A Tale of Two Princes? Which is Which?

The Prince Joachim Paradox: On the 22-Year Age Gap, the Army vs. Navy Distinction, and the Constitutional vs. Private roles  

  It is a common point of confusion for royal watchers: two European Princes with the same name, roughly the same generation, and both occupying the role of the "younger brother" to a future King. Considering this, there is a need to clearly distinguish Prince Joachim of Denmark from Prince Joachim of Belgium.

    Prince Joachim of Belgium is my fiancé, age-mate, and soulmate. 

    Prince Joachim of Denmark is someone I met in passing, and I am currently not in contact with him.

    The two princes are often confused for each other because of their similar profiles and they also share a name. They represent two different counties entirely, and considering I know both princes they share very little in common besides a name and a title.

The Prince Joachim Paradox: Distinguishing the Royal Houses of Denmark and Belgium

    In the tight-knit circle of European royalty, naming conventions often lean toward the traditional. This leads to a recurring identity crisis for the public. Perhaps no two figures exemplify this more than Prince Joachim of Denmark and Prince Joachim of Belgium. Both are younger sons in prominent reigning houses, both have distinguished military backgrounds, and both have found themselves at the center of international headlines. Despite this, beneath the shared name lies a vast difference in constitutional roles, age, and public visibility. To understand the modern European monarchical landscape, one must first learn to tell these two Joachims apart. 

Biographical Foundations: Two Generations of Royalty

    The most immediate distinction between the two men is the generational gap that separates their experiences and roles within their respective countries.

The Danish Prince: A Senior Royal in Transition

    Prince Joachim of Denmark (Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian) was born on June 7, 1969, at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. As the younger son of Queen Margrethe II and the late Prince Henrik, he grew up in the immediate spotlight of a working royal family. For much of his life he was second in line to the throne, directly following his elder brother that is the current King Frederik X. 

    Currently 5th in the Danish line of succession, his role has shifted significantly in recent years. While he remains a senior member of the House of Glücksburg, his life is now defined by a diplomatic career that took him from the historic Schackenborg Castle in Jutland to his current residence in Washington, D.C., where he serves as a defense industry attaché. 

The Belgian Prince: The Private Archduke

    In contrast, Prince Joachim of Belgium (Joachim Karl-Maria Nikolaus Isabelle Marcus d'Aviano) represents a younger, more private generation of European royalty. Born on December 9, 1991, in Woluwe-St-Lambert, he is the third child of Princess Astrid of Belgium and Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este. 

    His position in the Belgian line of succession is currently 11th or 12th depending on recent births and reflects his status as a non-working royal. Unlike his Danish counterpart, the Belgian Joachim does not typically undertake official engagements on behalf of his uncle, King Philippe. Instead, his life is rooted in the private sector, often working in international finance and management after completing high-level studies at Harvard Business School. 

Education and Military Career: Land vs. Sea

    Both Joachims have followed the royal tradition of military service, yet their chosen paths and professional specializations offer another clear point of differentiation.

Denmark’s Brigadier General

    Prince Joachim of Denmark’s military career is not merely a formality but a lifelong profession. He began his journey in 1987 as a recruit in the Queen's Own Regiment and steadily rose through the ranks. His expertise is primarily land-based. He served as a platoon commander of a tank squadron and eventually reached the rank of Brigadier General in 2020. 

    Parallel to his military life, he pursued an education in agrarian economics, reflecting a deep commitment to Danish agriculture and his long-time management of the Schackenborg estate. Today, his military background serves a diplomatic purpose: he represents Danish defense interests at the Embassy in the United States. 

Belgium’s Naval Officer

    Prince Joachim of Belgium took a different tactical route. While he completed voluntary army training in Arlon, his primary commission is as an officer in the Belgian Navy. He graduated from the Nautical School in Brugge in 2011, a milestone marked by public photos of him on the deck of the ship Godetia. 

    His academic path also leans more toward global business than agriculture. After a stint at Malvern College in the UK, he earned a Bachelor’s in International Economics, Management, and Finance from Bocconi University in Milan before heading to Harvard. While the Danish Joachim is often seen in full army regalia at state events, the Belgian Joachim is more likely to be found in a boardroom considering he is currently serving as a managing partner for an investment firm. 

Public Life and Controversies: The Weight of the Crown

    While both Joachims generally maintain a dignified public image, they have each faced singular moments of intense international scrutiny. These controversies serve as the most effective "identity markers" for the modern observer.

Denmark: The Great Title Crisis of 2022

    The most significant story involving Prince Joachim of Denmark in recent years was the "stripping" of his children’s royal titles. In late 2022, Queen Margrethe II announced that the four children of Prince Joachim would no longer be known as "Princes" and "Princesses," but rather as "Counts and Countess of Monpezat."

    The fallout was uncharacteristically public for the Danish Royal House. Prince Joachim spoke candidly to the press about his sadness and the hurt felt by his children, noting that his relationship with his mother and brother had become "complicated." This event cemented his image as a man grappling with the "slimming down" of European monarchies—a transition from a core royal role to a more peripheral, though still titled, existence.

Belgium: The Lockdown Scandal of 2020

    Prince Joachim of Belgium’s most famous headline was of a more personal, rather than constitutional, nature. In May 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prince traveled from Belgium to Spain for an internship. Shortly after, he attended a social gathering in Cordoba that exceeded the local lockdown limits on attendees.

    When the news broke that the Prince had subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, it sparked a national outcry in Spain and Belgium. Unlike the Danish title dispute, which was an internal family matter, the Belgian Joachim’s controversy was a legal and public health issue. He eventually issued a formal public apology, stating, "I would like to apologize for not having respected all the quarantine measures... in these difficult times, I did not intend to offend anyone." This incident remains the primary reason his name appears in international news archives over the last decade.

