Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier was born in Paris on Februrary 6, 1976. The princess lived in a modest house there until the age of ten with her parents, Françoise and Alain, and her half-brothers Benjamin and Gregory.

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The princess had a happy, close relationship with her family growing up. It was difficult, Marie admits, when her parents decided to divorce. Describing herself as a good student, Marie says that when her parents divorced her grades suffered accordingly. She adored her father and was sad for many years, rebelling against her mother and stepfather.

After the divorce, Marie was sent to the Collège Alpin Beau Soleil boarding school in Switzerland. After leaving Beau Soleil, she attended Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts for two years. After a visit to New York City with a friend, Marie “fell in love” with her surroundings and decided to finish her schooling there at Marymount Manhattan College. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree.

After working in advertising as well as the IT field, Marie took a position with her stepfather’s business, the financial consulting company REInvest in Geneva. She says she learned a lot working alongside him and was his office manager until she became engaged to Prince Joachim.

On the road to royalty

Marie met Prince Joachim during a shooting party at a friend’s house in Denmark. At that time the prince was going through his divorce with Princess Alexandra (now Countess of Fredriksborg). Marie says that they enjoyed each others’ company, but then went back to their lives – she to Geneva, Joachim to royal duties as the son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

The pair got together again during a private holiday in France in August 2005 after communicating by phone and email. Marie first came to the public’s attention when she was photographed on this summer retreat. She was seen again celebrating the New Year in 2007 with Prince Joachim, his former wife Alexandra, their two sons Nikolai and Felix, and a group of close friends.

Marie joined the royal family for Easter at Marselisborg Palace later that year, meeting Queen Margrethe for the first time. The media erupted with stories about a possible engagement. Marie had already been traveling back and forth between Geneva and Denmark with her little dog, Apple, in tow. People began speculating that Miss Marie Cavallier was ‘the one’ after the crucial meeting with the Queen and her husband, Prince Henrik.

On October 3, 2007, it was officially announced that Marie Cavallier was engaged to Prince Joachim. They held a press conference to introduce Marie to the public, and she displayed her diamond, ruby, and sapphire engagement ring for all to see. Joachim had it designed to look like the French flag, honoring his fiancee’s homeland.

The Royal Court announced that the wedding would be held on May 24, 2008. Marie and Joachim selected Møgeltønder Church for the wedding.

Like her father-in-law Prince Henrik, Marie was a French citizen and a member of the Roman Catholic Church prior to her marriage. To become a fully-fledged member of the Danish royal family, Marie became a Danish citizen and a member of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church.

Marie has not lost all French connections, however: shortly before the wedding, the title “Count of Monpezat” was conferred by the Queen on both of her sons, Joachim and older brother Frederik. The title was made hereditary for their male-line descendants, both male and female, for Prince Henrik’s Laborde de Monpezat family roots. As Joachim’s wife, Marie is titled as Countess of Monpezat.

Joachim’s male-line descendants are his sons, Prince Henrik (with Marie) and Princes Nikolai and Felix (with Countess Alexandra). Both Joachim and the Countess have maintained a good, solid relationship with each other for the sake of their children, and the result of this pleasant situation is the amiable nature that shines in both boys.

Marie and her stepsons also get along wonderfully. She has stated that she has always loved children, and she and Joachim wanted his sons’ consent before marrying. Both little Nikolai and Felix were more than happy to accept Marie into the family, and the boys were thrilled to have a little brother when baby Henrik was born.

As a child who had stepparents, Marie is well aware of the challenges and joys that a blended family brings. By the look of things, they are all succeeding to the highest degree!

Princess Marie: Behind the scenes