October 25Queen comments for the first time publicly on sale:
"It was not popular, but it was necessary!"
Despite that Queen Margrethe knows that it was an unpopular decision her youngest son took in the summer of 2015, when announcing that he had sold Schackenborg Castle to a fund for 100 million. kroner, she backed up the decision to sell.
The support of his mother was there when Prince Joachim in the summer of 2015 announced that he had sold Schackenborg Castle and instead moved to Copenhagen with Princess Marie.
Although Joachim donated 13 million kroner into the fund, money, he and Alexandra received in folk gift at their wedding, the royal decision to sell to a fund for 100 million kroner would prove to be tremendously unpopular,
In the book 'The deepest roots - Queen Margrethe, where she tells about Denmark and how the Danes' relate to the Queen, for the first time she mentioned the absolut support for her son's decision to leave farming life in the southern Jutland soil in favor of a life of a large magnificent mansion in the Klampenborg. At the time, the official explanation that it was primarily for family reasons, that the prince left the Schackenborg Castle.
The book explains that the Queen knew the decision was not popular, but she backedit up because it was needed.
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"It was very difficult to drive it, and my son can not be 100 percent farmer, though he would have liked to. He has his obligations as part of the royal family, and that he must have. It was too complicated. But he feels very attached to Jutland, and the kids have a close affiliation to the area. They will continue, and when they are there, they're really there and tremendously enjoy it", defended the Queen her son in the book.
As Joachim sold Schackenborg to 'Schackenborg Foundation', founded by the families behind Danfoss, Lego and Ecco - all close friends of the royal family - he secured with the settlement of a debt of 42 million. kroner. And when the castle before had only given figures on the prince's account, there was now a high amount of black numbers, that Joachim at the end of 2015, acquired the magnificent palace Emilie Source for 34.5 million. kr.
At the same time he and Marie are able to stay close to Joachim's elder sons, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, then living with their mother in Copenhagen.
Recently, Joachim himself mentioned an interview with the Stock Exchange that he should have sold Schackenborg earlier than he did. Even though the decision had been a difficult one, had the castle over the years evolved to become 'quicksand' for both the business and the family.
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"Maybe I should have kept asking myself the questions much earlier: Is this goal with reality? Is there any truth in this?", says honest Joachim to Exchange. He went from a former agricultural prince, now working as a special expert in defense. A job he has held since November.
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"It was a showdown with my own ambitions and illusions, that what one really had set out would be the one's life work and reputation, not only should that be reviewed, but actually also changed. It was coming face to face with a reality that few might be fully be aware of", he told Borsen.
