Prince Joachim's 50th Birthday Celebrations: June 2019


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

iceflower

Administrator
Site Team
Joined
Jan 29, 2005
Messages
76,822
Country
Germany
* *

Prince Joachim turns 50 on June 7, 2019. This is a thread dedicated to his birthday celebrations in June 2019.

Please take a look at the
TRF Community Rules & FAQs!



· Only pictures you have written permission to share can be posted here. You can post links to any pictures.
· No more than 20% of the text of an article can be posted, along with a link to the original article.
· It's a copyright violation to post translations of entire articles.
· We expect our members to treat each other and the royals and persons in these threads with respect.
· Opinions should be backed up by reference to published reports.
· Off topic and empty posts will be deleted without notice.
· Please be careful not to write in capital letters.

:flowers: Happy Posting! :flowers:
 
Last edited:
Hardly their taste in music, I'm sure.
 
Nice to see Countess Alexandra present but disappointing that Princes Nikolai and Felix couldn't be there but it was a Monday night.
 
In connection with Joachim's 50th B-day, he has giver a long and remarkably honest and open interview to Billed Bladet.
It is absolutely worth a read! Not least since it answers some questions we have been debating here on TRF.
We get the answers to our questions in regards to Nikolai.
We get the family inside in regards to the decision to move to France.
We learn who babysit Henrik and Athena.
And we get a hint into the future in regards to the Joachim branch of the DRF.
- So stand by

--------------
Nice to see Countess Alexandra present but disappointing that Princes Nikolai and Felix couldn't be there but it was a Monday night.

I think the boys had the option of not attending - and were grateful for that.
The entertainment at this show was something few teenagers would find particularly riveting. ;)
 
Thanks, Polyesco.

So the proceeds of the concert went to Danish Hospital Clowns.
 
Crown Prince Frederic and the royal security are the best-dressed ones.
 
I like the Countess Alexandra's dress, but What has happened to her face? (..)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Here is the interview and the scans.

Part one:

Summary of interview with Joachim in Billed Bladet #23, 2019.
Interviewer: Henrik Salling.

The interview takes place at Amalienborg in the mansion where M&F used to have their apartment, but today it’s obviously used as offices for J&M in DRF context. Makes sense as the DRF administration is nearby.

Among the trivia mentioned is that Joachim has a remarkable memory.
He is very fond of walking, at a brisk pace.
Another interesting thing I have noticed is that Joachim is usually very articulate, certainly when on the job, but when it’s more personal matters he talks about, especially when it’s something he is proud of, he has a distinct tendency to become much less articulate. I wonder if it’s a kind of shyness or a defense mechanism for a man who is usually reserved.

Childhood.
He and Frederik grew up as pseudo-twins, but there was a difference, which PH from very early on made clear to the boys:
“I have been living in that role for as long as I can remember – probably some 47 years. And pseudo-twins or not, my parents – and my father very clearly – said: There is in your upbringing and your brotherhood one thing that is set. It is just as important for both of you to know. There is one who will be first and there is one who will stand by. And I’m fine with that role which provides more and more freedom. That is the space in which I must act and in the same way my children”.
He adds that a lot of space is taken up by writing about the order in the line-of Succession for his children. “But let us be realistic.
The DRF has reached a point, where I am to concentrate more about my own core. (Family.)”
His family is merely a branch of the tree that constitute the DRF. And he is fine with that.
“The branch that I constitute, and which my children constitute, is the branch I must focus on and which I am to use my energy on. That is the task of my life.”

But during their childhood there were other things that were different. When they had playdates for example. Some of their mates came from affluent homes, others came from modest apartments. But children adapt quickly and settle down to play, like driving go-carts along the corridors.
As well as being surrounded by nannies and not dining with their parents until they were five.
And at times they had to attend something, they perhaps not fully comprehended, dressed in their finest, smiling and nodding.

About his family.

“I hadn’t been here today and I wouldn’t have been the one I am today, had it not been for my wife (informal word) and my children. That is as certain as amen heard in a church. (DK idiom.) That’s why I’d like it to be a celebration of them as well. Those five are my everything and will always be that. It’s a fantastic piece of happiness to have so many children that are age-wise so spread out. There is a young man who will soon turn 20. One who is almost finished with childhood. One who is in the middle of it and there is the little cheeky one, who is allowed everything… And who I stubbornly claim can’t cheat me. But always end up wrapping me around her little-finger.”

