The new King and Queen of Denmark sent a message that Prince Joachim is still a key part of the monarchy today, by including him in their first official engagement since taking the throne.
It was a remarkable turnaround for the brothers’ relationship, which was rocked in September 2022, when Queen Margrethe stripped his children of their royal titles – a decision Prince Joachim claimed had ‘harmed’ his family.
Amid the ructions, Joachim, 53, and his second wife Princess Marie, 46, admitted their relationship with his older brother Crown Prince Frederik, 54, and his sister-in-law Crown Princess Mary, 50, was ‘complicated’.
But there was no sign of tension between the brothers today, as Joachim joined the royal couple at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen for their first official engagement as the new King and Queen.
While there may be echoes of Prince William and Prince Harry’s feud, the pair have proved that it is possible to overcome the tensions in a brotherly relationship where one is destined to be King.
On the steps of parliament, Frederik greeted his brother Joachim, showing there’s no ill will between the pair
Joachim (pictured right), who famously fell out with his mother when his children lost their Prince and Princess titles, appeared to show it was all water under the bridge as he proudly stood alongside her today
Clearly accustomed to the Danish chill, n-born Mary braved the weather in a vibrant blue outfit for today’s outing
The new face of Danish royalty: Crown Prince Christian sat alongside his mother and father as Queen Margrethe and Prince Joachim sat behind
Prince Joachim with his wife Princess Marie in September 2022. He is also pictured alongside his four children, who were stripped of their HRH status by their grandmother
Joachim, who famously fell out with his mother when his children lost their Prince and Princess titles, appeared to show it was all water under the bridge as he proudly stood alongside her today.
Perhaps in a nod that everything is peaceful within the family, second-born Joachim wore a tie emblazoned with elephants.
The Order of the Elephant (Elefantordenen) is Denmark’s highest honour. The honour is typically given to children of the monarch and their spouses, as well as heads of state and foreign royals.
In 2022, Queen Margrethe shocked royal watchers as she sensationally announced Joachim’s four children would lose their titles.
Nikolai, 24, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11, are now known as ‘Count and Countess’ and referred to as Their Excellencies, rather than Their Royal Highness.
The Queen insisted the move would be ‘good for them in their future’ and allow the children – who have maintained their positions in the line of succession – to ‘shape their own lives without being limited by the special considerations and duties’ that a formal affiliation with the Danish Royal Family involves.
After the family were stripped of their titles in September 2022, Prince Joachim claimed that his mother’s decision had ‘harmed’ his children.
Months later, the sixth-in-line to the throne admitted that ‘communication was missing’ within the Royal Family in the lead-up to the shock announcement.
The brothers seemed as close as ever as they sheltered under an umbrella going into parliament
Clutching a bouquet, Queen Mary was joined by the new King as the pair braved -2C weather
Joachim also appeared close with his mother again as her hugged and kissed her
Frederik sweetly greeted his mother outside of parliament as he took over the new role
Showing no sign of sadness after stepping down, Queen Margarethe looked delighted as she walked into parliament
The royal family popped up umbrellas to protect themselves from the sleet in the chilly temperatures
Queen Mary, 51, in a blue skirt suit and dress hat tiptoed up the stairs into Christiansborg Palace – the Danish parliament – in stilettos
Joachim told local news outlet B.T.: ‘There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.’
He added that he had only been given five days’ notice before the news was made public.
Following the Queen’s announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish Embassy in Paris, where he lived with his French-born wife Princess Marie and his two youngest children, and said his four children had been ‘hurt’ by their grandmother’s decision.
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‘I was given five days’ notice to tell them. In May, I was presented with a plan which, by and large, was that when the children each turned 25, it would happen. Now I had only five days to tell them. Athena turns 11 in January,’ he clarified at the time.
Speaking to B.T., Joachim and his second wife Marie also admitted their relationship with Prince Frederik and Princess Mary is ‘complicated’.
Meanwhile, Prince Joachim’s ex-wife Alexandra said that her sons, Nikolai and Felix, had been left feeling ‘ostracised’ from the institution and the decision had come like a ‘bolt out of the blue’.
The Royal Household released a further statement that the ‘decision has been a long time coming’.
‘We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen’s wish to future-proof the Royal Household will be respected,’ the statement added.
None of Joachim’s children – or his wife Princess Marie – joined him at the ascension yesterday.
Instead, Marie and their two children, Count Henrik, 14, and Countess Athena of Monpezat, 11, remained in Washington DC, where the family now live after Joachim became defence industry attaché at the Embassy of Denmark.
A palace spokesperson told Hello!: ‘Prince Joachim will be there, but the children go to school, there is no special reason.’
However, there appears to be no hard feelings from his eldest son Nikolai, who posted sweet throwback pictures with both his uncle and grandmother to his Instagram account.
The student, who is currently studying in Sydney and on holiday in Bali, added that he was eating Danish food, perhaps in a a sign he was missing home.
After the parliamentary reception, most of the royals headed to a reception in the parliament, however Joachim left to fly back to the US.
