Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark have opened up for the first time about the prince's stroke in 2020.
In an interview with Hjernesagen's member magazine, Princess Marie, 45, said: "It was so close to a tragedy that could have changed our lives forever."
Prince Joachim, 51, underwent emergency surgery for a blood clot on his brain at the University Hospital of Toulouse in France last July.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Joachim started his new role at the Danish Embassy in Paris in September
He told the magazine: "I have experienced how Marie immediately approached the situation and that with her resourceful interventions and actions, she was the one who led the way until I was handed over to the ambulance drivers in Cahors and sent on to Toulouse. She was amazing! She went into soldier mode... I know that with Marie I have a resourceful, loving, caring and safe support."
He added: "It's hard not to think about what could have happened, and I think we have learned that it is terrible for the person who is affected, but right next to it, there is someone else, and it is just as terrible for them. Never forget that... An organisation like Hjernesagen has a big role to play, and it is an important message to bring forward."
The Danish royal palace shared a stunning photo of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie to mark their 12.5 year wedding anniversary in November, which was taken by their daughter, Princess Athena.
In Denmark, married couples celebrate wedding anniversaries at the 12.5, 25 and 50-year marks, with the first known as the copper wedding anniversary.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesThe couple on their wedding day in 2008
Paris-born Marie married Prince Joachim at Møgeltønder Church in Denmark on 24 May 2008. The bride wore a lace wedding dress made by Spanish-Italian designer Arasa Morelli and was loaned a tiara from Queen Margrethe.
The couple have two children, Prince Henrik and Princess Athena, born in 2009 and 2012 respectively.
Prince Joachim also has two sons from his first marriage to Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg – Prince Nikolai, 21, and Prince Felix, 18.
The prince, who is Queen Margrethe's youngest son, started his new role as Defense Attaché at the Danish Embassy in Paris in September.
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