Prince Joachim of Denmark is making a big move overseas.
In an Instagram post on the official Danish royals account, Joachim and his wife Princess Marie announced that they will be moving to Washington, D.C. at the end of the summer. “On 1 September 2023, His Royal Highness Prince Joachim will take up a new position under the Ministry of Defense as defense industry attaché at the Danish Embassy in Washington D.C., where the Prince, as Denmark’s representative, will in the coming years help to strengthen the defense industry cooperation with the USA and Canada,” the statement reads.
The couple previously moved to France four years ago with two of their children, and the caption explains, “The reason was that Prince Joachim initiated France’s highest-ranking military training course as a supplement to the Prince’s many years of involvement in the Armed Forces.” The palace continued, “After graduation, both the Prince and Princess were associated with the Danish Embassy in Paris as the Defence Attaché and Special Cultural Representative, respectively.”
This announcement comes after Queen Margrethe revealed last year that she was stripping Joachim’s four children of their prince or princess titles, as well as the “His/Her Highness” styling. Instead, at the beginning of 2023, they all became known instead as simply His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat. The change has caused some friction within Denmark’s royal family. Shortly after the queen made that decision, Prince Joachim told the national newspaper Ekstra Bladet he was in total shock at the decision, claiming that he was only given five days notice. “We are all very sad. It’s never fun to see your children being mistreated like that,” he said. “They find themselves in a situation they do not understand.” While the queen has previously said her son had known about this transition for months, he claimed, “In May, I was presented with a plan, which basically stated that when the children each turned 25, it would happen,” referring to his youngest child, he added, “Athena turns 11 in January.” When asked how this decision has affected his relationship with his mother, Joachim paused emotionally before concluding, “I don’t think I need to elaborate here,” and walking away.
Shortly after that announcement, Queen Margrethe issued an apology saying she “underestimated” the impact this would have and “the extent to which my younger son and his family feel affected. That makes a big impression, and for that I am sorry.” But she also went on to call the change “necessary future-proofing of the monarchy.”
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Emily Kirkpatrick
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