Prince Joachim's wife is Princess Mary's doppelgänger

The younger brother of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Prince Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian was born on 7 June 1969 to Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik.

He is sixth in line to the Danish throne, after his brother Frederik and Frederik’s four children.

Who is Prince Joachim married to?

Joachim is married to Princess Marie of Denmark [formerly Marie Cavallier], who is his second wife. The couple first met at a dinner party when Joachim was married to his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Fredensborg. Marie is French, and Joachim was the only other guest who spoke French, so they were seated next to each other. “Marie had never been to Denmark, it was fun to talk to her,” he has said. “Our romance, however, started much later.” The pair were first seen together in 2005 on holiday – the same year Joachim and Alexandra got divorced. They announced their engagement in 2007, and were married at Møgeltønder Church on 24 May 2008.

Why does Princess Marie look so much like Princess Mary?

Much has been made of the fact that Joachim and his big brother Frederik married women who look very similar. Some royal watchers believe the likeness between the two women has been a bone of contention between the brothers, with Frederik feeling that Joachim was trying to copy every aspect of his life. It’s also been reported that Marie is jealous of Mary’s role as Queen in waiting, and feels pushed aside by current monarch, Queen Margrethe. “It’s no secret behind palace walls that Marie is jealous of Mary and does whatever she can to make her life hell,” according to a royal insider. As well as looking alike, having almost the same name, and a very similar dress-sense, both women worked in advertising before marrying into the royal family.

Who was Prince Joachim’s first wife?

Joachim married his first wife, Alexandra Manley, in 1995. Alexandra become known as Alexandra, Princess of Denmark. The couple announced their separation in 2004, after months of speculation they had grown apart.

“After many difficult considerations, we have jointly decided to separate with the intention of seeking a divorce," they said in a statement. They divorced in 2005. When Alexandra remarried in 2007, she lost her title and became known as Alexandra, Countess of Frediksborg. She has since divorced again.

Does Prince Joachim have any children?

Yes, he has four children. He has two sons from his first marriage, Prince Nikolai, who was born in 1999, and Prince Felix, who was born in 2002. With his second wife, he has Prince Henrik, who was born in 2009, and Princess Athena, who was born in 2012.

Is Prince Joachim happily married?

Yes, he has spoken openly about how happy Princess Marie makes him, saying she’s “extremely attractive”, and that there is “something very profound” about her.

He is also on friendly terms with his first wife, Alexandra. Joachim and Marie regularly spend New Year’s celebrations with Alexandra, and Alexandra was at the family celebrations for her and Joachim’s son Felix’s 18th birthday as well.

What does Prince Joachim do?

He works in the military, where his career started in 1987. He became a lieutenant colonel, and in 2019 he and his family moved to France where he enrolled in France’s highest ranking military leadership training, after being invited to do so by the French minister of Defence. He passed his training in June 2020, and was the first ever Danish officer to do so.

He also has business interests; he owns and runs faming and forestry operations, based on conventional agriculture. He also collects a royal salary.

He is due to start his ‘dream job’ as a diplomat at the Danish Embassy in Paris, in September 2020.

Where does Prince Joachim live?

Joachim’s official Danish residence is at the royal palace of Emiliekildevej in Copenhagen, but in April 2020, he announced that when he is not in Paris, his family will move to the Danish Schackenborg Castle, where they have previously lived for short periods of time. He and Princess Marie are on the board at the castle, so regularly return to live there. Princess Marie has said it is where she feels most at home: “This is where Prince Joachim and I got married. This is where our lovely children were born. And, therefore, it is the place where I feel at home,” she said.

Does Prince Joachim like being part of the royal family?

When Prince Joachim announced he and his family would be moving to France to allow him to complete his military training, speculation grew that he was trying to distance himself from the royal family, with the Danish press reporting that Joachim was “keeping his future options open,” and considering “cutting his ties” with the rest of the family.

Prince Joachim announced publicly he was “strongly encouraged to move to France by the Queen.” However, this didn’t stop the rumour mill spinning, with some suggesting this simply added weight to the theory that Prince Joachim isn’t well-liked by his own family.

Do Prince Joachim and Crown Prince Frederik get on?

There have been rumours of a feud between the two brothers for many years. It’s believed Joachim felt Frederik, who was known as a party boy before he married Princess Mary, was always treated as the favourite by their parents, and given special dispensation as the heir, despite his “lax attitude” to his royal obligations. This was thought to have caused some resentment on the behalf of Prince Joachim. There has also reportedly been some competition between their wives, Princess Mary and Princess Marie, who look strikingly similar.

Rumours of a feud were put to bed in October 2019, when Joachim, Frederik and their wives met up in Paris. They were seen hugging each other, and Frederik told reporters it was “great” to see his brother.

How many languages does Prince Joachim speak?

His mother tongue is Danish, but he also speaks fluent French, English and German.

What’s happening with Prince Joachim’s health?

On Friday 24 July, Prince Joachim was rushed to Toulouse University hospital in France, where he was operated on immediately for a blood clot on the brain. The surgery was successful.

His doctors later announced: “The blood clot in the brain was due to a sudden dissection of an artery, and the hospital’s medical team estimates that the risk of recurrence is very small once the artery has healed….It is the doctor’s assessment that Prince Joachim will not have physical or other consequences as a result of the blood clot.”

Prince Joachim has no history of illness.

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