Royal watchers will know that Prince Joachim is currently married to Princess Marie. However, did you know he was married before? His first wife was Alexandra Christina Manley, now the Countess of Frederiksborg. They met in 1994 during a dinner in Hong Kong. The couple were engaged in May 1995 and married in November 1995. Alexandra became Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
Alexandra wore the Alexandrine Drop Tiara on her wedding day, which had been gifted to her by Queen Margrethe. In 1999, Alexandra gave birth to Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik’s first grandchild, Prince Nikolai (now Count Nikolai). A younger brother, Prince Felix (now Count Felix) arrived in 2002.
Before her marriage, Alexandra denounced her British citizenship and obtained Danish Citizenship.
Alexandra: Diana Of The North
Alexandra was greatly beloved in Denmark and dubbed “The Diana of the North.” She was also known for her great sense of fashion. Thereafter, she could pick up the Danish language fast because of her fluency in English and German. She once said in an interview that she doesn’t find the grammar difficult, but the pronunciation can be hard.
The marriage would last nine years. In September 2004, Alexandra and Joachim announced their separation and intention to divorce. The announcement came four months after the couple attended the wedding of Joachim’s older brother, Crown Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson.
After the divorce was finalised in 2005, Alexandra lost her ability to use Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra. Instead, she became Her Highness Princess Alexandra. She was also placed on the lifelong civil list in case she ever remarried.
The Remarriages
Eventually, Alexandra and Joachim remarried other people. Alexandra married Martin Jørgensen in 2007 and was walked down the aisle by her sons, who were 7 and 5 at the time. Due to her remarriage, Alexandra lost her royal status but was given the lesser title of Her Excellency Countess of Frederiksborg. The second marriage ended in divorce in 2015.
Joachim married Marie Cavallier in 2008, making her stepmother to Nikolai and Felix. She was first linked to Joachim in 2005.
Sons Are Stripped Of Their Titles
Alexandra ended up in the headlines in 2022 when it was announced that then-Queen Margrethe was stripping all four of Joachim’s children of the princely titles starting January 1 2023, and making them Counts and a Countess.
Joachim, Alexandra, and Marie criticised The Queen for her decision to proclaim that their children had lost their identities.
