It was recently revealed that Prince Frederik’s brother, Prince Joachim, and his family, will remain in France, where he has been undertaking training, to take up a new job as a defence attaché in September.
WATCH: Mary and Frederik: A Love Story
And now, New Idea understands the prince will continue to be paid 3.8 million DK ($830,000) annually, despite no longer living or working in his home country.
A local Danish publication confirmed that a special law entitles Joachim, 51, to continue to receive the tax-free payment, even though the prince and his family have been based in France for the past three years.
The cushy arrangement was recently confirmed by the Danish parliament, despite ongoing reports that the prince and his family – French-born wife Princess Marie, 44, and their children Prince Henrik, 11, and Princess Athena, 8 – plan to stay in France for the long term.
Danish politician Carsten Hønge, however, has voiced his opposition to the arrangement, saying: “Let’s have some clear guidelines when it comes to the royal house … He should get a normal pay for this job.”
Meanwhile, a recent newspaper survey asking if Joachim should continue to receive his public funding saw 64 per cent of readers answer ‘no’.
The royal revelation comes after it was revealed Mary and Fred have decided to move out of their home at Amalienborg Palace and downsize into something a bit more modest.
After having lived in the palace for close to 10 years, the couple along with their children have relocated to the Cancelli House in Fredensborg.
Mary and Fred lived in the house after their 2009 wedding and they have some very fond memories of the place.
“The Cancelli House is a house, whereas Amalienborg is a palace,” Mary said in the 2013 book, Amalienborg.
“I am sure it would have been much more overwhelming had we moved into Amalienborg right after the wedding.
“At Fredensborg you are protected by nature. From the very moment I entered the house, I felt at home. We felt that it was our place,” she added.
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