Family and Personal Life: Generations of Succession

    The family structures of the two Joachims offer a stark contrast in terms of visibility and the "celebrity" status of their children.

The House of Denmark: A Growing Dynasty

    Prince Joachim of Denmark has been married twice, and both unions were major events in Scandinavian society.

        First Marriage: In 1995, he married Alexandra Manley, a Hong Kong-born businesswoman. They had         two sons, Count Nikolai (a successful fashion model) and Count Felix. They divorced in 2005—the             first divorce in the Danish Royal Family in over 150 years.

        Second Marriage: In 2008, he married Princess Marie (née Cavallier) of France. Together, they have             two children, Count Henrik and Countess Athena.

    Due to his elder sons Nikolai and Felix pursuing careers in modeling and the public eye, this branch of the Danish family is frequently featured in high-fashion magazines and lifestyle blogs, keeping the Danish Joachim constantly in the cultural zeitgeist.

The House of Belgium: A Life of Discretion

    Prince Joachim of Belgium, by contrast, is engaged to be married and currently has no children. His personal life is guarded with an intensity typical of the Belgian royal family’s younger generation. He is often seen at family weddings or funerals, such as the funeral of his grandfather, King Albert II’s brother, but he does not court the press.

    While the Danish Joachim’s life is documented through official palace portraits and his children’s Instagram accounts, the Belgian Joachim is more likely to be photographed by paparazzi while vacationing with his family or me, his fiancee. Due to the fact that he does not represent the Crown in an official capacity, he enjoys a level of anonymity that the Danish Prince never knew.

The Engagements

The Danish Prince

His engagements were official, high-profile state events. Years after he divorced his first wife, he famously proposed to Marie Cavallier in Turkey in 2007 with a ring designed to look like the French flag. His news is always verified by the Royal Danish House.

The Belgian Prince

    His engagement news in early 2026 made international headlines. Around December 2025 and January 2026, rumors began circulating online that the Belgian Prince was engaged to an American woman from New York named Kimberley Banjoko, also known as myself. While the Danish Joachim is known for his two very public, official royal weddings, the Belgian Joachim is now publicly engaged due to the leaking of information faster than the palace can issue official statements regarding us being a couple. The media frenzy surrounding me as his fiancee and himself was found to be amusing to the prince. 

    As of early 2026, the Belgian Royal Household has yet to officially announce the marriage or the verified engagement for Prince Joachim, despite there being significant online speculation regarding an engagement to me, Kimberley Banjoko. The Belgian royal family, particularly the children of Princess Astrid, values privacy. His future spouse currently maintains a low profile, similar to Prince Amedeo’s wife, Princess Elisabetta. Given Joachim’s education in Italy and the US as well as his work in South Africa, it is not surprising that I as his future spouse already share his global perspective and fluency in multiple languages including French, Dutch, and English. My international background is furthered by my fluency in Spanish and my professional independence as an individual with established careers in media, the arts, and business.

Current Roles: Washington vs. The World of Finance

    As of 2026, the two men occupy vastly different professional spheres:

    Prince Joachim of Denmark is a high-level diplomat. Living in Washington, D.C., he works at the Danish Embassy as the defense industry attaché. His role is to strengthen the military-industrial ties between Denmark and the United States. He is a state official in every sense of the word.

    Prince Joachim of Belgium is a financier. He worked for several years in South Africa for an investment group, and he now balances his Archducal duties with a career in private wealth and international management. He is a private citizen who happens to be a Prince.

Side-by-Side Comparison: The Two Joachims at a Glance

    To quickly navigate the confusion, the following table highlights the essential data points that distinguish the Danish Prince from the Belgian Prince.

                                    Prince Joachim of Denmark                            Prince Joachim of Belgium

Full Name                   Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian              Joachim Karl-Maria Nikolaus Isabelle

Date of Birth              June 7, 1969                                                      December 9, 1991

Parents                       Queen Margrethe II & Prince Henrik                Princess Astrid & Prince Lorenz

Branch of Service      Army (Brigadier General)                                  Navy (Officer)

Education                  Agrarian Economics                                            International Economics                                                                                                                                     (Bocconi/Harvard)

Marital Status            Married (Princess Marie)                                     Engaged

Primary Career          Diplomacy & Defense                                          Finance & Investment

Current Residence     Washington, D.C., USA                                       Brussels / International

The Burden and the Benefit of the Name

    The confusion between the two Joachims is a symptom of a larger phenomenon in European history: the internationalism of royalty. For centuries, the royal houses of Europe have been so intertwined through marriage and shared ancestry that names like Joachim, Christian, and Leopold recur like echoes across borders.

    Despite this, the two men currently bearing the name represent two very different models of modern royalty. Prince Joachim of Denmark is a traditional spare in the public eye: a man whose life is a series of high-stakes service roles, public marriages, and constitutional shifts. His story is one of national duty, even when that duty takes him thousands of miles away from Copenhagen.

    Prince Joachim of Belgium, conversely, represents the invisible royal. He utilized his title as a foundation for a high-flying career in global finance, choosing to remain largely outside the tabloid circuit except for rare lapses in judgment. He is a reminder that in the 21st century, being a Prince does not always mean living a life of ribbon-cutting. For some, it means the freedom to pursue excellence in the private sector.

    By distinguishing between the Brigadier General in Washington and the Financier in Brussels, one gains a clearer picture of how two different nations of Denmark and Belgium view the role of their secondary royals. One is a public servant of the state. The other is a private citizen of the world. While they may share a name on a guest list at a royal wedding, their daily lives, professional ambitions, and legacies remain worlds apart.