A little more about Marie Cavallier at Easter

Danish TV covered the magazine stories with Billed Bladet's Ken Richter interviewed. He said he spent the entire Easter outside Marselisborg, and finally, there she was! It was also news on "Aftenshowet" at DRTV, where the Billed Bladet journalist Annelise Weimann was interviewed. She seemed quite convinced that an engagement was under way, problably next autumn, with a wedding in spring 2008. Also according to Billd Bladet Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier and Princes Nikolai and Felix were all together at a traditional lunch with Joachim's old schoolmates from Krebs School at Easter. The schoolmates meet once a year and bring their spouses and children. This year the lunch was at Maria & Simon Bast's place in Silkeborg, only 45 minutes drive from Marselisborg. The last time they were together was on New Year's Eve when Prince Joachim had invited them to a party at Amalienborg (which included Marie Cavallier, Countess Alexandra and Martin Jørgensen) .

Billed Bladet (no.15, 12 April 2007) claims "Now Marie is part of the family".

There is barely any doubt. Prince Joachim’s next wife is called Marie Cavallier. Now only the official engagement and therefore also the date for another royal wedding is left. Prince Joachim, age 37, will naturally have to go down on his knee to propose, but apart from that, everything is settled. The future princess Marie, 31, is already a member of the royal family and Queen Margrethe has approved her new daughter-in-law without any problem. Marie celebrated Easter with Joachim and the rest of the DRF at Marselisborg Slot.

“It’s the second time we meet her,” says Prince Henrik happily and proudly at the prospect of his youngest son marrying a French woman.

It was also obvious that Prince Henrik enjoys being in company with Marie Cavallier. That was obvious during Easter when he went for a long walk along the beach at Århus along with Marie and Joachim and the grandsons Nikolai and Felix.

“It’s the first time I have been in Århus and it’s lovely here,” Marie said kindly in her fine English, while she relaxed in rubber boots and enjoyed the stroll at the water's edge. In the meantime Nikolai and Felix ran eagerly around in the soft sand and threw stones out in the water. The two small princes are completely at ease with Marie, just as she is clearly fond of the two lively boys.

It was after a few days at Schackenborg Slot in Møgeltønder with Nikolai and Felix that Prince Joachim and Marie drive to Marselisborg Slot on Good Friday and shortly after lunch the Prince Consort took the small party out for an hour to the beach. Before then Marie had also had the opportunity to greet her future brother-in-law and sister-in-law, who went for a little drive themselves at the same time. In the evening there was some family togetherness at the manor, and in consideration of Marie, there was probably a good deal of French spoken.

Before Prince Joachim marries a second time he has chosen to take his time. Perhaps not so much for his own sake, but probably more because his new wife must be sure that she really wants to be a Danish princess. Joachim has no desire to experience yet another royal divorce.

Since he and Marie fell for each other almost two years ago, Prince Joachim has made sure that she has been able to adjust slowly to the new life with traditions and duties which comes with being a princess and member of the DRF. For a brief period it all became a bit too hectic and the couple agreed that they would officially have a pause in the relationship. Joachim went so far as to state that it was over with Marie. But the love prevailed and the short break was proof for both of them that they want to be with each other without reservations.

Since then, Joachim and Marie have worked hard on getting even closer to one another. They have almost become a new little family, where Marie also becomes a 'bonus' mother for Nikolai and Felix. So far all four of them have been on a successful skiing vacation and now they have been together on a long Easter vacation, where there was also time to be with the rest of the DRF. Marie has had opportunities to have good conversations with both the Queen and Crown Princess Mary, who both have been able to provide sound advice about the future that awaits her with Joachim. There has probably also been a bit of wedding talk too. Now we only need to learn the date. (by Ken Richter of Billed Bladet who hung about outside the gates of Marselisborg to get the story, and of course thanks to Muhler for translation)

Billed Bladet (no.15, 12 April 2007) also has an editorial on the subject of Joachim and Marie.

Some day in the near future there will be a happy announcement from the court that Prince Joachim is to be engaged to Miss Marie Cavallier. Of that there can be no doubt after Queen Margrethe invited the girlfriend of her youngest son for the family cosiness of Easter at Marselisborg Slot in Århus.

There is an enormous amount of significance in that signal. Because not only did Marie accept the invitation and spend a number of days in the company of the DRF, but also a happy Prince Henrik posed for Billed Bladet when Marie, Joachim, Nikolai and Felix were getting some fresh air at the beach in Århus.

This signals clearly that they are committed to each other – having given each other their yes in a kind of betrothal.

Because in the DRF you don’t, if I may say so, invite “random” guests, just as those who are invited just don’t drop by just for the fun of it.

When Mary came to Denmark, she was also “weighed” by the Queen of Denmark during Easter at Marselisborg. “It wasn’t just us who were to eye her. She was also to see what kind of family she had ended up in,” the Queen has since said in Annelise Bistrup's book “Margrethe”. And from here on the rest is history: the Easter cosiness with Mary became an engagement, which became a wedding, which became a little Christian….

How swift it will go this time, only the Queen knows. Everything however points to her and the Prince Consort getting a new – this time French - daughter-in-law. Joachim has chosen his life companion. Marie has been approved. Now we just wait for a date….
Annemette Krakau, editor in chief. (and translated by Muhler!)

Thanks Muhler and thanks santa, and Benedikte too!

Go´aften Danmark

Pravda (English)

Engagement predicted for Danish prince; palace says it knows nothing of it

04/12/2007 AP ©

Two Danish magazines on Thursday predicted that the divorced Prince Joachim would soon be engaged to Frenchwoman Marie Cavallier, who spent Easter with the royal family.

The palace, however, denied any knowledge of such a plan by Joachim, Queen Margrethe's second son, who was divorced from Hong Kong-born Princess Alexandra in 2005.

"We have no knowledge of any such upcoming event," said palace spokeswoman Lis M. Frederiksen, who confirmed the 31-year-old Cavallier had been with the Danish royals for the holiday.

Henrik Qvortrup, chief editor of the magazine Se og Hoer, said the fact that Cavallier spend the holiday with the royals was "an expression of some kind of approval." An engagement "is coming soon. We're very sure," he said.

Rival magazine, Billed Bladet, reached the same conclusion. Both weeklies hit the streets Thursday.

In recent months, Joachim and Cavallier who met in 2005, have appeared openly as a couple.

The 37-year-old prince's divorce was the first split in Europe's oldest monarchy in nearly 160 years. Joachim and Alexandra have two children, 3-year-old Felix and 7-year-old Nikolai. Alexandra, 42, gave up her royal title on March 3 when she married a Dane.

Joachim is third in the line to Denmark's throne after his brother Crown Prince Frederik and Frederik's son, Prince Christian.

TV2 video clip (2:20) interviewing the journalists who got the story about Marie Cavallier at Marselisborg and Schackenborg, particularly Ken Richter of Billed Bladet.

DRTV's Aftenshowet



And, Hello magazine has the story too: Marie joins senior Danish royals for Easter break