Denmark: Should former princess pay her own way?

Second time around: Alexandra marries photographer Martin Jorgensen in 2007

People in Denmark are annoyed that they are still paying annual support for a former member of the royal family, a newspaper claims.

The Danish tabloid BK says that up to 65% of people answering a recent poll disliked the fact that Countess Alexandra still receives 2.1m kroner ($383,000; £223,000) from the state despite marrying outside the family in 2007. A further straw poll on the paper's homepage gave an overwhelmingly negative reaction of 78% from over 55,000 votes.

Reacting to the results, political academic Lars Hovbakke Sorsensen said that now Alexandra had a less important role in Danish society "people simply don't think they should spend money on her anymore". Danes would rather the money went towards the Australian-born Crown Princess Mary, Sorsensen said in comments published by The Local website.

Now styled the Countess of Frederiksborg and the mother of Princes Nikolai and Felix, Alexandra married into the royal family in 1995, but divorced Prince Joachim 10 years later. Her marriage to photographer Martin Jorgensen does not change the annual payment she receives from the state.

The former Princess Alexandra is not without her supporters. Soren Espersen of the populist right wing Danish People's Party told BK that "royals are in a class apart" and that she should be able to use state money give the young princes "the upbringing they deserve".

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