Marie's Family and Circle of Friends

[sgl]

Originally Posted by rylt11

Yes, I believe she is a friend of Mary's, probably after she knew Frederick and eventually became the Crown Princess.

However, she did invite Marie and Joachim to the same shooting party. That is how they met each other. I was wondering how she knew Marie. I've since read that Caroline F went to schools in England, so am not sure how the friendship with Marie formed. Maybe skiing in Switzerland?

They could have become friends through Mary, or through Joachim. I think that Caroline comes from an aristocratic Danish family, so it is possible that she knew the royal family before Mary and Marie. I didn't know that they were friends. Thank you for posting the information about the hunting party. I hadn't heard about this.

[rylt11]

I read it on this thread, post #20 --- about Marie and Joachim being invited to and meeting at a private hunting party hosted by Caroline Fleming.

This was supposed to be in 2002. No sparks, just French conversation, as Joachim was married at the time (I wonder why Alexandra didn't go). They discussed this in their pre-wedding interviews, but did not mention Caroline Fleming by name. Villemman does this in post #20.

Somewhere in TRF there is a series of pictures of Marie's inner circle of friends and Caroline Fleming is included. I think I remember something about being an old school friend, but I could be mistaken (she went to schools in UK, not Switzerland, like Marie).

Joachim and Marie also stayed at CFleming's castle (as did Mary and Frederick with their children) on the occasion of the christening of CF's daughter. There are photos of J and M arriving with their overnight bags.

I know that both princes were old friends of hers. Just wondered how Marie came to be invited to the hunting party if she didn't know CFleming before.

[Lilla]

Originally Posted by rylt11

I know that both princes were old friends of hers. Just wondered how Marie came to be invited to the hunting party if she didn't know CFleming before.

It does seem rather odd for Caroline Flemming to invite someone she doesn't know . They must have known eachother before 2002. How and when they met is a mystery to us - but most likely not for them.

Anyway, I think you have done a splendid research Rylt11 .

[rylt11]

Thank you --- I'm just curious as to how it came about and trying to put the pieces together.

I'm searching for the nice documentary on Marie, the one where she goes to her old school with Joachim and they look through her yearbook. I think I remember Caroline Fleming's picture in there. I may very well be mistaken, as I read later that she went to schools in UK.

Can't seem to be able to locate the documentary again.

[Lilla]

Originally Posted by rylt11

Thank you --- I'm just curious as to how it came about and trying to put the pieces together.

I'm searching for the nice documentary on Marie, the one where she goes to her old school with Joachim and they look through her yearbook. I think I remember Caroline Fleming's picture in there. I may very well be mistaken, as I read later that she went to schools in UK.

Can't seem to be able to locate the documentary again.

You are right. I saw that documentary as well....and Marie and Joachim looking through her yearbook.....

That documentary might have the answer. I will try to finde it as well........

I have tryed to finde something on the web about Carolines background and schools she attended. Without sucess though

[rylt11]

In addition there is a post somewhere on TRF that has her circle of friends and how they came to be there. The first is her mother. Are you familiar with what I'm referring to? CFleming is in that circle of friends.

[Lilla]

Very interesting . But sorry.......no.

Anyway it must be possible to find the thread you are thinking about somewhere - as you have seen it here on TRF .

[carlota]

is the video you are referring to the one they filmed on marie's introduction? if so, you can find it in youtube i believe.

it's interesting marie knows caroline flemming. i also wonder how they got to know each other.

[rylt11]

The video was the one that was aired just before the wedding. Marie and Joachim had gone to ski in Switzerland and dropped by her school, saw the headmaster, and were given a little tour of the building, going into a classroom.

I saw the video again, but Caroline Flemming was not in the yearbook as I thought she had been.

CFlemming is on a post somewhere in TRF which also features pictures of other women in Marie's circle. The first is her mother, Francoise. I wish I could remember the post. I am just wondering how Marie, who studied in Switzerland, had a close enough connection with CFlemming, who studied in UK, to be invited to the same shooting party as Joachim and meet him there.

They both stated that this was in 2002, but I believe that was the year that Felix was born, so does that mean that J went off by himself, leaving a pregnant wife or newly delivered mother by herself? Somehow, it doesn't sound right.

They said that they were the only two French speakers at the table, and that is how they began to talk. Nothing more, just meeting. Years later, after he was divorced, Joachim was in Paris and looked her up. However, wasn't she working in Geneva then? I don't know, I'd have to check the video again for the exact quotes.

These pre-wedding interviews (there were three of them) at Schackenborg go into how they met. So maybe they met before any separation or divorce, but didn't begin seeing one another until after all of that was over.

[Tilia C.]

If I remember the pre-wedding video correctly Joachim said that he knew that Marie spent a lot of time in Paris because she had family and friends there. So he just called her to find out if she would be in Paris at the time he was supposed to be there, and luckily she was.
He also mentioned that they met at a private shooting party in Denmark, but didn't mention that Caroline Fleming was the host. From which source do we know that it was her party? Did they say so in another interview?

