Princess Marie of Denmark, along with Prince Joachim and their children, Count Henrik, 16, and Countess Athena, 14, currently reside in the United States. The family plans to relocate back to Denmark in August 2027.
Reasons for the Timed Return
Princess Marie, 50, who was born in Paris, expressed enthusiasm for the move. She stated, “I’m looking forward to getting back to my work and my patronages. And getting back to Denmark. And what happens after that, time will tell. We are really looking forward to it. It has been really exciting to be out of the country and be able to support Denmark abroad.”
The family chose August 2027 to allow Count Henrik to complete high school in the US, while Countess Athena will finish her education in Denmark.
Previous Overseas Assignments
This marks the second extended stay abroad for the family. Prince Joachim, fifth in line to the Danish throne, served as Military Attaché at the Royal Danish Embassy in Paris from 2020 to 2023. Currently, he works as the defence industry attaché at the Danish Embassy in Washington.
Extension of US Tenure
In 2025, authorities extended Prince Joachim’s role as Defense Industry Attaché and Deputy Defense Attaché in Washington DC until the end of August 2027. The family will continue living there, with the children attending local schools.
Despite the extension, the couple expressed a strong desire to return home sooner. In June 2025, Prince Joachim told TV2, “We have a desire to come home. But we also do not rule out the possibility of staying abroad. Now we have to see. For now, it is on our radar. When the post here stops, we will return home.”
He attributed the longing to homesickness, noting, “Overall, we can all feel it, and we can also feel it in the children, that it is at home in Denmark that we have our largest social base. We can’t travel back and forth, after all, there is a six-hour time difference and an entire ocean in between. We take our time when we are home and enjoy it to the fullest. Perhaps that is the band-aid for being far away from home.”
Glimpse Inside Washington Home
In January 2025, the Danish royal family shared a photo from their Washington residence on official social media to celebrate Countess Athena’s 13th birthday. The image showed her in a living room featuring a white built-in shelving unit filled with books and a framed picture of Princess Marie holding one of her children as a baby.
