Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier Biography

[GlitteringTiaras]

Name:
Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier
Born in Paris on February 6, 1976.
After her parents divorced she moved to Geneva, where she currently resides until her marriage to Prince Joachim.

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

Languages:
English and Italian. Ms. Cavallier is apparently 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.

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 and coherced her to speak with them, in which she famously noted:

Prince Joachim is a wonderful person. He is warm, sweet and loving. He has been through a hard time with many difficult things, but he is a very honest and patient person and I love him very much.

An incredibly naive Marie also noted to a journalist from Ekstra Bladet, when asked about her relationship to the Prince:

EB: Are you in love?
M: I love him very much.

EB: Have you told him that you love him?
M: No I have not said it yet, we don't talk like that yet.

Also quoted in the Copenhagen Post dated 3.16.06.

So Joachim had no clue, but we did. Hello! Can we say Awkward!! Soon after, in June 2006, Billed Bladet reported that the couple had split. Marie was quoted as saying, "We are not dating anymore!!!!!!!" as she ran away from the media.*SeeCopenhagen Post

Rumors circulated that it was Joachim who broke it off, but alas no one really knows for sure. However, it didn't last long. The couple, once again, re-kindled their relationship because they were so in love the seperation proved just to difficult. Things began to heat up between the couple 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. When she spoke to Billed Bladet about the Queen, she noted:

...[the Queen is a] fantastic human being...

Other notable occasions with Joachim include: The Fleming baptism, various racing events, and numerous pick-ups at the airport.

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 an uber major secret. Nonetheless, months prior to the press conference one could easily tell that something was about to happen... even my cat could figure it out. The royal wedding will take place May 24, 2008. Miss Cavallier has expressed her wish to give up her French citizenship as well as to convert to Lutheranism. After her marriage she will become Her Royal Highness Princess Marie Agathe.

Sources:
BT
Billed Bladet

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