Prince Nikolai + Prince Felix
You speak for the first time about Papa Joachim’s emergency operation
Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix and Prince Joachim
© Dana Press
Two years ago, the news of Prince Joachim’s health shocked the whole of Denmark. Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix are now reporting for the first time on how they experienced their father’s emergency operation.
In 2020, Prince Joachim, 53, and his wife Princess Marie, 46, spent the summer in France, as they often do. But late in the evening of July 24, 2020, Queen Margrethe’s youngest son, 82, was taken to a hospital in Toulouse: he had a blood clot in his brain and had to be operated on immediately.
Fortunately, the surgery was successful and Joachim was able to recover after a few days in the intensive care unit at Castle Cayx, his family home in France. Nevertheless, Prince Nikolai, 22, and Prince Felix, 19, were very worried about their father, as they now describe in an interview.
Prince Nikolai + Prince Felix: “It was a shock for all of us”
In an interview with the Danish newspaper “Billed Bladet”, the royal brothers reveal that they were with their father in France before the incident. The news of the emergency operation reached her shortly after her return to Denmark. “It was a shock for all of us. Of course we would have liked to be there to help, but I’m glad we were spared such an unpleasant experience,” says Nikolai.
The Danish royal turns 13 today
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The 22-year-old adds that he and his brother called every day to find out about their dad’s health. “The world stood still in a way. Of course we were scared and we can be happy that it turned out the way it did.”
Prince Joachim encouraged his sons
Her mother, Countess Alexandra von Frederiksborg, 58, who is still good friends with her ex-husband, was a great support during this difficult time. “But also our father! We always called him and talked to him. It was quick that he was so stable again that you could talk to him and hear how he was,” notes Felix.
Prince Joachim, Prince Felix, Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg and Prince Nikolai
© Dana Press
But stepmother Marie also gave the young men strength, as Nikolai explains: “At the time the corona pandemic was on, only one person was allowed to visit the clinic, Marie was with him every day. So we also relied a lot on her, especially during this time. She was the closest contact to our father.” Felix agrees with his brother and emphasizes: “I think if he [Joachim] should be in someone’s hands, it’s in theirs.”
Nikolai and Felix are glad that this “unpleasant time” is behind them and they now enjoy every moment together with their father.
Sources used: billedbladet.dk