Prince Joachim of Denmark, whose children have been stripped of their titles, announces his move to the United States, as does Prince Harry

Denmark’s Prince Joachim is moving to America after his children were stripped of their royal titles in a move that sparked outrage last year.

The palace has announced that Queen Margrethe’s second son will be moving to Washington DC this summer with his wife, Princess Marie.

The 53-year-old will start a new job at the Danish Embassy under the Ministry of Defense on September 1.

It is believed that the couple’s two children, 13-year-old son Henrik and 11-year-old daughter Athena, will join their parents for the big move.

Joachim is also the father of sons Nikolai, 23, and Felix, 20, from his previous marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.

The union lasted from 1995 to 2005. He remarried in 2008 with Marie.

The palace announcement noted that Joachim and his wife, 47, moved to France four years ago.

“The reason for this is that Prince Joachim has launched the highest-ranking military training course in France to complement the prince’s long-term commitment to defence,” the statement said. “After completing their studies, the Prince and Princess were associated with the Danish Embassy in Paris as Defense Attaché and Special Cultural Representative, respectively.”

The move is significant as the Queen announced last year that she was stripping Joachim’s four children of their prince and princess titles.

In early 2023, they became known as His Excellency Count of Monpezat instead of His Highness.

Following the announcement, the prince spoke to Danish outlet BT for a joint interview with the princess.

Joachim claimed he did not speak to his mother, brother Crown Prince Frederik or sister-in-law Crown Princess Mary after the shocking news.

He also claimed the monarchy had “unfortunately” not communicated with them since the title changes were announced.

“It’s also family. Or whatever we want to call it,” he said.

Joachim, who is friends with Britain’s Prince Harry, is sixth in line to the Danish throne.

His children will keep their place in the order of succession, which is currently 7th to 10th place.

“With her decision, Her Majesty The Queen wishes to create the framework for the four grandchildren to shape their own lives to a much greater extent without being limited by the special considerations and duties than a formal affiliation to the Royal House of Denmark. as an institution involves,” the palace had previously said in the statement when announcing that Joachim’s children had been stripped of their titles.

The change is believed to have been made to streamline the future of the monarchy.

However, Joachim argued that family should come first.

“The reality should always be this: whether you’re upgrading or slimming, it has to be done the right way,” he told the outlet. “It’s about children. The order and the children. It is a very heavy business. »

The Queen, 82, has apologized for upsetting her family members with the decision. However, she refused to change her mind.

“It is my duty and my desire as Queen to ensure that the monarchy always shapes itself in tune with the times. Sometimes that means tough decisions have to be made, and finding the right time will always be difficult,” she said in a statement.

“This adjustment… I see it as a necessary perpetuation of the monarchy,” said Europe’s oldest reigning monarch. She did not change her decision.

“I made my decision as queen, mother and grandmother. But, as a mother and grandmother, I underestimated how touched my youngest son and his family feel. a big impression, and I’m sorry about that,” Margrethe said in the statement.

Joachim had previously told the daily Ekstra Bladet in Paris where he lives and works, that they “are all very sad”.

“It’s never fun to see your children abused like this. They…find themselves in a situation that they don’t understand,” he said.

When asked how the decision affected his relationship with his mother, Joachim replied: “I don’t think I need to elaborate here.”

Joachim’s first wife said they were confused, saddened and in shock.

“Children feel left out. They can’t understand why their identity is being taken away from them,” Alexandra said.