‘Snubbed’ Danish prince plans move to Washington

PRINCE Joachim of Denmark, whose four children have been stripped of their royal titles, is to relocate to America in an echo of the move made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The 53-year-old, who is the second son of Queen Margrethe II and sixth in line to the throne, will move to Washington DC next year, according to BT, a Danish newspaper.

He is currently working as a defence attaché in Paris, a post he has held since 2020. He is expected to cross the Atlantic in the second half of the year.

Queen Margrethe said her decision to remove the titles in September was intended to ensure the country’s monarchy was “keeping with the times”.

Her grandchildren Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, now go by the titles Count and Countess of Monpezat.

Denmark, Sweden and Belgium have all made moves to slim down their royal families and King Charles is reportedly considering plans to follow suit.

Voicing his anger at the time Prince Joachim said: “We are all very sad. It’s never fun to see your children being harmed.

“They have been put in a situation they do not understand,” he told Ekstra Bladet.

His wife, Princess Marie, said their youngest child, Athena, had been bullied at school.

The move was also attacked by the Prince’s first wife, Alexandra, 58, who is the mother of Nikolai and Felix.

She said her sons felt “ostracised” by the decision which came like a bolt from the blue.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex “stepped back” as senior members of the Royal family in January 2020.

Queen Margrethe’s spokesman said

‘It’s never fun to see your children harmed, they’ve been put in a situation they don’t understand’

the move was a natural extension of her desire to slim down the Danish monarchy down. “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.”

Queen Margrethe added: “No one should be in doubt that my children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren are my great joy and pride.

“I now hope that we as a family can find the peace to find our way through this situation.”