Q: Do You once in a while feel You have failed as a father?
“My family is with me always. I am not the best at phoning home, when I’m on travels, but they are always with me and I also hope, that they feel that even though I’m not with them, I’m still there.
I hope they all feel I have been there for them, as much as I could and under the circumstances there were. But also that I’m there now. That the freedom and the guidance they get is neither over-compensating nor too strict.
It’s alright that they feel that I’m firm without being hidebound or impossible.”

He and our Marie are very much in agreement in regards to raising the children. Joachim very much influenced by his father and Marie influenced by her French background.
“We mostly agree. Somewhere between 90 and 99 %. And then we have some we hold on to. There can be a little variation. We have a common way of doing it. But we also have an individual way to express it. That should not be changed otherwise it would be artificial.”

The later afternoon is a dreaded time for most families with younger children, also in regards to Henrik and Athena.
“Everything from waking up the children to putting them to bed. That we do differently. The children know perfectly well that there is a difference when dad is doing it and when mother is doing it. With dad you ask for permission to go to sleep. (Laughing.)”

The four siblings are very close. From time to time (probably relatively often, when it’s a few hours, from what I can read between the lines) Nikolai or Felix babysit Athena and Henrik, something the younger siblings are very pleased with. But the older brothers enjoy it as well.
Looking after the younger siblings on occasion is a chore though. That is also clear from reading between the lines.
But also the younger ones have daily chores in keeping the house. But on weekdays it seems, on weekends they are off.
“That’s how it is. They each have an age, where there are chores and expectations. Ad we fortunately don’t have to tell them. That comes natural.”
 
Part two:

About Nikolai dropping out of the military.

Both Joachim and farbror Frederik were fond of their time in the military, so it was more or less expected Nikolai would follow in their steps. But he didn’t.

“Princess Marie had prior to that asked me whether I was absolutely certain it was a good idea for him. – Are you sure he is that type? – I replied confidently: Of course he is!
But I was wrong. So when the questions of doubt arose, we had to change strategy. And then we had a talk…
… I reality it was probably more me who should have the talk with him, rather than him having the talk with me.”

Joachim did need time for reflection.
“I couldn’t fathom it and couldn’t see it as neither a defeat for him, or for me and anyone.
We live in a different age. Here was a situation where it made no sense that he continued. When that’s how it after all is and when I after al has overpaced (him), he should not suffer an injustice. But there shouldn’t come a bad story out of it as well. Si we had to turn the table around and look at it in a different way. It was also a fantastically adult decision. Looking back I should have listened to Princess Marie.”

Q: But surely that’s a lesson that’s part of it. I mean there will be three more?
“Well… two at least.”

Q: It might be that Princess Athena will also sign up for the military?
“Well… yes, as she is right now, it might very well be!
But the whole story taught me to by-pass my own norms and expectation. Get hold of yourself, slow down and don’t be so hidebound/obdurate. Better use your own age to look mildly at things. There is no such thing as the perfect person in the perfect world. That was a lesson for life for me. And for him.”

Joachim has since supported his son wholeheartedly in his modelling career.
“I’m very, very proud. I’m proud as a peacock over him. He is standing as the first in a modern age and has to both create his career and make a living for himself. Knowing very well that there is a (family) connection he cannot run from. What I told him about the modelling career was: Try it. And then you learn to earn your own money. That is one thing. But you will also grow wiser about the world.
I recommended him to stay exclusive. Because if he aims for the top, no one shall say that he was cheap for sale. The grand thing is then to maintain being exclusive. That was my advice to him and that I will stick to.”

“Prince Nikolai has in principle left the nest now and is now more coming visiting. But there is always a bed ready if the oldest one comes. The oldest must feel that here they are not guests. Here they are home and then some house-rules apply and which you take part in.”

About leaving Schackenborg.

Does he miss being a farmer? Joachim sighs deeply:
“I don’t know if I can say that I miss the life as a farmer. It wasn’t easy and I never managed to get it fully up and running in a sustainable way. But I miss life in the countryside. The big sky. And I miss Southern Jutland.”
Fortunately the family is able to go to Schackenborg often and they were there to celebrate Henrik’s birthday, because the boy is very fond of the place. The family still has ties to the region. But Joachim admits freely that the sale of Schackenborg was a major downer for him.
“It was certainly a defeat not being able to continue running it for longer than it was. Because it was something that I had determined during the years where I quietly and with delight got used to the thought of living there. You are always wise when you see things in the rearview mirror. You can analyze all of it thoroughly. What could you have done? What did you do wrong? But it didn’t work and there is no use crying over spilled milk.
You are tested all your life. You become a knowledge richer. Then you have gone a good deal further with yourself. That doesn’t mean there won’t be other challenges of a different nature. I have had defeats and they have over time been very well described. But I have moved on and have become wiser. I have reflected over the causes.”

