Countess Athena of Monpezat leaned on her older brothers at her Confirmation as the Danish royal family marked the milestone moment with a series of playful portraits.
Athena, the 14-year-old daughter of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark, was confirmed at a church in Washington DC on May 2.
It was announced on an official Instagram post captioned: ‘Congratulations to Her Excellency.’
One sweet photo taken by royal photographer Zahra Khadir showed Athena lying across the arms of her brothers – Count Nikolai, 26, Count Felix, 23, and Count Henrik, 17 – as the siblings shared a lighthearted moment.
In another, Joachim can be seen proudly looking down at his daughter, with Marie standing next to Henrik, who celebrated his birthday on May 4.
The Confirmation ceremony of Queen Margrethe’s youngest grandchild was held at the Georgetown Lutheran Church, according to a statement from the Danish royal household.
Athena – who is tenth in line to the Danish throne – radiated confidence in an elegant, ankle-skimming white dress with a dipped back, which she paired with a pair of beige espadrilles from LK Bennett London.
Princess Marie, who turned 50 in February, was every bit the proud mother as she and Joachim posed for pictures alongside Athena.
While Joachim donned a smart navy suit for the occasion, Marie was typically elegant in a £219 ($298) floral print dress from Reiss and a statement Lady Dior bag, red Michael Kors sandals, and £8,040 ($10,396) pink sapphire and ruby earrings from Mauboussin.
A photo from Countess Athena’s Confirmation ceremony showed her being lifted up by her brothers, from left, Count Henrik, Count Nikolai and Count Felix
Nikolai and Felix are Prince Joachim’s sons from his first marriage to Countess Alexandra, which ended in 2004. He married Princess Marie in 2008 and the royal couple welcomed Henrik the following year.
Like their father, they all wore dark blue suits as they attended their sister’s Confirmation in the US capital, where the family has lived since 2023.
It follows a series of portraits released to mark Athena’s 14th birthday, which were uploaded to Instagram on January 24. She was dressed casually in dark wash jeans and a light blue striped shirt for the pictures.
The image was included in a selection of Athena’s best photographs over the years – from her first portraits as a newborn to relaxed holiday snaps with her whole family.
Fans said Athena looked ‘so grown up’ and congratulated the family in the comments section, with one writing: ‘Once a princess, always a princess. Happy birthday, Your Excellency. Hope you celebrated in style.’
The family moved to the United States in 2023 when Joachim was appointed Defense Industry Attaché at the Danish Embassy after Queen Margrethe decided to strip his children of their royal titles.
At the time, the palace said King Frederik’s brother will ‘help strengthen Denmark’s defense industrial cooperation with the United States and Canada in the coming years’.
With just a year and a half left on his contract, which expires in August 2027, Princess Marie told BILLED-BLADET they are ‘really looking forward’ to returning home to Copenhagen.
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie with their four children at Athena’s Confirmation in Washington DC
Athena – who is tenth in line to the Danish throne – radiated confidence in an elegant, ankle-skimming white dress with a dipped back
‘The most important thing for me and my family are the years that lie ahead of us,’ the mother-of-two said.
‘Right now, as you know, we are staying in the US. for another year and a half. Then the children can finish their schooling.
‘It has been really exciting to be out of the country and be able to support Denmark abroad.’
Their move to Washington DC followed Queen Margrethe’s decision to strip Nikolai, Felix, Henrik, and Athena of their titles due to ‘complicated’ relationships within the royal family in 2022.
At the time, Joachim hit out at the move, saying it had ‘punished’ his children and claimed he was only made aware of his mother’s decision five days before the rest of the world found out.
However, a spokesman for the Danish royal family insisted the decision had ‘been a long time coming’.
Joachim also admitted Athena was being bullied at school, with her peers reportedly telling her: ‘Is it you who is no longer a princess?’
Despite no longer being considered official members of the Danish royal family, they have maintained their positions in the line of succession following Queen Margrethe’s shock abdication.
Joachim’s son, Count Nikolai is sixth in line to the throne even though he is no longer a working royal.
Nikolai is a model with a large Instagram following.
His siblings, Felix Henrik and Athena hold the seventh, eighth and ninth places in the succession line, respectively.
Margrethe, now 86, stunned the nation and many royal watchers around the world when she used her televised New Year’s Eve speech in 2023 to announce that she was stepping down as Queen after 52 years.
In her address, she said she had taken stock after undergoing back surgery last year and had decided it was time ‘to leave the responsibility to the next generation’ – namely her eldest son, now King Frederik.
