Biographies of Prince Joachim & Princess Marie

[Josefine]

HRH Prince Joachim of Denmark

Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian, Prince of Denmark, was born on 7 June 1969. His Royal Highness Prince Joachim is the son of HM Queen Margrethe II and HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark. HRH Prince Joachim is included in the order of succession to the Throne and may act as Regent when HM The Queen and HRH Crown Prince Frederik are abroad.

Marital status:
On 18 November 1995, HRH Prince Joachim married Miss Alexandra Christina Manley, who in connection with the marriage became HRH Princess Alexandra of Denmark.

Divorce:
On 8 April 2005, Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra divorced after a period of six months’ legal separation. (After her marriage to Martin Jørgensen on 3 March 2007, Princess Alexandra became known as Her Excellency Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.)

Remarriage:
On May 24, 2008 HRH Prince Joachim married Miss Marie Cavallier.

Official Wedding Photo

Children:
HH Prince Nikolai William Alexander Frederik, born on 28 August 1999 and HH Prince Felix Henrik Valdemar Christian, born on 22 July 2002. (Prince Joachim and Countess Alexandra have joint custody of the Princes.)
HH Prince Henrik Carl Joachim Alain, born 4 May 2009.

Engagement to Miss Marie Cavallier:
On October 3, 2007 Ove Ullerup, the Lord Chamberlain, announced the engagement of Prince Joachim to Miss Marie Cavallier.


The royal wedding took place on May 24, 2008. Marie gave up her French citizenship and converted to Lutheranism. After her marriage she became Her Royal Highness Princess Marie.


Christened and confirmed:
Prince Joachim was christened in the Cathedral of Århus on 15 July 1969 and confirmed in the Chapel of Fredensborg Castle on 10 June 1982.

Educational background:
Prince Joachim attended Krebs' Skole during the years 1974-1982, from 1974-1976 as a private pupil at Amalienborg Palace. In the period 1982-1983, the Prince was a boarder at École des Roches in Normandy, France. In 1986, Prince Joachim graduated from the upper secondary school of Øregaard Gymnasium, and in the period 1986-1987 the Prince worked on a farm at Wagga Wagga in Australia. In 1991-1993, Prince Joachim completed his studies in agrarian economics at the Classenske Agerbrugskole Næsgaard on the island of Falster.

Military background:
Prince Joachim’s military education began in 1987 when the Prince was a recruit in the Queen's Own Regiment. In 1988, Prince Joachim was appointed sergeant, and in 1989 followed the appointment as a lieutenant of the reserve. After having been appointed lieutenant, Prince Joachim served as a Platoon Commander of a tank squadron in the Prince's Own Regiment from 1989 to 1990. In 1990, the Prince was appointed first lieutenant of the reserve, and in 1992 after having completed advanced training level I for officers of the reserve (VUT I), he was appointed Captain of the reserve. From 1996 to 2004 Prince Joachim served as a Squadron Commander of a tank squadron in the defence reserve at Prince's Own Regiment. After appointment to major of the reserve in 2005, the Prince remains active in the defence reserve at Headquarters Danish Division.

Business background:
In order to achieve broad business experience, Prince Joachim, in addition to his agricultural background, worked for the A.P. Møller Maersk Group in Hong Kong and France, respectively in the period 1993-1995. Today the Prince operates Schackenborg Manor, which has been in the possession of the Prince since 1978. The farming of Schackenborg Manor is based primarily on conventional agriculture.

Language:
Prince Joachim’s mother tongue is Danish. In addition, the Prince speaks French, English and German.

Residence:
Prince Joachim resides at Schackenborg Manor in southern Jutland.

Patronages and Honorary Memberships:
HRH Prince Joachim is patron of 35 national organisations, institutions, and foundations, and holds a number of honorary memberships of various associations and societies.

Postal address:
Court of HRH Prince Joachim, Amalienborg, PO Box 2143, DK-1015 Copenhagen K

[GlitteringTiaras]

Name:
Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier
Born in Paris on February 6, 1976.
After her parents divorced she moved to Geneva.

Education:
Switzerland: Beau Soleil
NYC: Marymount Manhatten College, BA Liberal Arts

Languages:
English and Italian. Princess Marie is learning Danish.

Work:
New York: Worked as an intern at Double Click, 1999-2001.
Geneva: REInvest. A company her step-father co-owns.

Marriage:
Marie Cavallier married Prince Joachim on May 24, 2008, at a church in Møgeltønder. The couple will split their time between their slot in south Denmark and Copenhagen.

Children:
HH Prince Henrik Carl Joachim Alain, born 4 May 2009.

Relationship with a Prince:
Marie Cavallier met Prince Joachim in 2002 whilst on a hunting trip in Denmark, and did not re-connect until 2005 in Paris. In the summer of that year, the couple were photographed whilst on holiday in Avignon, France. Sometime later the Danish tabloid, Billed Bladet, chased down the mysterious French woman.

Rumors circulated that it was Joachim who broke it off, but no one really knows for sure. However, it didn't last long. The couple, once again, re-kindled their relationship. The couple was seen again in mid 2006. Soon Marie was spending time in Copenhagen. A major turning point in the relationship happened during New Year's Eve's weekend 2006/2007. The couple along with his children, close friends, and Prince Joachim’s ex-wife, Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg and her partner, now husband, Martin rang in the new year together.

In February, there was a delightful ski trip in Switzerland with Joachim along with his two sons, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix. Of course, Marie’s dog, Apple, was there stuffed into her backpack. As the months progressed Marie was seen frequently in Denmark. She spent Easter at Marselisborg with the royal family whereupon she met Queen Margrethe for the first time.

Engagement:
After months of anticipation and rumors swirling on the Internet as well as the Danish weekly tabloids about the the couple, the palace finally announced the engagement on October 3, 2007. Per Ove Ullerup, the Lord Chamberlain, via Kongehuest.dk:

Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark and His Royal Highness the Prince Consort have the pleasure to announce the engagement of their son, His Royal Highness Prince Joachim to Miss Marie Cavallier.
Today, Wednesday October 3rd 2007, the Council of State has been assembled at Christiansborg Castle presided over by Her Majesty the Queen. Upon submission from the Prime Minister and in accordance with the Act of Succession of 1953, Her Majesty gave her consent to the marriage of His Royal Highness Prince Joachim and Miss Marie Cavallier.

Apparently, Joachim proposed to Marie over the summer while the two were vacationing in Turkey. The unconventional engagement ring consists of three stones: Ruby, Diamond, Sapphire. Billed Bladet's Anna Johannesen, describes the ring as being, "...a heavy gold ring..." She goes on to note that "Prince Joachim ordered the ring 4-5 months ago from goldsmith Mette Rosgaard." Marie did not wear the ring until the official press conference. It was a major secret. Nonetheless, months prior to the press conference one could easily tell that something was about to happen. The royal wedding took place May 24, 2008. Miss Cavallier gave up her French citizenship and converted to Lutheranism. After her marriage to Prince Joachim, she is known as Her Royal Highness Princess Marie.

Sources:
BT
Billed Bladet

Video clips of the press conference announcing their engagement.
Long unedited version
Dr.dk documentary about Marie