Joachim has often been on the front pages without speaking up. If it’s made up or wrong it’s one thing. Also whether it’s cause for reflection.
“But if I feel hurt, then there is probably something true in it and in those cases I have reflected personally over the criticism that is justified. And then I don’t pile up excuses, but realize that I too make mistakes.”

His wife and going to France.

“My wife (formal word) is a fantastic source of inspiration. In all her approach to what she is doing. Everything from homely chores to her public work. Simply. She has always looked dynamically and differently at it. And not just dusty and squared. It has from the start been an eye-opener for me and a huge source of inspiration.
I can feel that I too can live through her. She can so much and do so much I would wish I could as well and I can only try and keep up with her. She’s a free creature, inspiring and dust will never grow on her. She is way too dynamic for her to gather dust. Whereas I might be… and is… the dusty one.
I wouldn’t be able to be where I am today, if it hadn’t been for her. All the way through.”

And now they are moving to France for a period. Joachim is looking forward being a Francophile and Marie wasn’t difficult to persuade.
Joachim don’t expect to see much of Paris while there, he will be too busy with his studies. For the children it will be a change though.
Marie is not supposed to be a homemaker while there. After the initial period of adjusting the family, she is meant to have time for other things than home and children.
Joachim is well aware to the speculations as to whether they will return to DK again.
“I don’t think we in any way will leave Denmark. In that respect I’m too Danish and during the eleven years the Princess has been in Denmark, she has also become attached to Denmark. A year of opportunities for her and a year of schooling for the children. That’s our starting point. That’s where our focus is now. Now the year must start. With the challenges that will bring and with the possibilities that comes from it.
The children took it differently. Because they are different. One immediately saw the advantage of living in Paris (my guess is Henrik) while the other is perhaps more seeking comfort. But this will be big for all of us and now both children are reconciled to the plan.”

“Last year we could celebrate Henrik’s birthday in Paris. He would like that. And instead of going to amusement parks, he wanted to see monuments. So we saw Notre Dame both inside and outside. So when we saw the disaster during Easter, he said: “How fortunate it was last year we saw it.
That I thought was a touching reflection.” (And that’s why I think Henrik, to my surprise, is the one who looks most forward to go to Paris. Apart from apparently being a little nerd, he is obviously fond of France...)

See for yourselves here: https://app.box.com/s/69o58vjxm2t81o2tjm35e211mzab80uk
 
Last edited:
Thats a good interview. So they are moving to Paris.
 
All what He did not receive from his Mother, he receives from our Marie.

In France , he will be with the elites because of their behaviour and he is there because he is the Queen of Denmark's Son. It will not be easy.
 
So Prince Nikolai really dropped from the military. Wait a sec, I'm not sure about this so please don't quote me on this. Constantinos also signed up for military right?
 
Thank you Muhler for posting the details of the interview. Always appreciated!
 
You are welcome, HereditaryPrincess. ?

BB will show live from the guests arriving to celebrate Joachim at Amalienborg tomorrow.
Both on their website and on Facebook.
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...rne-ankommer-til-prinsens-50-aars-foedselsdag

In case I am not around to post a link, I'm sure someone else will. ?

BB will start sending from 19.10.

I noticed that there were comments regarding the, admittedly, less than flattering photo of Alexandra arriving at the concert.

Here is a BB video, that will provide a better look at her:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongelige/danmark/video-grevinde-alexandra-fejrede-sin-eksmand
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you so much, Muhler! :flowers:

An interesting interview with Joachim. So he seems to have realised in the last years that the medial focus will be on Frederik and his family in the future. But he wasn't too clear what that really means for him IMO. He wants to focus on his family. That's great, but I am sure his family was always impotant to him (and that's certainly also true for Frederik?). So what does this realisation mean for his (royal?) work?

I mean there will be three more?
“Well… two at least.”

Q: It might be that Princess Athena will also sign up for the military?
“Well… yes, as she is right now, it might very well be!

