Count of Monpezat

Last updated October 30, 2024

Count of Monpezat (Danish: Greve af Monpezat), or Countess of Monpezat (Danish: Grevinde af Monpezat) when the holder is female, is a hereditary title of Danish nobility. It was granted on 30 April 2008 by Queen Margrethe II to her two sons, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, and their legitimate patrilineal (male-line) descendants. The title is derived from the French title of "comte de Laborde de Monpezat", which was used as by Frederik and Joachim's father, Prince Henrik. His family started using this title as a title of pretense in republican France in the late 19th century.

The title can only be passed down the male line, but unmarried daughters of a count hold the courtesy title komtesse (derived from the French word for countess). The wife of a count holds the courtesy title grevinde (the Danish word for countess). A komtesse (a count's daughter) cannot pass on the title to her husband or children.

History

Origins as a French title

Members of the Laborde de Monpezat family have styled themselves as "comte de Laborde de Monpezat" (English: Count of Laborde of Monpezat) since sometime late in the nineteenth century. The right to the use of that comital title is disputed; The Encyclopédie de la fausse noblesse et de la noblesse d'apparence (English: Encyclopedia of False and Apparent Nobility) states that Prince Henrik's ancestor, Jean Laborde, received royal letters patent of ennoblement in 1655, conditional on his reception as a noble in the Estates of the province of Béarn, where his lands were located.^[1] However, this condition was never fulfilled, as the Estates refused Laborde's petitions in 1703 and again in 1707.^[1] The family's surname was "Monpezat" by the time of the French Revolution, without title, until 14 July 1860, when it was changed by imperial decree to "de Laborde-Monpezat", and legally changed again on 19 May 1861 to "de Laborde de Monpezat".^[2]

Although the comital title has been used by the family as if it were a courtesy title, traditionally the royal court and French society accepted such titles when used by genuinely noble families.^[3] Before his marriage with queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Prince Henrik also used this French comital title.

Danish title

In 2008, the title of "Count of Monpezat" (Greve af Monpezat) was conferred by the Queen on her and Prince Henrik's two sons, this as a genuine Danish title of nobility and being hereditary to all legitimate descendants in the male line.^[4] According to historian Jon Bloch Skipper, the title granted in 2008 was unrelated to the original French noble title, but was a reference to Prince Henrik and his French lineage.^[5]

On 28 September 2022, the Royal Household announced that from 1 January 2023, the children of Prince Joachim will no longer be titled Prince or Princess of Denmark, though their place in the line of succession will be unaffected. This would leave Count or Countess of Monpezat as their most senior titles. The children will also lose the style of Highness, and they will instead be styled as Excellency. Queen Margrethe II said that this would enable her grandchildren to "shape their own lives to a much greater extent without being limited by the special considerations and duties that a formal affiliation with the Royal House of Denmark as an institution involves."^[6]

List of counts of Monpezat

The family tree is based on the current line of succession to the Danish throne.

Queen Margrethe II (b.1940) ∞ Prince Henrik (1934–2018)
- King Frederik X (b.1968) ∞ Queen Mary (b.1972)
  - (1) Crown Prince Christian (b. 2005)
  - (2) Princess Isabella (b. 2007)
  - (3) Prince Vincent (b. 2011)
  - (4) Princess Josephine (b. 2011)
- (5) Prince Joachim (b. 1969)
  - (6) Count Nikolai (b. 1999)
  - (7) Count Felix (b. 2002)
  - (8) Count Henrik (b. 2009)
  - (9) Countess Athena (b. 2012)

Related Research Articles

Margrethe II is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly 52 years, she was the second-longest reigning Danish monarch after Christian IV. She is also the world's most recent female reigning monarch.

Prince Henrik of Denmark was the husband of Margrethe II of Denmark. He served as her royal consort from Margrethe's accession on 14 January 1972 until his death in 2018.

Prince Joachim of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, is a member of the Danish royal family. The younger son of Queen Margrethe II, he is fifth in the line of succession to the Danish throne, following the four children of his elder brother King Frederik X.

The Danish Act of Succession, adopted on 5 June 1953, restricts the throne to those descended from Christian X and his wife, Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, through approved marriages. By a change in the law in 2009, succession is governed by absolute primogeniture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg</span> Ex-wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark

Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg,, formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark, is the former wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger brother of King Frederik X of Denmark.

The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch of Denmark. While some members of the Danish royal family hold the title of Prince(ss) of Denmark, descendants of Margrethe II additionally bear the title Count(ess) of Monpezat. Children of the monarch are accorded the style of His/Her Royal Highness. The King and Queen are styled Majesty.

