Prince Joachim of Denmark is relocating to the United States after his children were deprived of their royal titles in a controversial move last year.
The palace revealed that the second son of Queen Margrethe and his wife, Princess Marie, will relocate to Washington, D.C. this summer.
On September 1, the 53-year-old will begin a new job at the Danish Embassy under the Ministry of Defense.
The couple’s two children, 13-year-old son Henrik and 11-year-old daughter Athena, are expected to accompany their parents on the momentous relocation.
Joachim has two sons from his former marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg: Nikolai, 23, and Felix, 20.
The union lasted from 1995 until 2005. He remarried in 2008 to Marie.
The palace announcement noted that Joachim and his wife, 47, moved to France four years ago.
“The reason was that Prince Joachim initiated France’s highest-ranking military training course as a supplement to the Prince’s long-term commitment to the Defense,” the statement read. “After completing their education, both the Prince and Princess were associated with the Danish Embassy in Paris as the Defence Attaché and Special Cultural Representative, respectively.”
The move is noteworthy since the queen announced last year that she would deprive Joachim’s four children of the titles of prince and princess.
They were renamed His/Her Excellency Count of Monpezat instead of His/Her Highness in early 2023.
Following the announcement, the prince and the princess went down for a joint interview with Danish source B.T.
Following the devastating revelation, Joachim said that he had not spoken to his mother, brother Crown Prince Frederik, or sister-in-law Crown Princess Mary.
He also claimed that the monarchy “unfortunately” had not connected with them since the announcement of the title changes.
“It’s also family. Or whatever we want to call it,” he said.
Joachim, who is friends with British Prince Harry, is sixth in line to the Danish throne.
His children will maintain their places in the order of succession, which is currently seventh through 10th.
“With her decision, Her Majesty The Queen wishes to create the framework for the four grandchildren to be able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent without being limited by the special considerations and duties that a formal affiliation with the Royal House of Denmark as an institution involves,” the palace previously said in the statement when announcing Joachim’s children have been stripped of their titles.
It is believed the change was made to streamline the monarchy’s future.
However, Joachim argued that family should come first.
“The reality must still be: Whether you modernize or slim down, it must be done in a proper way,” he told the outlet. “It’s about children. Orderliness and children. It is a very heavy matter.”
The queen, 82, apologized for upsetting members of her family with the decision. However, she refused to change her mind.
“It is my duty and my desire as queen to ensure that the monarchy always shapes itself in keeping with the times. Sometimes, this means that difficult decisions must be made, and it will always be difficult to find the right moment,” she said in a statement.
“This adjustment … I view as a necessary future-proofing of the monarchy,” Europe’s longest reigning monarch said. She has not altered her decision.
“I have made my decision as queen, mother and grandmother. But, as a mother and grandmother, I have underestimated the extent to which my younger son and his family feel affected. That makes a big impression, and for that I am sorry,” Margrethe said in the statement.
Joachim previously told the Ekstra Bladet daily in Paris where he lives and works, that they “are all very sad.”
“It’s never fun to see your children being mistreated like that. They… find themselves in a situation they do not understand,” he said.
When asked how the decision had affected his relationship with his mother, Joachim replied, “I don’t think I need to elaborate here.”
Joachim’s first wife said they were confused, saddened and in shock.
“The children feel ostracized. They cannot understand why their identity is being taken away from them,” Alexandra said.