Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark to join Queen Margrethe for Christmas – but Prince Joachim and Princess Marie WON'T be attending

Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark are set to spend their first Christmas as monarchs together – but they won’t be joined by Prince Joachim and Princess Marie. 

In a post on Instagram, the Danish Royal house said the King and Queen would be celebrating Christmas at Marselisborg Castle in Aarhus with Frederik’s mother, Queen Margrethe, who abdicated from the throne in January. 

They will also be joined by their children Crown Prince Christian, 19, Princess Isabella, 17, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 13. 

The residence in Aarhus has been the setting for the Royal Family’s Christmas since the King was a child, with only a few exceptions. 

This year, however, they won’t be joined by his younger brother Prince Joachim, 55, and his wife Princess Marie, 48, as they will be spending Christmas with Marie’s family. 

Prince Joachim and his wife previously had a strained relationship with the rest of the royals after Queen Margrethe stripped his children of their royal titles in 2022 and he now works as defence industry attache, and lives in Washington DC. 

He previously said his children were ‘hurt’ by the decision, but has since said they’ve ‘moved on’, appearing on good terms with the family at abdication events earlier this year. 

Since stepping down as monarch after 52 years on the throne, Queen Margrethe has maintained her appearances at royal events, but was forced to take time out on sick leave after suffering a fall in September. 

Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark are set to spend their first Christmas as monarchs together in Aarhus. Pictured on Christmas Day together last year

King Frederik, 56, will be staying at the Castle from December 23 to 26, joining his mother, who will reside there from December 20 to 30. 

In the announcement, translated from Danish, the royal household wrote: ‘This year, Aarhus once again forms the setting for the Royal Family’s Christmas.

‘Their Majesties the King and Queen, together with Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, will celebrate Christmas at Marselisborg Castle together with Her Majesty Queen Margrethe.’

They did not give a reason for Prince Joachim and Princess Marie’s absence this year, writing: ‘Their Royal Highnesses Prince Joachim and Princess Marie celebrate Christmas together with their children at the Princess’s family.’

During the King’s stay, there will be a changing of the guard each day at noon. King Frederik is also set to give his first New Year’s Eve speech as monarch, which will be given from Frederik VIII’s Palace in Amalienborg. 

It will come as another show of solidarity for Queen Mary, 52, and King Frederik, who have been plagued by rumours of marital strife over the past year. 

In November 2023, pictures of Crown Prince Frederick enjoying an evening out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casnova sent shockwaves through Denmark.

The Palace have dubbed it a ‘private visit’ but otherwise refused to speak about the nature of the now infamous incident. Meanwhile his wife, Mary, was over 5,000km away on official royal business in New York. 

This year, however, they won’t be joined by his younger brother Prince Joachim (centre) and his wife Princess Marie (second left). Pictured with Felix, Athena, Henrik and Nikolai in September 2022

Prince Joachim (right) previously said he was ‘hurt’ by his mother’s decision to remove his children’s titles

However, Joachim has since said the family has ‘moved on’ and put on a pally display with his brother at abdication events at the start of the year (pictured)

In the photos, the royal and the former daughter-in-law of the billionaire Duchess of Alba were seen walking through Madrid before heading to her apartment building, changing clothes and heading out again for the evening.

The publication of the photos resulted in Genoveva, 47, issuing a statement denying any kind of romantic relationship between herself and the royal and slamming the ‘malicious’ rumours.

The couple have since put on a series of united public displays, but have also made numerous separate appearances, and were also seen looking frosty towards one another during a ski holiday back in March.  

In January, Queen Margrethe became the first Danish monarch to abdicate in over 500 years – with experts claiming the royal made the decision to ‘save her son’s marriage’. 

She said at the time: ‘In February this year, I underwent extensive back surgery. It went well, thanks to the skilled healthcare staff who took care of me. Of course, the operation also gave rise to thoughts about the future – whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation. 

‘I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.’ 

Royal commentators have told MailOnline that Margrethe ‘deliberately’ dropped a ‘massive bombshell’ at the right time to secure the future of the Danish Royal Family, and its ‘greatest asset’, Crown Princess Mary.

In September 2022, Margrethe made a shock move as she stripped Prince Joachim’s children of their titles. 

Queen Margrethe of Denmark (L) greets Prince Joachim of Denmark in January this year

King Frederik X of Denmark kisses Queen Mary of Denmark on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark on January 14, 2024, after a declaration on the accession to the throne by the Danish prime minister

The monarch removed royal titles (prince and princess as well as ‘His/Her Highness’) from Nikolai, 25, Felix, 22, Henrik, 15, and Athena, 12. 

This sparked a major row in the Danish Royal Family, and came as a huge shock not only to the family themselves, but to the people of Denmark.

