April 3Marie's Point de Vue Interview
PDV: Your husband, Prince Joachim, will soon improve his military training in Paris. At the end of August, you will settle in with your two children in France. It is a way to find your roots since his birth in Paris.
Marie: I never thought I'd live in Paris! I lived there until I was 10 years old. I live for 30 years abroad. This is a surprise for us and an excellent possibility. My children do not see my family very much and they do not know their French culture very well. Of course, I speak to them in French but I do not think they speak French. This move will be an important transition in their lives and I am delighted. It's also an incredible opportunity for my husband, who will experience a new way of life, and for his high-level military career.
(In an interview with Point of View in 2013, Princess Marie had already said that Prince Henrik would always answer her in Danish when she spoke to him in French and in a documentary in 2017 one could see who was still the case).
POS: Where are you going to live?
Marie: We will know very soon!
PDV: Where are your children Henrik (9 years old) and Athena (7 years old) going to school? Do they go to a school that knows the values of Danish education?
Marie: They go to bilingual school near Parc Monceau
(*). They will take classes in French. The school system here is very different and I did not want them to experience too much culture shock. This school is a good compromise because they will be surrounded by children from all over the world. I have always had an international education and I think it's amazing. It's a gift to give to your children. This will help them to broaden their minds.
(*) The bilingual school in Parc Monceau, in the 8th arrondissement, was created in 1954 and is a private school. It welcomes children of 70 different nationalities. They offer courses from primary school to high school. The school is close to the Danish embassy in Paris, but also the Champs-Elysées and military institutions in which Prince Joachim will study.
POS: What will be your priorities when you arrive in France?
Marie: First of all, I think about what's most important: my family. Then I think about French history and culture. My husband and son love history, so I think we'll do a lot of visits! We will also immerse ourselves in a French way of life, which is very different from that of the Nordic countries.
POS: In Denmark, you work with people with disabilities, such as children with autism or people with epilepsy. You also work with the AIDS Foundation. What commitments will you make in France?
Marie: I hope to start collaborations between France and Denmark for these causes that are close to my heart. They are very important in both countries. The only thing that can be different is the approach that we have to these causes because of cultural differences. I am also very involved in the fight against food waste and I hope to continue this work with the help of the Danish Embassy. During the time in France, I will continue to do what I have always done.
POS: Bjarke Ingels is one of the Danish architects that was hired for his talent. What do you like about his project here in Paris?
Marie: I find it extraordinary! I always thought that Bjarke Ingels was very talented and a visionary. His creations establish new ways of life. In his project for Galeries Lafayette, he managed to preserve the history and aesthetics of this Art Deco building while shaping it in an innovative way and using new technologies.
POS: This is a good example of collaboration between France and Denmark, a bridge between your two cultures.
Marie: I'm very proud of it. The House of Denmark has been present on the Champs-Elysées since 1955. We are now lucky to have this beautiful store designed by Bjarke, so it is two references in Denmark on one of the most beautiful avenues in the world, if not the most beautiful. I think that for such a small country, Denmark has a great influence.
PDV: Do you think the cooperation between France and Denmark needs to be strengthened?
Marie: Of course! These are different countries but with many similarities. Cooperation is growing and this is just the beginning.
