Prince Joachim of Denmark seen after emergency brain surgery

Prince Joachim has been pictured for the first time since undergoing emergency brain surgery last month.

Joachim, 51, is seen recuperating at his holiday home, the Chateau de Cayx in Cahors, France, as he recovers from a procedure after he developed a blood clot on his brain. 

His brother Crown Prince Frederik, 52, heir to the Danish throne and husband of Princess Mary, rushed to his brother’s side after he was discharged from hospital in Paris.

The pair were photographed enjoying breakfast outside and the image was shared online by the Danish Royal Family.   

In the picture, shared on the Danish royal court’s official Instagram account, Joachim, sitting beside Frederik, is smiling and appears in good health in a white t-shirt.

Frederik, who sported a salt and pepper beard, smirked at the camera holding a butter knife. 

The two brothers seemed relaxed, having had toasts and jam for breakfast at the chateau. 

It was unknown whether Princess Mary, Frederik’s glamourous wife, 48, had also made the trip to see her brother-in-law. 

The Prince had been celebrating his son Felix’s 18th birthday at the Chateau with his family. From the left: Princess Marie, Prince Joachim, Prince Felix, 19, Prince Nikolai, 20, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. At the front, Princess Athena, eight and Prince Henrik, 11

Prince Joachim gave the Danish royal family a scare in late July when he was rushed to the Toulouse University Hospital in France, where he was immediately operated on.

A statement by the Danish royal court said at the time: ‘His Royal Highness Prince Joachim was admitted to the University Hospital of Toulouse, France, late last night.

‘The prince was operated on immediately afterwards for a blood clot in the brain and the operation was successful. The condition of His Royal Highness is stable.’  

The court communicated that his doctors were confident he would suffer no effects as a result of the blood clot.  

He was eventually allowed to return home to his family last week after two weeks in care.

‘Prince Joachim and Princess Marie would like to take this opportunity to thank the hospital staff involved,’ a statement from the royal family read at the time. 

It is unclear whether Frederik’s wife Princess Mary, 48, travelled with her husband to France to see her brother-in-law 

Lene Balleby, a spokeswoman for the royal household, said: ‘The blood clot in the brain was due to a sudden dissection of an artery, and the hospital’s medical team assesses that the risk of recurrence is very small when the artery has healed.’ 

‘The Royal House has no further information at this point in time, but it is the wish of Her Majesty The Queen that the public respects the privacy of the family during the hospitalisation.’ 

The sudden medical emergency struck as the Prince was vacationing with his wife and their four children. They had just celebrated the 18th birthday of his second eldest son Prince Felix, who hit the milestone on July 22.

Joachim had marked the event alongside the teenager’s mother and his ex-wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.

The parents were joined by their eldest son Prince Nikolai, 20, and Joachim’s current wife Princess Marie and their two children Prince Henrik, 11, and Princess Athena, eight.

Sharing intimate family photographs to Instagram, the group are seen hugging one another in a group snap.

Prince Joachim of Denmark and his ex-wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg divorced in 2004 after 10 years together – they were Denmark’s first royal split in nearly 160 years.

The prince, who is the second son of Margrethe and Prince Consort Henrik, is sixth in line to the throne after his elder brother Crown Prince Frederik and his four children with Australian-born Crown Princess Mary.

He has since remarried Paris-born Marie Cavallier, now Princess Marie and the couple have two children together Prince Henrik, 11, and Princess Athena, eight.