The Shocking Royal Rivalry That Could Rival Harry And William
TWO princes who were once close, with ‘the spare’ moving to the US after a massive fall out sounds like a familiar tale – but this isn’t William and Harry.
The Danish royal family is in meltdown over a sibling rivalry that appears to be every bit as toxic as the British one.
When Prince Frederik, 55, becomes King Frederik the 10th on Sunday his brother’s wife and children will not be there.
That’s remarkably reminiscent of Prince Harry’s wife Meghan staying away when his father Charles was crowned King last year.
In Britain William and Harry are no longer said to be speaking, with the younger prince even alleging that he’d been physically assaulted by the heir to the throne.
But the cause of the fall-out of the Danish royal siblings is rumoured to be very different.
Sibling Rivalry – A Toxic Tale
A Spanish magazine alleged that Frederik’s young brother Joachim was “deeply in love” with the soon-to-be-king’s Australian wife Mary.
And the publication claims that at on one occasion he even tried to kiss his sister-in-law on the lips, before she pulled away.
The embarrassing moment was said to have been witnessed by Joachim’s French wife Marie, who won’t be at this weekend’s ceremony.
The magazine Vanititas Elconfidencial claimed: “With obvious signs of drunkenness, it seems that the youngest son of Queen Margarethe tried to stamp his lips on his sister-in-law’s mouth, that she got out of the way as she could and with an unperturbed smile, while Marie witnessed the embarrassing moment.”
The Danish royals have never commented on the allegations.
What seems to be more obvious, is that Joachim and his wife, have been upstaged by Frederik and Mary, 51.
Trine Villemann’s Insights
Frederik’s practical and hard-working ‘commoner’ wife Mary, who is from the Australian island of Tasmania, has often been compared in looks and style to William’s wife Catherine.
They both didn’t have blue blood, yet won over men who were said to be reluctant about their royal roles.
Mary, like Kate, is incredibly popular in Denmark where she has the highest approval ratings and works with countless charities.
Royal author Trine Villemann said: “Frederik is a lovely guy and he’s very popular, but Mary is a much better communicator and public speaker.
People in Denmark are calling her ‘King Mary’.
Lower approval ratings for Joachim and Marie
The Split
There had been rumours that Joachim and his second wife Princess Marie, 47, were already unhappy about not having enough royal engagements to attend while living in Copenhagen, with friends saying they felt “frozen out”.
As a result in 2019 they moved to France, where Marie is from.
Queen Margrethe’s Decision
Joachim’s children from his first marriage to 59-year-old Alexandra, Counts Nikolai, 24, and Felix, 21, also lose their royal titles.
The handover on Monday will be far more low key than King Charles’ coronation.
But after ascending to the throne in a simple ceremony Frederik will ride in a golden carriage with Denmark’s new Queen.
The real fireworks, though, could well be behind the scenes – and brotherly love is likely to be in short supply.
Conclusion
When they were young, though, Joachim and his brother were very close.
They, like King Charles, had to deal with parents who were said to be aloof.
Trine, who has written a biography of Queen Margrethe, said the princes were raised by their nanny on the top floor of the palace.