I am really happy that the journalist thought of Athena and a little disappointed that Joachim didn't - especially when Nikolai's experience must have make him think about role ecpectations and stereotypes in connection with the military. But maybe the journalist made him think about it and next time he will consider Athena too.


Fortunately the family is able to go to Schackenborg often and they were there to celebrate Henrik’s birthday, because the boy is very fond of the place.

“Last year we could celebrate Henrik’s birthday in Paris. He would like that. And instead of going to amusement parks, he wanted to see monuments. So we saw Notre Dame both inside and outside. So when we saw the disaster during Easter, he said: “How fortunate it was last year we saw it.
That I thought was a touching reflection.” (And that’s why I think Henrik, to my surprise, is the one who looks most forward to go to Paris. Apart from apparently being a little nerd, he is obviously fond of France...)

Henrik really sounds like a great special little guy. I am really looking forward to seeing him grow up.
 
Thank you so much, Muhler! :flowers:

A)
An interesting interview with Joachim. So he seems to have realised in the last years that the medial focus will be on Frederik and his family in the future. But he wasn't too clear what that really means for him IMO. He wants to focus on his family. That's great, but I am sure his family was always impotant to him (and that's certainly also true for Frederik?). So what does this realisation mean for his (royal?) work?

(B)
I am really happy that the journalist thought of Athena and a little disappointed that Joachim didn't - especially when Nikolai's experience must have make him think about role ecpectations and stereotypes in connection with the military. But maybe the journalist made him think about it and next time he will consider Athena too.

C)
Henrik really sounds like a great special little guy. I am really looking forward to seeing him grow up.

You are welcome. ?

A) Hmm! I still have a feeling that this move is also a trial-run for the family as a whole.
If they all thrive in France, why not move there? Or buy a house there and go there regularly - a second home if you will.
What I noticed was Joachim's remarks about him now focusing on his own branch of the DRF-tree. And as you point out, he is quietly fading away. That is the destiny of his children at least. But also over time for J&M themselves. In ten-fifteen years Christian and Isabella will have a role in their own right within the DRF.
At the same time Henrik will have finished high-school and Athena will be close behind.
If Joachim exchange his apanage with an expense account, there will be little protest from the population of him settling in France and only return for the odd job in connection with some protection. Our Marie doesn't get an apanage in her own right.
On top of that Joachim is (IMO unfairly) not a particular popular member of the DRF.
He is a Francophile (and so it seems is his youngest son) and there is no law saying that a Prince can't settle in his wife's country.

B) That IMO is because Joachim is very conservative. He is not for anything his father's son. I think in regards to to family-dynamics, he would feel right at home in 1950. A father is the man of the house! The patron. That's a role he feels fine in. - That Marie, like so many wives before her, may really be the one who has the final say, may not even have dawned on him yet.
It is clear from this interview that we should be no means underestimate Marie! She may also feel comfortable in the traditional family-role as mother and the support of her husband, but that doesn't mean she has no say. - On the contrary!
Their relationship may be so stable and loving, because they both have a defined role to play - which nevertheless leaves a surprising lot of space to move in.
It's quite interesting!
Anyway, to a traditional father, as Joachim is, the idea of his daughter in the military... Nah. Especially if she is also daddy's precious little girl. ;)
But the one of Joachim's four children who I think will feel at home in the military is Felix. No doubt about that. He is the most physical of the boys. Also having boxed in his spare time.

C) He is! It's first time I really get a deeper idea of his personality. Athena, who is more outward is perhaps easier to form a picture of. But her more shadowy older brother is more difficult.
From this account, he is clearly connected to his dad, who is a history-buff and his farmor, who as we all know have a burning interest in such matters as well.
 
Last edited:
I agree with other posters about Alexandra's "transformation" … JMHO, but this is a woman who (as we now know) gave up a Prince for another man, got dumped by that man, and is now 50+ (..)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I noticed that there were comments regarding the, admittedly, less than flattering photo of Alexandra arriving at the concert.

Here is a BB video, that will provide a better look at her:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongelige/danmark/video-grevinde-alexandra-fejrede-sin-eksmand


well, the usual sexist comments about women, even when they look great for their age, after having passed their 40th or 50th birthday...
Despite all "me2" or gender discussions, these kind of archaic reflexes seemed to have survived all these controversies.... it´s very sad and says a lot about our real western "values" and society´s achievements when it comes to gender equality!:ermm::ohmy::sad: (..)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top Bottom