
Over the years he has continued to carry out official engagements and reportedly still receives a royal allowance. He often attends major royal events such as the 2004 marriage of Prince Frederik and Mary.
But his life has been very different for Ingolf from the lives of his royal relations. He has worked as a farmer and doesn’t live in a palace.
“I ended up in Jutland because it was the only place I could afford at the time. I’d had my eyes on an estate on Funen Island, but it was a bit too expensive, so I had to expand my radius a bit,” he explains.
His first wife, Inge, died in 1996, and the count never imagined he’d find another partner. But when his mother had died the year before, Ingolf met Sussie Hjorhøy, a lawyer helping administrate the family’s inheritance. They married in 1998.
He says of their relationship: “None of us thought that such a thing could happen for us. We were fortunate to meet each other and our marriage has always been lovely. We are very grateful.”
Now 80, and having recently suffered ill-health, Ingolf is determined to continue to enjoy life for as long as possible.
He’s looking forward to Queen Margrethe’s 80th birthday on April 16 and hopes to celebrate with her.
“It’s lovely to attend these parties,” he says.
“With age it gets harder and harder to regain your strength, but I do what I can and with the help from Sussie I will succeed. She takes such good care of me”.
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