Princess Marie of Denmark has stolen the spotlight in recent days as she appeared on the Danish Royal Household’s Instagram account twice in a row.
The sudden social media presence of Queen Margrethe II’s daughter-in-law is a marked difference from the last four months, when the 47-year-old royal didn’t feature on any posts.
Marie, the wife of the monarch’s youngest son Prince Joachim, 54, would routinely appear almost every month on the Instagram account before the hiatus.
The princess and her husband, who is sixth in line to the Danish throne, spoke out against Queen Margrethe’s decision to strip their children of their royal titles last September in a move that saw a bitter royal row within the household unfold.
Months after the decision, the royal couple relocated from Paris to the US, where Joachim is now defence industry attaché at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington DC.
Princess Marie of Denmark has stolen the spotlight in recent days as she appeared on the Danish Royal Household’s Instagram account twice in a row (pictured)
But the duo and their children, Count Henrik of Monzepat, 14, and Countess Athena of Monpezat, 11, were back in Copenhagen this weekend to celebrate Joachim’s nephew Prince Christian’s 18th birthday.
The family were all smiles as they attended a glitzy gala dinner at the Christiansborg Palace. Count Felix of Monpezat, 21, Joachim’s second eldest son from his first marriage, was also at the event.
Felix’s older brother, Count Nikolai of Monpezat, 24, remained in Australia, where he is studying, but did mark his cousin’s birthday with a sweet Instagram story.
Clearly Princess Marie didn’t rush her return to the US, as after the posts celebrating Christian’s 18th birthday, the Danish Royal Family’s Instagram account shared pictures from one of her engagements in Copenhagen.
The mother-of-two, who was born in Paris, looked stylish in the photos as she sported a white blazer with a black trouser outfit to present a Literature Prize awarded by ambassadors of French-speaking countries at the French Embassy.
A second post was then dedicated to Princess Marie today, after she visited The Italian Residence in Copenhagen.
The royal was present as the guest of honour on Monday evening, when an Italian-inspired menu made from surplus food was served at a dinner focused on food waste.
In her opening remarks, the Princess said: ‘Reducing food waste is a crucial step in the fight to ensure that everyone has access to food, as well as a healthier environment and a healthier population’
The sudden social media presence of Queen Margrethe II’s daughter-in-law is a marked difference from the last four months, when the 47-year-old royal didn’t feature on any posts. Pictured, Marie at an engagement on Monday night
Princess Marie last featured on the page in May in photographs taken to mark the confirmation of Count Henrik of Monpezat
Marie’s husband (pictured) appeared on the account in September to mark his first day working at the Danish Embassy in Washington DC
The dinner was arranged by the organisation Stop Waste Of Food and the Italian Embassy in Denmark, and held in conjunction with the UN’s International Food Day.
For the last four months, perhaps due to being based in the US, Princess Marie has been absent from the Danish Royal Household’s Instagram page.
Her husband appeared on the account in September to mark his first day working at the Danish Embassy in Washington DC.
However, Princess Marie last featured on the page in May in photographs taken to mark the confirmation of Count Henrik of Monpezat. Before then, as far back as November 2022, Marie appeared on the account almost every month.
The Danish Royal Family suffered a difficult autumn last year after being rocked by a row over titles.
Joachim openly criticised Queen Margrethe’s decision to strip his children of their royal status in September 2022.
Meanwhile, in October that year, Marie also revealed that her daughter Athena was bullied at school after the move was publicly announced.
‘They come and say (to Athena): Is it you who is no longer a princess?,’ the princess told Danish news outlet BT.
She said her children were put under the public spotlight and feels the need to defend them, especially after her youngest was picked on.
‘The children were publicly exhibited. At very short notice. This means that we, as parents, have not had time to prepare them for the change and people’s reactions,’ she added.
But it seems the issue is now water under the bridge if Joachim and his family’s appearance at Prince Christian’s 18th birthday gala is anything to go by.
Joachim and his wife, as well as their children, were all smiles as they attended the glitzy occasion alongside other European royals.
This wasn’t the first Danish Royal Family event the royal duo have attended; the couple were present at the Queen’s New Year’s banquet.
Count Nikolai recently opened up about his grandmother’s decision to strip him and his siblings of their princely titles.
