MARY IN THE MIDDLE

WILD CLAIMS ABOUT THE FAMILY PUT THE CROWN PRINCESS AT THE CENTRE OF THE SHAKE-UP

- Penelope Clifton

A twist - or a kink, rather has surfaced in the saga of the warring Danish royal family, after Queen Margrethe II of Denmark stripped four of her grandchildren of their official titles.

According to two European publications, Prince Joachim's four children, Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, only have their father to thank for Margrethe demoting them from Princes and Princess to Counts and Countess. Spanish magazine Vanitatis El Confidencial made outlandish claims that Joachim is "deeply in love with his sisterin-law, Mary" and has been for years, pointing to a 2008 photograph published in Swedish magazine Svensk Damtidning, which they claimed showed an intoxicated Joachim trying to kiss Mary at a gala party of the Royal Guard Regiment. Vanitatis put their own unique spin on the image, claiming, "With obvious signs of drunkenness, it seems the youngest son of Queen Margrethe tried to stamp his lips on his sister-in-law's mouth, but she got out of the way as she could with an unperturbed smile - while Marie  witnessed the embarrassing moment."