Queen Margrethe said she hoped it would help ‘shape their own lives without being limited by the special considerations and duties’ that a formal affiliation with the Danish Royal Family involves.

Princess Marie later admitted she and her husband ‘weren’t happy’ about they way their children were stripped of their titles. 

Speaking to the Washington Post, the royal – who now works as defence industry attaché for his nation’s embassy in the US capital – and his wife, opened up about the decision, which was previously described as coming ‘out of the blue’.

‘We weren’t happy about the way it happened,’ Marie admitted. ‘But it’s a family thing. It’s complicated.’

‘It’s more than just what people see as a title,’ she explained.

However, it appears there is no bad blood in the family, as a smiling Joachim was snapped hugging his brother, the newly-crowned King Frederik X – after their mother’s abdication in January. 

Margrethe (pictured in January) recently took some time out of royal duties after suffering a fall

‘We’ve moved on,’ the Prince added.

While the dust seems to have now settled, after the family were stripped of their titles in September 2022, Joachim had claimed that his mother’s decision had initially ‘harmed’ his children.

Months later, the sixth-in-line to the throne admitted that ‘communication was missing’ within the Royal Family in the lead-up to the shock announcement. 

Joachim told local news outlet B.T.: ‘There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.’

He added that he had only been given five days’ notice before the news was made public.

Following the Queen’s announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish Embassy in Paris, where he lived with his French-born wife Princess Marie and his two youngest children, and said his four children had been ‘hurt’ by their grandmother’s decision.

‘I was given five days’ notice to tell them. In May, I was presented with a plan which, by and large, was that when the children each turned 25, it would happen. Now I had only five days to tell them. Athena turns 11 in January,’ he clarified at the time.

Speaking to B.T., Joachim and his second wife Marie also admitted their relationship with King Frederik and Queen Mary is ‘complicated’.

It comes after Queen Mary (pictured in October) followed in the footsteps of Meghan Markle and Queen Camilla by announcing her own royal podcast

Meanwhile, Prince Joachim’s ex-wife Alexandra said that her sons, Nikolai and Felix, had been left feeling ‘ostracised’ from the institution and the decision had come like a ‘bolt out of the blue’. 

The Royal Household released a further statement that the ‘decision has been a long time coming’.

‘We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen’s wish to future-proof the Royal Household will be respected,’ the statement added.

None of Joachim’s children – or his wife Princess Marie – joined him at Frederik’s ascension.

Instead, Marie and their two children remained in Washington DC, where the family now live.

It comes after Queen Mary followed in the footsteps of Meghan Markle and Queen Camilla by announcing her own royal podcast.

Taking to Instagram she posted a photograph of herself listening to a podcast in a pair of black trousers and matching turtle neck jumper.

Sporting a pair of stylish glasses and earphones, the mother-of-four looked engrossed in the podcast as she held her phone in her hands.

On a cream sofa, next to a side table filled with books, the Australian-born Queen looked typically elegant, with her hair left straight and loose and her features boasting a smattering of glamorous makeup.

The post, when translated from Danish to English, read: ‘I’m extremely excited to be listening to a podcast. I often listen when I have to move from one place to another. 

‘Some days I’m in the mood for entertainment and other days I use it to gain knowledge and new input.

Frederik of Denmark (L) and Prince Joachim of Denmark attend festivities of the Danish Army to celebrate the 50th regency jubilee of their mother Queen Margrethe in August 2022

‘That is why I am also proud that we have now thrown ourselves into making a podcast in the Mary Foundation. 

‘Our first podcast is called ‘Lonely youth’, and through three short episodes it gives a thorough insight into the nuances of loneliness by mixing expertise and personal stories from young people. 

‘We know from the study ‘Loneliness in Denmark’ that 73 per cent of 16-19 year olds experience loneliness, whether they are alone or with others. At the same time, 17 per cent of 16-24 year olds feel very lonely. 

‘These are heavy numbers that we need to do something about. A podcast is not something we much experience with yet in the Mary Foundation, but I hope you will listen and feel welcome.’

Born out of Queen Mary’s desire to make society more inclusive and bring in those who find themselves on the margins, The Mary Foundation was established in 2007. 

Mary ‘has always been particularly conscious of the people who are not part of a group, people who feel lonely and are unable to understand why they are excluded from the community,’ reads the foundation’s official website. 

The Queen Mary Foundation was created thanks to a 1.1 million kroner national gift raised in Denmark and Greenland and donated in honour of Mary and Frederik’s wedding in 2004. 

Mary is following in the footsteps of royals including the Duchess of Sussex, Queen Camilla and Princess Eugenie in launching a podcast.

Meghan Markle’s audio show Archetypes with Meghan, described as ‘a podcast where we investigate, dissect, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back’, first launched on Spotify in August 2022.

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