Danish Prince to divorce wife

Prince Joachim, Queen Margrethe's second son, will seek a divorce from his Hong Kong-born wife, Princess Alexandra, a spokesman for Denmark's royal family said Thursday.

Queen Margrethe and her husband Prince Henrik "deeply regretted" the couple's decision, but added they would give their full support to their son and daughter-in-law, according to a statement read by the royal family lord chamberlain, Ove Ullerup.
Ullerup said Joachim and Alexandra would continue their official duties during the divorce. If the divorce is completed, then it is the queen's decision whether to let Alexandra keep her royal title.

"The princess has no plans to leave the country," Ullerup said.
The announcement marks the first time since 1846 that a member of Denmark's royal family, Europe's oldest ruling monarchy, has gotten a divorce. The monarchy was founded by the Viking Gorm the Old, who died in 958.

Steffen Heiberg, a historian specializing in royal history, said the last divorce in the Danish royal house was in 1846 when King Frederik VII divorced Princess Caroline Charlotte Mariane of Mecklemburg-Strelitz, Germany.

He said the divorce is a "private matter" and would be handled like any other divorce in the Scandinavian country of 5.4 million.

"Both of them have a duty to take care of their children and will continue to share parenting responsibilities," Niels Eilschou Holm, the palace's legal expert, told reporters at a press conference.

For several months, Danish media have carried reports and rumors that the couple had been leading separate lives.

Joachim, 35, and Alexandra Manley, 40, got married on November 18, 1995, at Frederiksborg Castle in Hilleroed, Denmark. The couple have two sons, Prince Nikolai, 5, and Prince Felix, 2.
After the wedding, the enormously popular princess captured Danes’ hearts and admiration by giving a speech in fluent Danish.

Alexandra spends considerable time in the public eye, serving as the patron of 21 groups, including the Danish Association for the Blind, a marine life museum, a girls’ choir and a shelter for homeless and abused women with children. She is also the president of UNICEF Denmark.
While Alexandra carried out official duties, Joachim was dubbed "the party prince" because he spent more time attending soccer games, racing vintage cars and rock concerts.
The couple met in January 1994 in Hong Kong, where the prince was working for a Danish shipping company.

After marrying into Europe's oldest ruling monarchy, Alexandra gave up her professional life as a mutual fund manager and dropped her British citizenship for a Danish passport.
She is known as an elegant dresser and speaks German and French. She studied economics in Hong Kong, London and Vienna.

Joachim is the younger brother to the heir to Denmark's throne, Crown Prince Frederik, who in May married Australian-born Crown Princess Mary.

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Prince Joachim of Denmark and his Hong Kong-born wife Princess Alexandra Manley are to divorce, the royal couple said on Thursday.

Alexandra, 40, and Joachim, 35, were married on November 18, 1995 in a high-profile wedding at the Fredericksburg Castle in Hillerod, Denmark.

The couple have two sons, Prince Nikolai, 5, and Prince Felix, 2.
Recently members of the media had speculated that Joachim and Alexandra had developed a more distant relationship, increasingly diving royal duties between each other.
In a press release issued Thursday, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said: "I note that Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra have agreed upon the terms of separation, including parental custody and all economic affairs.''

He said that the Danish government was in favour of supporting Alexandra for her future work in the country. Alexandra, who claims to be a descendant of England's William the Conqueror, was born in Hong Kong on June 30, 1964 and christened at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist.
When she married Joachim she converted to the Evangelical Lutheran faith.

After graduating from the Island School, Alexandra studied economics in Hong Kong, London, and Vienna. She then began a career at the investment firm GT Management.
When she met Joachim in 1994, she was a mutual-funds executive living in Discovery Bay.
The prince was then working for Danish shipping line Maersk.

Joachim is the younger brother of Crown Prince Felix, the heir to Denmark's thrown, who married Australian-born Crown Princess Mary in May.

The royal family is reportedly "deeply saddened'' by news of the divorce, but Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik support the decision. This marks the first divorce in 200 years for the Danish monarchy, which was founded by the Viking King Gorm the Old in 958.

In a statement, the couple said they would continue with their state and official duties.
"After many long and difficult considerations, we have mutually decided to seek separation with intent to divorce. We have agreed upon the terms of separation, and we will share joint custody of our children,'' the statement said.

"Each of us wishes to carry out our official duties as fully as possible, as well as continue our co-operation with the organisations with which we are involved.''