Denmark’s Queen Margrethe to miss grandson’s confirmation
Queen Margrethe will not attend the confirmation of her grandson Count Henrik in Paris on May 18th.
The Queen will not attend the traditional confirmation of her grandson, who is the child of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, the palace confirmed in a statement.
The confirmation will take place at the Danish church in Paris, Frederikskirken.
The choice of location suggests that Prince Joachim’s branch of the royal family “is generally moving more and more away from Denmark,” royal commentator Lars Hovbakke Sørensen told news wire Ritzau.
“They do not have the same duties on behalf of the royal family in Denmark as they did before,” he said.
Prince Joachim’s two oldest children were both confirmed in Denmark at Fredensborg Palace Church, as were the oldest children of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary.
Queen Margrethe, Europe’s longest reigning monarch, underwent a “major” back operation on February 22nd at Rigshospitalet, Denmark’s largest hospital.
The Queen is scheduled to return to public duty on April 16th, her 83rd birthday, following a period of convalescence after the back operation.
The palace has already confirmed she will not be present at the coronation of King Charles III in the UK around three weeks later, because of her ongoing recovery.
Her rehabilitation following the surgery is also the reason for her being unable to attend the confirmation, the palace said on Thursday.
Last year, a rift emerged in the Danish royal family after Queen Margrethe announced in September that the four children of her youngest son, 53-year-old Prince Joachim, would no longer be able to use the title of prince and princess from 2023.
She said the decision was intended to allow Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20 -- born from Joachim's first marriage -- and Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11, to live normal lives without royal obligations.
But the decision sparked unprecedented royal drama in Copenhagen, with an enraged Prince Joachim seeing it as a snub.
Prince Joachim and his family will move to the United States this year, where the prince will serve as defence industry attache at the Danish embassy in Washington D.C.
Parliament this week gave its blessing for the Prince Joachim, who is not salaried by the embassy, to receive his royal appanage or maintenance money while abroad.
He will receive an allowance of 330,450 kroner a month, some 4 million kroner a year, once he starts work on September 1st.
READ ALSO: Danish queen says she is 'hurt' by rift over titles
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The Queen will not attend the traditional confirmation of her grandson, who is the child of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, the palace confirmed in a statement.
The confirmation will take place at the Danish church in Paris, Frederikskirken.
The choice of location suggests that Prince Joachim’s branch of the royal family “is generally moving more and more away from Denmark,” royal commentator Lars Hovbakke Sørensen told news wire Ritzau.
“They do not have the same duties on behalf of the royal family in Denmark as they did before,” he said.
Prince Joachim’s two oldest children were both confirmed in Denmark at Fredensborg Palace Church, as were the oldest children of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary.
Queen Margrethe, Europe’s longest reigning monarch, underwent a “major” back operation on February 22nd at Rigshospitalet, Denmark’s largest hospital.
The Queen is scheduled to return to public duty on April 16th, her 83rd birthday, following a period of convalescence after the back operation.
The palace has already confirmed she will not be present at the coronation of King Charles III in the UK around three weeks later, because of her ongoing recovery.
Her rehabilitation following the surgery is also the reason for her being unable to attend the confirmation, the palace said on Thursday.
Last year, a rift emerged in the Danish royal family after Queen Margrethe announced in September that the four children of her youngest son, 53-year-old Prince Joachim, would no longer be able to use the title of prince and princess from 2023.
She said the decision was intended to allow Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20 -- born from Joachim's first marriage -- and Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11, to live normal lives without royal obligations.
But the decision sparked unprecedented royal drama in Copenhagen, with an enraged Prince Joachim seeing it as a snub.
Prince Joachim and his family will move to the United States this year, where the prince will serve as defence industry attache at the Danish embassy in Washington D.C.
Parliament this week gave its blessing for the Prince Joachim, who is not salaried by the embassy, to receive his royal appanage or maintenance money while abroad.
He will receive an allowance of 330,450 kroner a month, some 4 million kroner a year, once he starts work on September 1st.
READ ALSO: Danish queen says she is 'hurt' by rift over titles
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