Danish royals Prince Joachim and Princess Marie to move to Washington following stripping of children’s titles

Following Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s decision to strip four of her grandchildren, the children of her second son, Prince Joachim, of their prince and princess titles, the Royal Household has announced that Joachim and his family are moving to the US.

An announcement on the official Kongehuset website, also posted on social media, reveals: ‘On 1 September 2023, His Royal Highness Prince Joachim begins a new position under the Ministry of Defence as defence industry attaché at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington, D.C., where The Prince, as Denmark’s representative, will take part in strengthening the defence industrial cooperation with the USA and Canada in the coming years.

‘Four years ago, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, together with the couple’s two children, moved to France. The reason was that Prince Joachim began France’s highest-ranking military education course as a supplement to The Prince’s longtime engagement in The Defence. After the education concluded, both The Prince and The Princess were affiliated with the Embassy of Denmark in Paris as defence attaché and Special Cultural Representative, respectively.

‘Prince Joachim and the family will move to Washington, D.C. during the summer of 2023.’

While the statement stresses Joachim’s ongoing role in the Royal Household and his function as an official representative for his country overseas, it comes in the wake of the prince openly speaking of the ‘hurt’ caused by his mother’s decision.

In September last year, Margrethe II announced her intention to strip Prince Joachim’s four children, Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11, of the prince and princess titles they had held since birth. The Royal Household stressed in a statement that the decision was taken in line with ‘the Queen’s wish to future-proof’ the monarchy. 

Yet the move caused upset among the siblings and their parents. Princess Marie, Joachim’s second wife and the mother of his two younger children, told a Danish tabloid that ‘there’s nothing modern about hurting children’s feelings’; while her husband lamented that such changes should ‘be done in a decent way’. Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, Joachim’s first wife, told Tatler via a spokesperson in the February issue that her two sons ‘can’t start living private lives now – it’s too late.’

Queen Margrethe later added that she was ‘sorry’ for having ‘underestimated how much my youngest son and his family feel affected.’ As of January, the four siblings lost their royal statuses, instead becoming known as the Counts and Countess of Monpezat.

Joachim and Marie currently live in Paris with their two children, while Count Nikolai and Count Felix of Monpezat reside in Copenhagen. Given their age and more independent lives, it is likely the two older brothers will not move fully to the US, but will no doubt spend more time in Washington visiting their father and half siblings.

Joachim’s decision will no doubt spark comparisons with another royal second son, the Duke of Sussex, who also decided to build a new life with his family in the US. Joachim previously commented on Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, calling it ‘brave’.

Joachim’s older brother, Crown Prince Frederick (whose four children have retained their prince and princess titles), is currently serving as regent in their mother’s place, while Queen Margrethe recovers from ‘extensive’ back surgery.