PRINCESS Mary has visited a floral tribute to her late father-in-law, Prince Henrik, as the Danish royal family mourns his death.

Draped in a flag bearing the royal coat of arms, Prince Henrik’s casket was taken on a procession through the streets of Copenhagen.

Thousands of people lined the route as the hearse, which was followed by Henrik’s wife Queen Margrethe, their two sons Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, and other family members, left Fredensborg Palace where Henrik died on Tuesday aged 83.

Across the country, Danish flags were at half-staff and gun salutes echoed through the capital at dawn, in honour of Henrik, before his white coffin left the castle he loved.

After family members paid their respects privately, the coffin was due to be moved again and from Saturday will go on public display in the chapel of the Christiansborg Palace, which houses Denmark’s Parliament and prime minister’s office.

The funeral will be held on Tuesday for family and friends only.

Although Henrik and the queen appeared to have a solid marriage, the French-born prince had publicly vented his frustration at not being her social equal.

He was titled prince consort — the husband of a reigning queen but not a king — and he wasn’t in the line of succession, his oldest son Prince Frederik being the heir.

Henrik caused a scandal last August by announcing that when he died he didn’t want to be buried next to Margrethe in the cathedral where the remains of Danish royals have gone for centuries. The queen already had a specially designed sarcophagus waiting for the couple.

The palace has said it will respect Henrik’s wish to be cremated, with half his ashes to be spread over Danish seas and the other half buried in the royal family’s private garden at the Fredensborg Palace.

Denmark’s royal family traces its lineage back to the Viking king Gorm the Old, who died in 958.