Michael Preben, Count Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille ( da, Michael Preben Greve Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille) (born 26 February 1965) is a Danish

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

and a landowner. By birth he is a member of an ancient House of Ahlefeldt.

Early life

He was born as the only son of Count Claus Christian of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (1932-2014) and his second wife, Merete-Anette von Lüttichau, ''née'' Countess of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig (b. 1943), who was also her husband's third cousin. He has one sister, Countess Susanne Ingrid of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (b. 1967), who married Erik Ove Carl Johan Emil Vind (b. 1954), grandson of Prince Erik of Denmark.

Biography

In 1992, he assumed ownership of the family's residence

Egeskov Castle Egeskov Castle ( da, Egeskov Slot) is located near Kværndrup, in the south of the island of Funen, Denmark. The castle is Europe's best preserved Renaissance water castle. History Egeskov was first mentioned in 1405. The castle structure was er ...

near

Kværndrup Kværndrup is a town located on the island of Funen in south Denmark, in Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality. Places of interest The Egeskov Castle is located about two kilometres from the town, which dates back to the 1400s and is Kværndrup's main att ...

, from his father Count Claus Christian. Under his ownership, Egeskov Castle has been turned into one of

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...

's major tourist attractions. He was awarded the title of ''

Hofjægermester Hofjægermester (hunting master of the court) is an honorary court title awarded to a limited number of (major and usually noble) land owners (''godsejere'') by the Danish monarch. The title was introduced in Denmark-Norway during the period of ab ...

''(hunting master of the court) in 2006 and the title of '' Kammerherre'' (chamberlain) in 2015.

Personal life

Michael married firstly to Margrethe Kirketerp-Moller (b. 1965) in 1992. They have a son and a daughter: * Countess Marie-Sophie Elisabeth of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (born 1993) * Count Gregers Carl Preben of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (born 1995), a godson of the Crown Prince of Denmark He married secondly Caroline Søeborg Ohlsen (b. 1968) in 2006. The couple divorced in 2016 and had two children: * Count Julius Søeborg Ahlefeldt Laurvig-Bille (born 2007), a godson of

Prince Joachim of Denmark , father = Henri de Laborde de Monpezat , mother = Margrethe II of Denmark , house = Glücksburg (official) Monpezat (agnatic) , religion = Church of Denmark , occupation = Military Attaché, Royal Danish Embassy i ...

* Countess Iselin Kristine Søeborg Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (born 2009) On 18 May 2019, he married Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, niece of Queen

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...

, at Sankt Jørgens Kirke in Svendborgsund.

References

1965 births 21st-century Danish landowners 20th-century Danish nobility 21st-century Danish nobility Counts of Denmark Danish counts Living people House of Ahlefeldt Bille family {{Europe-noble-stub