Marie Agathe Odile, Her Royal Highness Princess Marie of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, was born on 6 February 1976 in Paris, France.
She is the second wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, younger brother of King Frederik X.
Before her marriage she was a French citizen and a Roman Catholic; upon marrying into the Danish royal family she converted to the Evangelical Lutheran Church and became a Danish citizen.
She and Prince Joachim have two children, Count Henrik Carl Joachim Alain (born 2009) and Countess Athena Marguerite Françoise Marie (born 2012).
She is also stepmother to Prince Joachim’s two sons from his first marriage, Count Nikolai and Count Felix.
Siblings
Princess Marie is the only child of her parents, Alain Cavallier, a former advertising executive, and Françoise Grassiot, owner of the Château de la Vernède hotel near Avignon.
After her parents’ divorce she gained four half-brothers.
From her mother’s subsequent marriage she has two half-brothers, Benjamin and Gregory Grandet, both born in Switzerland.
From her father’s side she has two half-brothers, Charles and Edouard Cavallier, both born in Paris.
All four half-brothers grew up largely in Paris, and Marie has spoken positively of the protective role her older brothers played during her childhood.
Career
Marie Cavallier attended primary school in Paris and later the Beau-Soleil International Boarding School in Villars, Switzerland, where she completed her secondary education in 1993.
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She studied economics in Geneva and international business and economics at Babson College in Massachusetts before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marymount Manhattan College in New York.
During and after her studies she worked in public relations and marketing, including positions with Estée Lauder in Paris, DoubleClick Inc. in New York, the French advertising agency Media Marketing, Reuters’ Radianz in Geneva, and as executive secretary at ING Numismatic Group SA.
She met Prince Joachim in 2005; they became engaged in 2007 and married on 24 May 2008 at Møgeltønder Church.
As a member of the Danish royal family she has undertaken official duties, supported cultural and social causes, and completed emergency-services training with the Danish Emergency Management Agency, receiving the rank of Korpsmester à la suite.
She holds several patronages, including organisations related to literature, education, sport and health.
Accolades
Princess Marie is a Knight of the Order of the Elephant, Denmark’s highest honour, conferred at the time of her marriage.
She has received the Royal Family Order of Queen Margrethe II and various commemorative medals marking royal birthdays and jubilees.
Among foreign decorations she holds the Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II of Belgium, the Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, the Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honour, and the Grand Cross of the Order of Beneficence of Greece.
She has also been recognised for her service with the Danish emergency services.
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