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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle look set to host Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark at the Invictus Games 2025 in Vancouver
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie have confirmed they will join Prince Harry (and likely the Duchess of Sussex) for the Invictus Games in Vancouver
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Prince Harry will be joined by Prince Joachim of Denmark at the Invictus Games in Vancouver this February
Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesWith the Invictus Games less than two weeks away, Prince Harry is putting the finishing touches to the esteemed guest list. The Duke of Sussex is hosting the event for ill and injured service personnel and veterans in Vancouver this year, and insiders say itâs likely that Meghan Markle will be joining him. Now though, we have confirmation that Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark will be flying out to Canada for the Games.
The couples will have plenty to discuss as they take their seats on 14 and 15 February â and not just Valentine's Day love languages. The Sussexes and the Danish royal pair have plenty in common, after all. Both have endured a somewhat tumultuous relationship with their families in recent years. In 2023, Joachim and Marie followed in Harry and Meghanâs footsteps, moving their family to the United States. The probable cause? A year earlier, Joachimâs mother, Queen Margrethe, made the controversial decision to strip their children of their royal titles.
From the beginning of 2023, Henrik and Athena were styled as the Count and Countess of Monpezat, rather than Their Royal Highnesses. This landmark change affected not just Henrik and Athena, but Joachimâs two older children â Nikolai and Felix â whom he shares with his first wife, Alexandra.
Prince Joachim of Denmark and his wife, Princess Marie of Denmark, pose for a portrait at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington, DC on 19 March, 2024
The Washington Post/Getty ImagesThe Danish royal couple moved to DC after Queen Margrethe's controversial decision to strip their children of their royal titles
The Washington Post/Getty ImagesAs with Prince Harry and Meghan Markleâs move to Montecito, the Danish royal exodus engendered a somewhat frosty atmosphere between the departees and the family they left behind. The couple spoke to the Washington Post about the Queen's decision early last year, confessing that it had been a challenging time for the family. Marie said it was about more than âjust a titleâ, adding: âWe werenât happy about the way it happened. But itâs a family thing. Itâs complicated. Itâs also their name. Itâs their identity since they were born. So itâs more than just what people see as a title.â Joachim went on to add that the family have since tried to put the row behind them, saying: âWeâve moved on.â
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The decision to strip Joachimâs children of their royal titles seems to be a decision Margrethe took without much consultation with the rest of the family. Following the announcement in September 2022 of Queen Margrethe II of Denmarkâs decision, Prince Joachim expressed his dismay at the move, saying that the family were âvery sadâ and had been âput in a situation they do not understandâ, adding: âItâs never fun to see your children being harmed.â
There were rumours of a feud between King Frederik and his brother Prince Joachim in the wake of Queen Margrethe's decision, though a series of joint engagements suggests the family have put it all behind them
MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Getty ImagesThe decision caused a significant rift, and the family spent Christmas in 2022 apart, breaking with a time-honoured tradition. Queen Margrethe made a public apology for having âunderestimatedâ the hurt caused to Joachimâs four children â Nikolai, Felix, Henrik and Athena â and their parents, but stressed that she took the action âto ensure that the monarchy continues to shape itself in keeping with the timesâ.
There were clear parallels between Queen Margretheâs polite refusal to back down from her decision and the late Queen Elizabethâs response to the Duke and Duchess of Sussexâs decision to move across the Atlantic in 2020, one that sources claimed at the time came as a surprise to Her Late Majesty.
âAlthough we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family,â an official statement read, âwe respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.â
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie appear to have reconciled with the House of GlĂźcksberg, joining King Frederik and Queen Mary for the New Yearâs celebrations at the beginning of January. That, of course, makes quite a contrast to the Sussexes, who are still very much estranged from their fellow Windsors.
Happier times? Prince Harry was joined by a host of senior royals for the first Invictus Games in London 2014, including his brother and his father
Dave J Hogan/Getty ImagesIndeed, one only needs to look back on the guest list at the inaugural Invictus Games to see just how wide that royal rift has grown. When Prince Harry hosted the 2014 competition in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, he was joined by a plethora of British royals: his father, then Prince Charles; Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall; his brother, Prince William; and his cousin, Princess Beatrice. Catherine, then the Duchess of Cambridge, had planned on attending, but the acute morning sickness she suffered while pregnant with Prince George prevented her from doing so.
Nowadays, Prince Harry and his family are royally incommunicado. Royal writers have said that âthereâs no going backâ for The Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales, who have not been seen in public together since the late Queenâs funeral in 2022. Prince Harry flew to the UK to meet with King Charles upon the news of His Majestyâs cancer diagnosis in February, but the pair only spoke for around 30 minutes.
Other international royals have attended the following interactions of Invictus. King Frederik of Denmark, then Crown Prince, flew to London for the event in 2014, also joining for the 2018 Games in Sydney. When Invictus went to The Hague in 2022, the Dutch royal family all sent their RSVPs, including King Willem-Alexander, Princess Margriet, and Prince Pieter-Christiaan.
The 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto marked the first time that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took their relationship public
Karwai TangPerhaps the most memorable of the Invictus Games was the 2017 edition, in Toronto. It was the first time that Prince Harry and his then girlfriend Meghan Markle were spotted holding hands in public. From joyous royal weddings to accusations of racism and bullying, the rest is history. Sources have said that the Duchess of Sussex will be returning to this yearâs Games in Vancouver, originally intended as a solo event for Harry, as part of a new PR strategy.
In the wake of a âtwin trackâ plan, which saw the Sussexes attend a series of events by without one anotherâs company, there is said to be a ârenewed focus on the Sussexes as a couple, as a brand and showcasing them as a couple and family,â said one well-placed source to The Express. The plan, they continued, is to focus on joint appearances to reflect a united front.
An olive branch between the Sussexes and the Windsors, though, might be found in the unlikeliest of places when Invictus heads to Vancouver. Singer Katy Perry will be performing at the opening ceremony on 8 February. The last time she performed for the royals? King Charlesâ Coronation Concert in May 2023, with her songs âRoarâ and âFireworkâ delighting Prince George and Princess Charlotte. If we were to predict the setlist at the opening ceremony? Perhaps The One Who Got Away might be a little on the nose.
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