Princess Mary appeared to well up as she listened to ‘Danmark, mit fædreland’ (Denmark, my fatherland) which was written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1850
Mary and Christian chatted to one another from the viewing gallery
The King and Queen Mary spoke to one another from the viewing gallery of parliament
Mary, Frederik and Christian walked into the viewing gallery first and were followed by the rest of the royals
The family stood to sing the national anthem before listening to speeches
Margrethe, known for her quirky fashion sense, opted for a fur coat inside parliament. Pictured walking alongside Danish politician Karsten Hønge
Once inside parliament, the family listened to speeches from Danish politicians, including the Prime Minister, before the Danish National Girls’ choir sang Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘Denmark, my Fatherland,’ causing Mary to cry.
Braving the -2C (28F) temperatures and rainy weather, Mary and Frederik greeted their family outside the building before watching speeches by politicians.
After entering parliament, Mary – clutching a bouquet – headed into the chamber with husband Frederik and son Christian sitting either side of her.
Joachim, Benedikte and Margarethe sat behind as they listened to a speech by Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister.
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Other MPs also gave speeches before the Danish National Girls’ Choir – known as DR Pigekoret – sang to the royal family.
The choir performed, ‘Danmark, mit fædreland’ (Denmark, my fatherland) which was written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1850.
The poem is about his love for the Danish country and language, and is often proposed as a new national anthem of Denmark.
The song is reportedly a favourite of he new Queen’s, who closed her eyes and shed a tear as it played.
‘It’s more than a song. It is a declaration of love for Denmark, for history, for the language, for the culture, for the landscape. A love song that even I, even though I was not born in Denmark, can feel deep in my heart. And I know that you don’t have to be born in a country to feel at home,’ she said during a speech in 2017.
It’s been a whirlwind start to the year for the Danish royals after Queen Margrethe, 82, announced her abdication in a shock New Year’s Eve speech.
Yesterday, 100,000 Danes gathered on the streets of Copenhagen to celebrate King Frederik’s ascension.
An emotional Frederik promised to be a modern monarch ‘of tomorrow’ as he asked his ‘beloved wife’ and family for support during a new reign.
In his first public speech after being proclaimed King, the father-of-four, 55, as per a translation by royal blogger Gert’s Royals, said: ‘My mother, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe the second, has ruled Denmark for 52 years.
‘For half a century, she has followed the times with our common heritage as a starting point. She will always be remembered as a Monarch beyond the ordinary.
‘Like few, my mother has managed to be at one with her kingdom. Today, the throne passes on. My hope is to become an unifying king of tomorrow. It’s a task I’ve been waiting for all my life. It is a responsibility I take on with respect, pride and great joy.
‘It is a deed I will take pains to carry out and carry through the position I have been entrusted with.
‘I need all the support I can get. From my beloved wife, from my family, from you and from that which is greater than us. I face the future knowing that I am not alone. Bound, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark.’
Christian, Mary and Frederik stood in front of Benedikte, Joachim and Margrethe
The royals laughed and smiled as they listened to parliament
Mary looked animated as she watched the speeches in parliament
Mary looked engaged as she listened intently to parliament
Young Christian appeared to take well to his new role as Crown Prince as he chatted to his mother
The family marked their first official engagement as royals
The royal looked delighted to listen to speeches in the parliament
Frederik took a seat in the front row with Queen Margrethe behind him
The new king seemed at ease in his new role in parliament
Passing the torch! Margrethe looked proud as she took a seat behind her son
The royal was visibly moved at Christiansborg Palace, and wiped away tears at the historic occasion as roaring crowds cheered him as he appeared on the balcony alongside her family.
But Frederik’s ‘genuinely happy and highly emotional display’ on the balcony revealed potential tensions in his marriage, a body language expert said.
READ MORE: Queen Margrethe’s heartwarming tribute to late husband Prince Henrik revealed as she becomes first Danish monarch to abdicate in 900 years
Adrianne Carter told FEMAIL: ‘When Mary joins him we initially see quite a distance between the two of them as they hold hands, he moves closer which she accepts. A literal distance can often mean a distance in a relationship.
‘When the children join them, they all move in together. Mary encompasses her children showing that’s her important focus.’
However, when the King pulls Mary close as the children leave the balcony – Mary is ‘the first to pull away’.
She continued: ‘Frederik gives Mary a wink, which means we’re in this together. He pulls her in for a kiss, which he tries to do a few times before it actually happens. This is something he has planned, rather than something spontaneous.’
It comes following rumours that the couple’s marriage is on the rocks after Frederik was pictured with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid without his wife in October.
Just moments before his first appearance as King, Frederik’s mother Queen Margrethe II had signed her historic abdication after 52 years as monarch, Danish broadcaster DR said – and the BBC reported that her poignant last words before leaving the Council of State were: ‘God save the King’.
A beaming Frederik was then joined by his wife Mary – who is now Queen of Denmark – and their children Christian, 18, Isabella, 16 and twins Vincent and Josephine, 13, for a balcony appearance.
Margrethe delivered the shock news of her abdication during her traditional New Year’s Eve speech.
Margrethe, who in the past had said she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down.
However, she said that a major back surgery she underwent in February last year had made her consider her future.
‘The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future – whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,’ she said in her speech.
‘I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.’