The Danish Ministry of Defence announced that Prince Joachim will fill a new position in Paris for the Danish military starting in September. Read more below.
Here is the press release of the Danish Ministry of Defense:
“In recent years, Denmark’s defense policy cooperation with France has become ever closer. The hiring of Prince Joachim is done to strengthen cooperation in the field of security policy with France. Prince Joachim joins September 1, 2020.
”In recent years, Danish-French cooperation has been strengthened with several joint missions and efforts around the world. There is no doubt that France is a very close ally and close strategic partner when it comes to the fight against terror and the maintenance of freedom and peace, ”said Defense Minister Trine Bramsen.
Prince Joachim was promoted as Brigadier General and as a Defense Attaché he will refer to the Department of Defense. The Ambassador in Paris is the Defense Attorney General’s daily chief. As part of the priority of Danish-French cooperation, an assistant defense attaché will also be appointed.
Since September 2019, Prince Joachim has followed France’s highest ranking military leadership training at École Militaire. The continuing education in France complements Prince Joachim’s ongoing work in the Armed Forces.
“Prince Joachim has a long association with the Armed Forces and this month, he ends France’s highest ranking military training in leadership in, among other things international conditions. These skills will be brought into play along with his in-depth knowledge of the country, the culture and a strong local network. Therefore, he also has strong prerequisites for the post as a defense attaché, ”says Trine Bramsen.
Prince Joachim will continue to perform certain duties for the Royal House, to the extent that the full-time position as defense attaché allows. The position is filled for 3 years with the possibility of extension.
As Prince Joachim receives the annual allowance, he will not receive salary in the position or otherwise be covered by expenses for housing, school or the like, which normally belong to the position. The Ministry of Defense pays an amount to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which covers the embassy’s usual expenses associated with the position, including expenses for missions, office teams and representation.
The Prime Minister will submit a motion for resolution on the assent of Prince Joachim’s receipt of the annual allowance, as long as he holds the position of defense attaché at the Embassy of Denmark in Paris.”
The Ministry of Defense also shared more about Prince Joachim’s military background:
The Prime Minister will come forward tomorrow with a proposal to pass an annual allowance to Prince Joachim in parliament.
The Court still hasn’t commented on the announcement and as I write this post, we still don’t know how that will impact Princess Marie’s work with her patronages. I will update this post as soon as we get more information on the technical points and changes of this new position for Prince Joachim.
UPDATE: The Danish Minister of Defense gave more information about this announcement to Danish newspaper BT. She said that it is the Ministry of Defense that approached Prince Joachim about this position since the current attaché was ending his mission and that he wasn’t chosen because he is a Prince but because of his qualifications.
She said: “I’m not aware of a candidate who has as good a resume as Prince Joachim compared to filling this position. With his connection to the Danish military, his skills in French, his connection to the country, and having recently received the highest French education in military leadership, there is no doubt that he is the right one. In addition, it is clear that with his position he also has an entire network that he can draw on.”
She also said that it is “a very clear signal that we want to strengthen cooperation with France.” The Minister of Defense also said that Prince Joachim could, for example, work in the Sahel region where the French military currently has an operation to fight terrorism. The Danish military is cooperating with France on this operation and Prince Joachim could co-ordinate the Danish defense’s contribution. Prince Joachim and his fellow students visited the Sahel region last December.
Princess Marie's Closet 