Prince Joachim
His new task in Washington carries less weight
© Dana Press
Prince Joachim will move to the United States with his family and start a new job in the capital. However, his future position is associated with less “responsibility and influence”, as a royal expert now notes.
Prince Joachim, 53, has lived in Paris with his wife Princess Marie, 47, and their two children, Count Henrik, 13, and Countess Athena, 11, since 2019. After Queen Margrethe, 82, announced that the children of her second son would be deprived of their titles, it became public that Joachim and his family would leave their adopted homeland – but it was unclear where they would end up. A few days ago, the court finally announced that the royals were moving to Washington DC, where the 53-year-old will take up his new position as defense industry attaché at the Danish embassy on September 1, 2023. Several royal experts are now surprised by this decision and note that the new task is associated with a certain loss of prestige.
Prince Joachim’s new position comes with fewer responsibilities
“It was a privilege to be seconded to advance Danish interests in France. Now we are turning our focus to America, where I will contribute to Denmark’s transatlantic defense industry cooperation,” Joachim recently told Billed-Bladet ” enthused. But Peter Ernstved, editor-in-chief of Olfi, a niche publication covering Danish defense and security policy, is certain the prince’s new job is less important than his Paris position.
“He was a defense attaché in France, where he has very special qualifications, precisely because he also speaks French,” says Ernstved, according to BT, adding, referring to Joachim’s position in Washington: “It’s still an important task , but it’s a different job. He won’t have the same influence and responsibility.” In the future, the father of four will act as a liaison between Danish companies that want to do business with the defense industry in the United States. In Paris he worked as a defense attaché at the Danish embassy, a kind of extension of the Ministry of Defense abroad. Upon taking up the job, he was also made a brigadier general in the military. According to the editor-in-chief, changing jobs is anything but a promotion.
Royal experts are surprised by the US decision
In addition, the journalists were surprised that Joachim actually turned his back on Paris and his special post. “There is no one who can hold a candle to him. He was the best for the job in Paris. He still has his title of prince in the US and that will help him, but he could have done more good in Europe. Before especially since Denmark has freed itself from the defense option in the EU,” he stresses.
Jacob Heinel Jensen, the royal house correspondent for “BT”, did not expect the move either. “When I spoke to people in the armed forces about working with Prince Joachim, he was always very popular. Everyone always spoke out in his favour, so I have a feeling he was happy with his work,” he says , but adds that Prince Frederik’s brother, 54, aims high. The US capital is the right place for this. “As far as I know, it was also a great desire of Prince Joachim to move up the system – and in that context you don’t get any further up the system than Washington DC.”
Will Joachim and Marie ever return to Denmark?
After King Margrethe’s explosive title decision, the mood in the royal family was frosty. In addition, it became obvious that there were communication difficulties with the Danish royals. “Once again it is clear that the future of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie lies abroad. At least for the moment. And Washington DC is a little further away from the Danish royal family than Paris,” says Jensen in this regard. In the future, it remains to be seen how often the 53-year-old will visit his home country. Nevertheless, the royal expert is of the opinion that Joachim would like to live in Denmark again in the long term. When it could be so far, however, is in the stars.
Sources used. bt.dk, billedbladet.dk