Today, Soir Mag released an interview of Princess Marie talking about food waste and the cookbook “Mad med Respekt” which was released in November 2019. Read more below.
I am not sure when the interview took place but it took place at the Danish embassy in Paris. I am not going to translate the full interview as the questions and answers are similar to other interviews she’s done in the past about the fight against food waste (and because I lack the time and I can’t translate word for word for copyright issues anyway) but I’m going to summarize the most interesting parts. You can read the full interview here (it is behind a paywall but you can pay 1€ to have access to it for 24 hours).
When asked if when she cooks, she instinctively cooks French meals or Danish meals, Princess Marie said: “I prepare all types of food! I like Italian, Asian, French, Danish food. A few days ago, I served a Sri Lankan dish. I love trying new spices!”
Princess Marie also revealed that she would really like to publish the book in French but “it cannot be translated, it is too specific to Denmark. We have to readjust all the recipes, to address our audience. It is therefore necessary to find chefs who could be associated with the project.”
Princess Marie was fully involved in the creation of the book: “Selina and I put everything together. We chose the chefs who are part of the book together. They all have a special role in Denmark; they are fairly well known, but their cuisine remains accessible. All the families had to be able to recognize themselves in it and make it clear that children love to participate in this kind of thing.”
She also talked about her children’s participation in the book, saying: “In Denmark we only eat rye bread. When it is too dry, you put it in very thin slices in the oven with a little oil and salt and it makes extraordinary chips for children! My son Henrik offers a guacamole recipe where we find these chips. As for Athena, it is a fruit salad that she offers. There is also an omelet recipe where you can put a little bit of everything in there. I’m really a fan of leftovers! You put everything in a wok, you add some spices and it makes you a dish!”
Princess Marie was also asked about her life in France with her family. She hadn’t lived in France for over thirty years before moving back so it felt a little weird to her at first. She noted the coincidence of her son Henrik moving to France when he was 10 years old while she was 10 when she was leaving in France as well. She also explained that Paris give them more privacy and they were really appreciating it, both for their children and for them as a couple. But she explained the differences she experienced between the Danish culture and the French culture : “The Danes have a very positive character, a spirit of consensus. They gather enormously around many traditions. Then there is the Danish “hygge”. I don’t know if it’s related to the climate, the harsher winters, but you give a lot of importance to your home. We often stay at home. In Paris, people go out all the time. I also like the fresh air, the sea is everywhere. Denmark and its people are very pleasant to live with. There is a very good quality of life. This is perhaps what I miss most, this balance between professional and family life. The schools here are very academic, so they don’t leave much room for self-development, creativity. As for family life, I see that my husband comes home late. The hours are different in Denmark. We start earlier in the morning but we meet at the end of the afternoon to experience this “hygge”!”
About marrying into a royal family, Princess Marie said that there is no textbook on how to become a Princess. The most difficult thing for her was how lonely it can get as it is a unique position and you can’t talk about it with everyone. She said Joachim always encouraged her but that she felt lost at the beginning, especially as she was leaning a new language.
Princess Marie also talked about social media. The journalist noted that Selina Juul – who worked on the book with Marie- is very active on social media to promote her association and the fight against food waste. When asked if this is something she was also interested in, Marie said that she was indeed starting to be more interested but only to promote her causes, to turn it into something useful: “I understood that to highlight these events and associations, you have to post cool photos. People don’t just care about text. It takes a bit of staging.” She said that she doesn’t like to put on a show herself but she thinks that “we can stage certain causes without revealing ourselves too much. You have to stay authentic in what you show. I will never use a photo that is not credible or unsuitable.”
Princess Marie also touched on her children’s lives in the spotlight. She explained that while they know about their position, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie try to protect them and not expose them too much except for big events like birthdays. They want to raise them as normal as possible because they will not carry engagements for the Court in the future: “They will always remain the Queen’s grandchildren, they were born princes, but they will not have the support of the state, they will work. So it is our duty to prepare them for this. It’s not like my husband who is invested in royal life and who has duties that fall upon him.”
Finally, to conclude the interview, Princess Marie was asked about her patronages and whether or not she could choose her patronages. She said: “I would like that ! But no. It is not easy to choose a cause, there are so many and my activities are coordinated in agreement with the Royal House, whether it be my agenda, my patronages or my presence at official events. Fortunately, the associations and the causes for which I wanted to invest myself, I was able to have them. I work with great people. I prefer to have few associations but invest a lot in this work.”
Princess Marie wore a Tara Jarmon outfit for the interview. She wore the Valia blazer and high waisted trousers.
She also wore a new Tara Jarmon sweater and she carried her YSL bag.
Princess Marie's Closet 
Marie seems very dedicated to this cause of preventing food waste. I admire her personal participation in it. She does seem very authentic!
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