by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014
Princess Marie of Denmark is the second wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Henri Laborde de Monpezat. She was born Marie Agathe Odile Cavailler on February 6, 1975, in Paris, the only child of Alain Cavallier and Françoise Moreau.
Marie received her primary education in Paris, and following her parents’ divorce, she moved to Switzerland with her mother. She then enrolled at the Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil in Villars-sur-Ollen, Switzerland, graduating in 1993. She initially studied economics at a university in Geneva, and then international business and economics at Babson College in Massachusetts from 1995-1997. She then attended Manhattan Marymount College in New York, graduating in 1999 with her Bachelor’s Degree. During her education, she worked in the public relations department at Estee Lauder in Paris (1994), and ING Numismatic Group in Geneva (1997), in addition to teaching French.
Following college, Marie worked for several advertising agencies, first in New York and then in Paris. In 2004, she returned to Geneva, working for Reuters for a year, and then from 2005 until 2007, working again with ING Numismatic Group.
Marie was first seen with Prince Joachim while on holiday in the late summer of 2005. Over the next two years, they were seen together often, and in the spring of 2007, Marie joined the Danish Royal Family for Easter at Marselisborg Palace where she reportedly met the Queen for the first time. In October 2007, it was announced that Joachim and Marie were engaged, following the Queen’s formal consent. Prior to her marriage, Marie was a French citizen and belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. Marie joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church and became a Danish citizen before her marriage. Joachim and Marie were married on May 24, 2008, at the Møgeltønder Church (link in Danish) in South Jutland, Denmark followed by the wedding banquet at Schackenborg Castle.
Marie and Joachim have two children:
- His Excellency Count Henrik of Monpezat (born 2009)
- Her Excellency Countess Athena of Monpezat (born 2012)
Princess Marie is also stepmother to Prince Joachim’s two sons from his first marriage:
- His Excellency Count Nikolai of Monpezat (born 1999)
- His Excellency Count Felix of Monpezat (born 2002)
Queen Margrethe II decided that as of January 1, 2023, the children of Prince Joachim would no longer hold the style and title of His/Her Prince/Princess. Instead, they will hold the title Count/Countess of Monpezat, with the style of His/Her Excellency. This slimming down is in keeping with recent changes in other royal families and will allow Prince Joachim’s children to pursue more independent lives and careers. The Monpezat titles come from the Queen’s late husband, Prince Henrik, who was Count of Monpezat. In 2008, Queen Margrethe granted the title to her sons and their descendants as well.
Princess Marie has been an active member of the Danish Royal Family, taking on several patronages, including the National Association for Autism, The Danish Ski Federation, Danish Epilepsy Association, Kattegatcentret, the AIDS Foundation, and The Danish National Commission for UNESCO. In addition to her native French, Marie speaks Danish, English, Italian, and Spanish.
During the summer of 2019, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, and their two children moved to Paris, France, where Joachim began studies in France’s highest-ranking military leadership education at École Militaire. In September 2020, Prince Joachim started work as the defense attaché at the Danish Embassy in Paris. During the summer of 2023, Princess Marie and her family moved to Washington, DC in the United States where Prince Joachim will work as the defense attaché at the Danish Embassy.
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