[rylt11]

In their interviews neither Joachim nor Marie stated that it was Caroline Flemming who was hosting the shooting party. The quote came from a post on TRF made by Villemann, who evidently has written a controversial book about the Danish Royal Family.

Somewhere else I read that Mary was a good friend of CFlemming. Actually, she probably is, but through marriage to Frederick, not through her own acquaintances. I thought it would be the same for Marie, yet both she and Joachim supposedly met at a CFlemming event, so how did Marie come to know her well enough to be invited?

Maybe Villemann did not get the facts straight and the shooting party was somewhere else, but still in 2002. Who knows?

[Tilia C.]

Mmmmh....so Trine Villemann said so?
I can't say that I find her writing very creditable in most respects, but she seems to have at least some sources of inside information.
Maybe Marie was invited through mutual friend, or something like that? It is not necessary that they were intimate friends before she met Joachim.

[rylt11]

Yes, it's hard to say who Marie's close Danish friends could have been at the time she met Joachim. Much later, they went on a skiing holiday with the two boys accompanied by yet another of Joachim's friends, his wife, and their son(s). However, the friendships have originated on Joachim's side (which is natural enough, as he is a prince of Denmark, has school friends, etc).

Marie has acquired close Danish friends as a result of being with Joachim, but these are in her recent past. So, I think that mutual friend will probably remain a mystery for now.

I also found the timing of the shoot a little strange since Felix was either expected or had just been born that year. That Joachim should go off with a new baby at home or expected soon doesn't seem in character. He has been so attentive with Marie, always offering a hand, an arm, an explanation, always near her, that the other doesn't seem like the same person.

Could things have been cooling between him and Alexandra in 2002?

[Lilla]

Originally Posted by rylt11

Maybe Villemann did not get the facts straight and the shooting party was somewhere else, but still in 2002. Who knows?

It seems to me that Villemann does not get any facts straight at all....

[lyndaW]

I believe that Marie's Father and Prince Henrik have known each other for many years (although not close friends)................I wish I could remember where I read it

[rylt11]

Could this have led to Marie's invitation to the shooting party - that Prince Henrik and Alain Cavallier were friends?

I believe somewhere I read that the chateau was near Alain C's birthplace, or something like that. Perhaps his mother still lives nearby, close to Cahors.

[auntie]

Originally Posted by Lilla

It seems to me that Villemann does not get any facts straight at all....

It doesn't mean she is wrong, Joachim and Alex's marriage could have been on the rocks for years b4 getting divorced. I did read that having their 2nd son (felix?) was the last attmept to save their marriage.

[rylt11]

I think it was shortly after the summer when Felix was celebrating his first birthday in Cahors that Joachim and Alexandra announced the separation.

Maybe I'm off by a year...Can someone clarify?

In any case, Joachim went to Australia with Fred (was present when Mary and Fred met, as well). I wonder if Alexandra also went. Evidently there was flirting going on with both princes.

Wouldn't that also have been in 2002, the year of the shooting party? So, even though nothing had been said officially, things weren't quite right between them even back then.

It's good that everyone is happy now, but just confusing as how Marie came to be in Denmark at a private party with Joachim also present, though married.

[norwegianne]

Originally Posted by rylt11

I think it was shortly after the summer when Felix was celebrating his first birthday in Cahors that Joachim and Alexandra announced the separation.

Maybe I'm off by a year...Can someone clarify?

Wouldn't that also have been in 2002, the year of the shooting party? So, even though nothing had been said officially, things weren't quite right between them even back then.

Alexandra and Joachim announced their separation on 16 September 2004, but sources have said to various media that it was definitely in the works since late 2003 - but they were prevented from following through on it because of Frederik and Mary's wedding. Their divorce was final in 2005.


According to this, which isn't very reliable in itself, but who quotes Berlingske Tidende, who are: Joachim & Marie met a hunting party hosted by Caroline Fleming, in 2002 (afterwards e-mails etc, and that whole thing we got presented in the documentary) . Caroline Fleming also hosted/participated in Marie's hen/bachelorette party.

[kbear]

Originally Posted by rylt11

I think it was shortly after the summer when Felix was celebrating his first birthday in Cahors that Joachim and Alexandra announced the separation.

Maybe I'm off by a year...Can someone clarify?

In any case, Joachim went to Australia with Fred (was present when Mary and Fred met, as well). I wonder if Alexandra also went. Evidently there was flirting going on with both princes.

Wouldn't that also have been in 2002, the year of the shooting party? So, even though nothing had been said officially, things weren't quite right between them even back then.

It's good that everyone is happy now, but just confusing as how Marie came to be in Denmark at a private party with Joachim also present, though married.

Joachim and Fred went to Aus in 2000 for the Olympics that is when Fred and Mary met. I dont actually know anything specific about the shooting party but i think it speaks well of J & A that no one has much info on their divorce. It also speaks well of the Princes judgment in friends that the shooting party question has not been satisfactorily answered. These people obviously know who they can trust. It may be as simple as Marie being a friend of a friend and being asked to come with. We may never know.