According to local media reports, Prince Joachim of Denmark and his family are relocating to the United States after he got a new job in the defense industry in Washington.
The Danish king, 53, has decided to move to Washington DC with his wife Princess Marie and their two young children, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, Danish newspaper BT reported.
The royal couple currently reside in Paris, where the prince has been working as a defense attaché since 2020. However, that job is expected to end in June, meaning they’ll likely be hoisting the sticks in the second half of the year.
The new job could mean Joachim will move even further from Denmark after a turbulent autumn in the Danish royal family after his mother, Queen Margrethe II, stripped his four children of their prince and princess titles.
Prince Joachim plans to move to the United States with his family after his children Princess Athena, 10 (third from left) Prince Henrik, 13, (right) were stripped of their titles, local media report
Prince Joachim’s children Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, will all lose their titles as of January 1, 2023
The communications department of the Danish royal court did not confirm the impending move reported by Joachim.
In September, the Danish monarch announced that her grandchildren Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, will no longer wear His/Her Highness titles from January 2023.
At the time, the monarch insisted the move would be “good for them in their future” and would allow the children – who have retained their positions in the line of succession – to “manage their own lives, unconstrained by particular considerations and duties to become,” which entails formal affiliation with the Danish royal family.
However, Prince Joachim publicly spoke out against his mother’s decision in the days that followed – claiming his children had been “harmed” in the process.
In September Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. 82, announced that four of her grandchildren will no longer have titles of His/Her Highness
Prince Joachim gave an update on his relationship with his family as he attended the annual Christmas bazaar at the Church of Denmark in Paris with his wife Princess Marie on Friday
Two months later, the sixth in line to the throne recently admitted there was a lack of “communication” within the royal family leading up to the shock announcement.
He told local news outlet BT: “There is a lot to do. What was missing was communication. Now we have got to know each other and are on the right track.”
Earlier this month it was announced that the Danish royal family will spend Christmas separately this year.
According to an official household announcement, Queen Margrethe will spend the festive season as usual at Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus.
Queen Margrethe beamed as she arrived for the revival of the ballet The Nutcracker at Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen last weekend
Also taking part in the ballet were their eldest son Crown Prince Frederik (left), his wife Crown Princess Mary and their two youngest children, twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine
The monarch will be joined by her younger sister Princess Beneikte and a group of “private friends”.
From a title: The four grandchildren who will no longer be TRHs
Nikolai from Denmark, 23: The Copenhagen Business School student and model regularly tops lists of the world’s most eligible bachelors. He lives in Denmark but has jetted all over the world to walk for designers in Paris and London. Nikolai also appeared on the cover of Vogue Scandinavia.
Felix of Denmark, 20: Following in his brother’s footsteps, Prince Felix has also found success as a model and starred in an advertising campaign for Georg Jensen. He had a brief stint at the Royal Danish Military Academy but quit after two months because “it wasn’t for him”.
Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, from Denmark: The youngest of Prince Joachim’s four children, Henrik and Athena, are the product of his second marriage to Princess Marie. They live with their parents in Paris.
Meanwhile, Queen Margrethe’s eldest son Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, 54, will travel to Australia with his wife Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, 50, and their children Prince Christian, 17, Princess Isabella, 15, and Prince Vincent, 11 . and Princess Josephine, 11.
The official announcement highlighted that “it has been five years since the Crown Prince and Princess and their four children last visited the Crown Princess’ homeland” as a reason for not spending Christmas in Denmark this year.
Additionally, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie will be spending Christmas with their children on a “longer-planned trip abroad” – although the household has not revealed the location.
Shortly after his children’s titles were stripped, Prince Joachim claimed he was given just five days’ notice before the news was made public.
Instead of being princes and princesses, they will be counts and countess and referred to as Your Excellencies.
Following their announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish embassy in Paris, where he lives with his French-born wife Princess Marie and their two youngest children, and said his four children were “hurt” by their grandmother’s decision been.
Meanwhile, his ex-wife Alexandra, 58, who was married to Prince Joachim for 10 years until 2005, said their sons felt “left out” by the institution and the decision came like a “bolt from the blue”.
Prince Joachim of Denmark said his four children were hurt by their grandmother Queen Margrethe’s decision to strip them of their royal titles, speaking for the first time since the bombing announcement in September
It was reported that Prince Joachim was first informed of his mother’s decision in May, but he claimed at the time that he was only informed of the decision five days beforehand.
“I had five days to tell them. I was presented with a plan in May, which was broadly that it would happen when the children each turned 25.
“Now I only had five days to tell them. Athena will be 11 in January,” he clarified
The Royal Household then released a further statement, which read: “As the Queen said yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming.
“We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope the Queen’s desire to future-proof the royal household will be respected.”