Her Royal Highness, Princess Marie of Denmark was awarded the highest French honour, the Légion d’Honneur (Order of the Legion of Honour) yesterday at the French Ambassador’s Residence in Copenhagen. She was made a Grand Officer, which is just one degree lower than Grand Cross.
Prince Joachim was present at the French Ambassador’s Residence when his wife received the honour from her homeland as was his father, Prince Henrik. Her mother, Françoise Grassiot; her father, Alain Cavallier; and her brothers were also in attendance.
The Princess thanked the French ambassador for presenting her with the Order of the Legion of Honour and spoke in her native French. Princess Marie said yesterday, “It is a great honour for me, and I want to share with all those I work with and who support me in everyday life – my husband, my family, my staff, my patronages and the people who surround me.”
Kirsten Biering, Ambassador from Denmark to France, remarked on Twitter about Marie, “We are so proud to call her ours.”
Marie was born in Paris, France on 6 February 1976. However, she received the honour as a foreign national instead of a French citizen. At the time of her marriage to Prince Joachim in 2008, Denmark did not allow dual citizenship. If someone wanted to become a Danish citizen, he or she had to renounce his or her other citizenship. Crown Princess Mary gave up her dual Australian and British citizenship upon her marriage to Crown Prince Frederik in 2004. The law has now changed to allow Danes to hold more than one citizenship.
Queen Margrethe is already a Grand Cross Order of the Legion of Honour. Her father-in-law, Prince Henrik, who is also a former French national, has received numerous French honours including the Grand Cross Order of the Legion of Honour. Henrik also holds the National Order of Merit and the Mérite Agricole from his native country.
The Princess already holds foreign honours from Belgium, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Mexico, Norway and the Netherlands. In Denmark, she has been granted the Royal Family Order of Queen Margrethe II, Commemorative 75th Birthday Medal of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, Commemorative 70th Birthday Medal of Her Majesty the Queen, Commemorative Ruby Jubilee Medal of Her Majesty the Queen, and Commemorative 75th Birthday Medal of Her Majesty the Queen; Her Royal Highness is also a Knight of the Order of the Elephant.