The 24-year-old, who was stripped of his HRH status in January, has admitted that the monarch’s shock move last autumn continues to be ‘a touchy subject’ and ‘bit weird still’.
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Queen Margrethe’s bombshell decision made headlines around the world and caused a bitter row within the Danish Royal Household after her youngest son Prince Joachim spoke out against the move to change his children’s titles.
The monarch later issued an apology and admitted she had ‘underestimated’ the impact of her actions but said it was ‘a long time coming’. She said the decision was intended to allow Nikolai and his siblings to enjoy normal lives without royal obligations.
Before then, as far back as November 2022, Marie appeared on the account almost every month. Pictured on the Instagram page with her husband in Paris in November 2022
Queen Margrethe of Denmark and Princess Marie, with Prince Joachim and his children on April 30, 2022 in Fredensborg
In an interview with Australia’s 9Honey, Sydney-based Nikolai admitted: ‘Not that I had any formal responsibilities before, but now I am officially free of them anyway… I think in the future I will be freer, but I’ve never felt limited before.’
The count, who is seventh in line to the Danish throne and quickly gaining a profile as a successful model, is studying at the University of Technology Sydney for a semester.
But while he’s moved on from his life in Denmark for the moment, he admitted Queen Margrethe’s decision is ‘still quite a touchy subject’.
Asked if he was hurt by the announcement, he told the publication: ‘I wouldn’t say hurt, and it’s not my intention to stir the pot in any way. I think it’s just a bit weird still, I still have to get used to it.’
He added that while his new title hasn’t changed anything yet, he believes it will ‘make a difference’ in the future.
When asked about his relationship with his paternal grandmother, the count, whose mother is Prince Joachim’s first wife Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, said it isn’t formal and is ‘very normal, very casual… nice.’
He also insisted he is on good terms with his aunt and uncle, Crown Princess Mary and heir to the Danish throne Prince Frederik.
Amid the royal title row, Prince Joachim admitted his relationship with his brother Prince Frederik is ‘complicated’.
It was a tumultuous year for the Danish Royal Family after the monarch controversially took the HRH titles from Prince Joachim’s children, including Countess Athena, 11, Count Felix, 20, and Count Henrik, 13.
They are now Counts and Countess and referred to as Their Excellencies – and in January this year the Danish Royal Family updated their website to show the new status.
The Queen insisted the move will be ‘good for them in their future’ and allow the children – who have maintained their positions in the line of succession – to ‘shape their own lives without being limited by the special considerations and duties’ that a formal affiliation with the Danish Royal Family involves.
Soon after his grandmother’s move to strip him and his siblings of their titles ‘for their own good’, Count Nikolai said that he was sad, shocked and confused.
‘My whole family and I are of course very sad. We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone,’ he told Danish newspaper Extrabladet.
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark with Count Felix of Monpezat, Count Henrik of Monzepat and Countess Athena of Monpezat at the gala dinner to celebrate Prince Christian’s 18th birthday
The Danish monarchy suffered a difficult autumn last year after being rocked by a row over titles. But it seems the issue is water under the bridge if Prince Joachim and his family’s appearance at Prince Christian’s 18th birthday gala is anything to go by. Pictured, Queen Margrethe II
‘I am very confused as to why it has to happen like this,’ he told reporters from outside the Copenhagen apartment where he lived with his girlfriend at the time.
Countess Alexandra, mother to Count Nikolai and Count Felix, was also ‘very sad’ and ‘shocked’ about the decision.
‘She can’t believe why and why now, because there’s no good reason,’ Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen, press secretary to Countess Alexandra told CNN.
‘They would lose their titles anyway when they get married one day. Her sons are young men so maybe they might get married in the near future so why shouldn’t it wait until that day so that the titles would disappear on a happy day?’
Prince Joachim told Ekstra Bladet that his children had been ‘hurt’ by the decision – and claimed he had only been given a few days to break the news to them before the announcement was made publicly.
Prince Joachim, the brother of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, is now married to Princess Marie of Denmark.
Speaking in a televised New Year’s address, Queen Margrethe admitted: ‘That the relationship with Prince Joachim and (his wife) Princess Marie has run into difficulties hurts me.
‘Difficulties and disagreements can arise in any family, including mine. The whole country has witnessed this.’
She added that she was ‘sure that the family can enter the new year together with confidence, understanding and new courage’.
