Countess Anne Dorte of Rosenborg

Countess Anne Dorte of Rosenborg (née Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen; 3 October 1947 – 2 January 2014) was a Danish countess. She was the wife of Count Christian of Rosenborg, the grandson of King Christian X of Denmark. Prince Christian had to give up his princely rank in order to marry her because she was a commoner. The couple married on 7 February 1971, earning her the title Her Excellency Countess Anne Dorte of Rosenborg. Since 1991, Anne Dorte and Christian of Rosenborg resided in a detached classical wing of the royal palace Sorgenfri in Lyngby near Copenhagen. Public life Countess Anne Dorte often took part in major public events associated with the Danish royal family, such as the wedding of Crown Prince Frederik at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, and the subsequent reception at Fredensborg Palace. To the broad public, Anne Dorte was known from tabloids and other media, which covered her public appearances. In interviews, Anne Dorte talked about her life in the Danish royal family and about living at Sorgenfri Palace. Thereby she often gave proof of her charming personality and her quick-wittedness: when Anne Dorte, whose father was an employee at a department store, once was asked by a journalist whether her own family background could be compared to her husband's at all, she answered with a touch of humor: "Oh yes, our families had exactly the same Christmas decorations! Those items were passed down to us from both sides, and now we cannot tell anymore what was on which Christmas tree." In a documentary by the Danish broadcasting company TV3 on the topic of dissimilar couples, Anne Dorte and her husband were interviewed. On this occasion, Count Christian assured the interviewer that he took the loss of his princely rank due to his marriage with equanimity.