Fifteen years ago today, Prince Joachim married his fiancée, Marie Cavallier, in Mogeltonder Church, in South Jutland.
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie met while Joachim was still married to his first wife, Countess Alexandra. They were invited to a dinner and, being the only two French-speaking people invited, their host introduced them. Their romance, however, started much later.
Prince Joachim divorced Countess Alexandra in 2004. Joachim and Marie started dating in 2005, and they were spotted a lot during their holidays in France. Her first official appearance with the Royal Family was at the summer photo shoot in 2007. Joachim proposed to Marie in 2007, and the engagement was announced on 3 October 2007.
In an interview for her 40th birthday in 2016, Princess Marie said that she was very hesitant about being involved with a Prince: ” I had a great life – I didn’t need to be rescued by some Prince from Denmark. There was no doubt in my heart that I loved him, but I had my life. I was happy, and I had my pride. I simply was not ready to get married and take on the responsibility it would be to become a member of the royal family,” she said to Jyllands-Posten. Marie worked as an executive secretary in ING Numismatic Group SA until her engagement with Joachim was announced.
Upon her wedding, Marie was granted Danish citizenship and converted from Roman Catholicism to the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The ceremony was held in Mogeltonder Church, and the wedding banquet was in Schackenborg Castle, owned by Prince Joachim, where the couple lived until 2014, when Joachim sold the castle. The couple is now living with their children in Copenhagen but will relocate to Washington D.C. later this year.
Princess Marie’s wedding dress was designed by Spanish-Italian designer Arasa Morelli and was sewn by a Danish woman working at the company with a veil. Her tiara was a loan from Queen Margrethe and is the tiara she wears the most.
Guests at the wedding included the Danish Royal Family and Marie’s family, as well as the Crown Prince Couple of Norway, Princess Märtha Louise, her then-husband, Ari Behn and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. The Greek Royal Family was also in attendance.
Prince Joachim’s best men were his two sons, then-Prince Nikolaï (now Count) and then-Prince (now Count) Felix. Marie’s bridesmaid was her close friend Agnete Windfelt Arno. She also had two-page boys, Malte Steenstrup (five-year-old, son of Peter and Henriette Steenstrup) and Tanguy Perretti (eight-year-old, son of Gabriel Perretti).
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie now have two children, Count Henrik, born in 2008 and Countess Athena, born in 2012.
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