Danish royal family hit by feud between sisters-in-law Princesses Mary and Marie?

The Danish royal family has been put under a lot of strain due to a simmering feud between Crown Princess Mary and her sister-in-law, Princess Marie.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the relationship between the two royals turned sour in the last few months. It reportedly began when Marie, the wife of Prince Fredrik's younger brother Prince Joachim, complained about having to move her family to Paris permanently this year.

Prince Joachim, the younger son of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik, suffered a life-threatening health scare in July as doctors found a deadly blood clot on his brain. Crown Prince Frederik had then visited his brother at his French residence Château de Cayx without his wife Princess Mary.

Joachim has already been staying in the country as he was undergoing a military training programme in Paris. He was due to return to Denmark by the end of 2020, but after the emergency brain surgery, he stayed behind in France and took up the role of defence attaché at the Danish embassy in Paris. His wife, Princess Marie, noted in July that the decision to stay in France wasn't entirely theirs.

"No. It is not always us who decide. I think that's important to know,' the French-born princess told Danish magazine "See and Hear."

"I loved living in Denmark. Denmark is just such a wonderful country to be in. Everything works well and there are not many problems," the 44-year-old had said.

Danish businesswoman and royal commentator Anna Thygesen has told the Daily Telegraph that Princess Mary and Marie always had little in common. She said: "They are very different people, one is European and not only European, she is French, where Mary is the Princess of Denmark and this makes her number one."

There has also been speculation of a rift between Mary and her family. The rumours started after posts that appeared to be written by her brother John Donaldson surfaced in 2015. However, a spokesperson for the Danish Royal House clarified that the posts referring to Mary as "she who shall not be named" were false.

"We believe that this is a case of obvious abuse," Royal House press officer Lene Balleby told Danish publication BT.dk, adding, "It is all too easy to make false profile pages, and in this case, it is [Mary's] brother's identity that has been misused."