Danish royals issue public statement after ‘secret’ Swiss ski villa comes under fire

The Danish royals, including our own Princess Mary, were forced to explain after it was revealed they’d been taking rent on a luxurious Swiss villa for the last decade.

The Danish royal family has issued a public statement to directly address the outrage surrounding them charging rent on a luxurious Swiss villa nestled in one of the world’s most exclusive skiing towns.

Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, originally from Tasmania, issued the statement earlier this week after the Verbier villa came to light and was slammed by the nation’s politicians.

“I was very surprised when I found out that the family does not just have such a house, they have had such a house for 10 years, without any ordinary Danes knowing about it,” MP Mai Villadsen told Danish media.

“We are the ones who pay the money so we must know about the house.”

The Danish royal family, like the rest of the world’s royal families, live off a public allowance and are only permitted to own foreign investments with prior approval.

The family of six will receive 21.6 million kroner ($A4.68 million) from the public this year, funded through taxes.

Prince Frederik revealed the family had owned the villa in the exclusive town of Verbier for the past 10 years and charged rent on the lodge when they weren’t living there.

The family arrived at their Verbier villa last week for a 12-week stay. Their four children — Prince Christian, 14, Princess Isabella, 12 and twins Prince Vincent, nine and Princess Josephine — are attending school nearby.

The four children usually attend the Tranegård School in Gentofte, Denmark but are spending three months studying at the Lemania-Verbier International School in the Swiss town of Bagnes to gain further international experience.

The family holiday at Verbier every year, seen here in February 2015. Picture: Harold Cunningham/Getty Images

In a statement, Denmark’s Royal Court insisted the property had been paid completely by the family’s private funds.

“Now it is no longer an anonymous property, so the conditions for rent are no longer the same. In addition, for the Crown Prince Couple, this makes a difference compared to the possibility of having some privacy. In addition to that, there is also a safety aspect,” Lene Balleby, communications manager for the Royal Family, told Danish media.

Danish conservative MP Birgitte Bergman stuck up for the royal family, saying outrage about the villa had “no relevance today”.

“My party supports the royal family 100 per cent and the dispositions they now make, as long as it is within the law,” she told Danish media.

“We cannot see anything wrong with that at all. This is also to be regarded as an old case. This happened 10 years ago and has no relevance today.”

The family will no longer accept rent on their Verbier villa. Picture: The Image Gate/Getty Images

Verbier is an exclusive alpine village in the Swiss Alps, recognised as one of the best places in the world to ski.

The village is a popular holiday destination for celebrities and royals from across the world.

Prince William and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge have holidayed there, as well as Prince Harry.

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, also owns a chalet there, which has been visited by her daughters Princess Beatrice and Eugenie.

The Swedish and Belgian royal families are also regulars at Verbier.

Virgin Richard Branson is another to frequent the village.