Count Nikolai of Monpezat is a member of the Danish royal family. He is the eldest son of Prince Joachim and his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, the eldest grandchild of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik, and the eldest nephew of King Frederik X. He is currently sixth in the line of succession to the Danish throne. At the time of his birth, he was third, after his uncle and father.

Count Felix of Monpezat is a member of the Danish royal family. He is the younger son of Prince Joachim and his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. He is a grandson of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik, and a nephew of King Frederik X. Felix is currently seventh in the line of succession to the Danish throne.

Princess Marie of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger brother of King Frederik X of Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Isabella of Denmark</span> Danish princess (born 2007)

Princess Isabella of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second child and elder daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary.

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg is a Danish count and former prince. Born Prince Ingolf of Denmark, he appeared likely to some day become king until the constitution was changed in 1953 to allow females to inherit the crown, placing his branch of the dynasty behind that of his first cousin Princess Margrethe and her two younger sisters. He later gave up his princely rank and his rights to the throne in order to marry a commoner.

Count Christian of Rosenborg was a member of the Danish royal family. Born Prince Christian of Denmark, from 1947 he was third in the line of line of succession until the constitution was changed in 1953 to allow females to inherit the crown, placing his branch of the dynasty behind that of his cousin Margrethe and her two younger sisters. He later gave up his princely rank and his rights to the throne in order to marry a commoner.

Count of Rosenborg is a Danish hereditary title of nobility granted by the monarchs of Denmark to some men formerly titled as princes of Denmark and their descendants.

The House of Monpezat, also known as Laborde de Monpezat, is a French family from the province of Béarn that has been associated with the Danish royal family by marriage since 1967, when Henri de Laborde de Monpezat wed Princess Margrethe of Denmark. At that time, she was the heir presumptive to the throne of Denmark, and she subsequently became Queen of Denmark as Margrethe II. The current Danish monarch, King Frederik X, is agnatically a member of the Laborde de Monpezat family.

Count Henrik of Monpezat is a member of the Danish royal family. He is the third and youngest son of Prince Joachim and the only son of his second wife, Princess Marie. He is a grandson of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik and a nephew of King Frederik X. Henrik is eighth in the line of succession to the Danish throne.

Countess Athena of Monpezat is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the younger child and only daughter of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark. She is the youngest grandchild of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik, and the niece of King Frederik X. Athena is currently ninth in the line of succession to the Danish throne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson</span> 2004 Danish royal wedding

The wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson took place on 14 May 2004 in the Copenhagen Cathedral.

Countess of Frederiksborg is a Danish non-hereditary substantive title of nobility, which Queen Margrethe II of Denmark created for her former daughter-in-law, Alexandra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Princess Margrethe and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat</span> 1967 Danish royal wedding

The wedding of Princess Margrethe of Denmark and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat took place on Saturday, 10 June 1967, at the Holmen Church in Copenhagen, Denmark.

References

1 2 Dioudonnat, Pierre-Marie, Encyclopédie de la fausse noblesse et de la noblesse d'apparence, Paris, Sedopols, 1976–79 (2 vols), p. 208 (in French)
↑ Joseph Valynseele, Les de Laborde de Monpezat et leurs alliances, Paris, chez l'Auteur, 1975 (in French)
↑ Velde, François. "Nobility and Titles in France". Heraldica.org. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
↑ "Monpezat til Frederik og Joachim". Berlingske Tidende. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
↑ Prins Joachims børns nye titler: Her er alt du skal vide om dem from Billed Bladet
↑ Agence France-Presse (29 September 2022). "Denmark's Queen Margrethe strips four grandchildren of royal titles". The Guardian . Retrieved 29 September 2022.

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[reject-1] 1 2 Dioudonnat, Pierre-Marie, Encyclopédie de la fausse noblesse et de la noblesse d'apparence, Paris, Sedopols, 1976–79 (2 vols), p. 208 (in French)

[Valynseele-2] Joseph Valynseele, Les de Laborde de Monpezat et leurs alliances, Paris, chez l'Auteur, 1975 (in French)

[3] Velde, François. "Nobility and Titles in France". Heraldica.org. Retrieved 2008-06-18.

[monpezat-4] "Monpezat til Frederik og Joachim". Berlingske Tidende. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-14.

[5] Prins Joachims børns nye titler: Her er alt du skal vide om dem from Billed Bladet

[6] Agence France-Presse (29 September 2022). "Denmark's Queen Margrethe strips four grandchildren of royal titles". The Guardian . Retrieved 29 September 2022.

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