December 20Marie & Joachim gave an interview to Paris Match in their apartment in Paris.
Prince, why did you move to Paris for a year?Joachim: I was personally invited by President Emmanuel Macron to participate in the training of the Center for Advanced Military Studies. Each year, out of thirty participants, five foreigners from France's permanent allies are chosen, plus a stranger. This year, I'm the Dane. I am all the more appreciative of the honor that has been brought to me by being surrounded by the elite of French officers.
Becoming a student again at 50, how is it?Joachim: Not easy! And in French, moreover. I also take lessons at the Institute for Advanced National Defense Studies. All of this is exciting but exhausting at the same time.
Marie: For our children too, learning in another language, eight hours a day, is tiring. In Denmark, school days are shorter. The afternoon is more about physical activity and creativity. But I never heard them complain. They get very good results. And here they speak French to me. I’m particularly happy about that.
Do they feel Danish or French?Marie: They have this very positive character which allows them to always see the bright side, not to ask themselves too many questions, to be simply happy. A lesson for me which is sometimes a bit grumpy, with a very French critical spirit.
What do you think they miss the most?Marie: their friends… but they regularly contact them via the Internet, without abusing it. On their own, they avoid social media because their position is delicate. Our son doesn't like being called Prince Henrik because he doean't like to stnad out. Their tablet is mainly used to explore the world. As for France's favorites, food wins first place. We are a family of gourmets. Our genes, no doubt! At 6 years old, our son ate the oysters picked up on the beach; here he discovered the snails ...
Joachim: I owe my attraction to philosophy and history to France. It was a real sink of science.
You take care of your children, without dedicated staff. How do you do ?Marie: I run constantly. But I see Henrik and Athena growing up. The main thing for us was to preserve the family circle with all that it represents of security and continuity.
Joachim: I try to be a father present, despite my busy schedule. I help with breakfast and then, in the evening, when I get home, I devote myself to them.
The Danes criticized your father for not participating enough in your daily life. What do you think ?Joachim: maybe a North-South culture conflict! I never blamed my father for that! He was from another generation. My mother became queen when my brother and I were 3 and 4 years old. She was very busy, it was he who was interested in our education, often even with a certain severity. In the evenings, on weekends, we did a thousand things together. He inspired us a lot. I owe my attraction to philosophy and history. It was a real sink of science.
Marie: We miss my stepfather, especially our children. My husband’s older children knew him well.
Prince Joachim, you have two boys, Nikolai and Felix, from a first marriage. Are they part of your Parisian parenthesis?Joachim: Nikolai came to spend ten days for Fashion Week. He is a model and a catwalk for Dior and Burberry. But everything is clear in his head. He knows that it is a pleasant pastime, and that what matters most is his studies in economics. Felix is still in school.
Integrating into a stepfamily family as a stepmother is not easy. How did you get there?Marie: I was greeted with such kindness! Coming from a blended family myself, I tried to avoid them the suffering that this can generate. We made sure not to mark any difference between the four children. All are at home, all receive the same treatment.
During his official trip to your country, President Macron did not hide his admiration for your social model. What is his secret?Joachim: The Danish spirit. We respect each other, we arrive without consensus at consensus. This is what we call "our duck pond".
More and more royalty are headed by women. What do you think?Joachim: In fifty years in Europe, there will be only two kings for five queens. When we meet with our cousins from Greece or Spain, we talk about it.
Marie: The spirit of the times!
Did your studies prepare you for your princess status?Marie: Surely, but I think it's more the fact of having lived in an international environment. At 13, after my parents' divorce, I arrived in Switzerland, at the Beau Soleil college. In contact with students from all over the world, I learned several languages. I continued my studies in the United States. A great traveler, however, I had never been to Denmark. The first time I went there, I met the man who was to become my husband.
What activities are related to your status?Marie: I am the godmother of thirteen or fourteen associations, my most recent cause being food waste. I was very inspired by the opening of the Danish supermarket WeFood in 2016, and by the Stop Wasting Food movement, launched by Selina Juul. The Danes are exemplary in this area. I participated in a book, "Mad Med Respekt", where we give easy-to-make recipes using the right leftovers. I’m thinking of a French version. I also take care of people with autism, who suffer from a handicap that is often poorly accepted. Finally, the DanChurchAid association, which helps the poorest in the world, is particularly close to my heart.
Do you consult each other for your respective activities?Joachim: We learn from each other. Regarding waste, I was already made aware of it by my father, who had known the war. Marie allowed me to explore the environmental consequences, for example. For my part, I helped her not to let herself be overwhelmed by emotion during her travels in countries where misery is rife. I had to go beyond this first stage myself to take action.
You were talking about waste and the environment. Do you motivate your children to listen to Greta Thunberg?Marie: It is our children who motivate us! Of course, they know her. They ask interesting and thoughtful questions. It aroused their curiosity.
Joachim: At the Institute for Advanced Studies in National Defense, for example, climate change is essential, with its consequences on population movements. We are also studying ways to manage them.
Was it difficult to go from being an active woman to that of a princess?Marie: There is no training center! I learned as I went along. The most difficult was to acquire the language. Because I practiced hard, I thought it would only be a formality. Well no !
Joachim: Marie has a real gift! My father was considered “non-Danish” because of his accent.
Regarding the protocol, did you have a guide?Marie: Joachim said to me at the last moment: “There, you will have to do this or say that.” One day, my stepfather took me aside to tell me that my curtsy was not deep enough. Since then, I've been kneeling.
[She laughs.]Being constantly observed, detailed and perhaps criticized, is it painful to live? Meghan Markle complained ...Marie: I do my best to expose myself only when necessary. Complaining is useless.
Should private women hide behind public women?Marie: I think I'm still the same. I simply put aside certain aspects of my personality depending on the situation.
Is it a problem that you are often confused with Mary, your sister-in-law?Marie: Undoubtedly, we are alike. And to cumulate the handicaps, we were born the same month, a day apart! As long as our respective work is differentiated and recognized, everything is fine.
Few princes create programs broadcast on television. Why did you do it?Joachim: Prince Joachim tells” is a series of six thirty-minute episodes, in which I share our story. The law, religion, school, symbols ... This program has been very well received by both the public and critics. It is an "educational tool" that we make available to teachers. It’s very stimulating. When I return from Paris, I will continue in this area that I love.
You are told “nice”, is this an advantage or a handicap?
Joachim: I spontaneously believe in the goodness of men. If I have nothing positive to say, I prefer to keep quiet, keep what I think for myself and turn my back.
Marie: To better receive the stabs!
[She laughs.]Where will you spend the holiday season, in Paris or Copenhagen?Marie: In Denmark, where the Christmas tradition is very important. We bake a lot of cakes, we serve hot drinks, the house is decorated with what the children have done: goblins, fairies, garlands. We put real candles in the trees and on all the furniture. A very hygge Christmas, like our art of living.
IMO she is another wife of a second son but she seems to present better ... she and husband have moved to France... not so different to going to North America... but overall she does not seem genuine... as if her children would not speak French ... really? She does and their father and grandfather did .... spin spin spin
But ok ... if the derf kids can speak English fluently then that is a HUGE stretch
