Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille

Michael Preben, Count Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (Danish: Michael Preben Greve Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille) (born 26 February 1965)^[1] is a Danish Count and a landowner. By birth he is a member of an ancient German House of Ahlefeldt.

He was born as the only son of Count Claus Christian Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (Copenhagen, 6 March 1932 - 2014), Landlord in Havnø Gods, Hadsund, and his second wife (m. Tranekær Kirke, Tranekær, 21 September 1963, divorced in 1971) Countess Merete-Anette von Lüttichau, née Ahlefeldt-Laurvig (b. Rudkøbing, 1 April 1943), Nurse,^[2] who was also her husband's third cousin.^[3][4] He has one sister, Countess Suzanne Ingrid Jessie Dorthe Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (b. Svendborg, 4 March 1967),^[5] lady-in-waiting to Princess Alexandra, who married in Mahé, Seychelles, on 15 February 1993 Erik Ove Carl John Emil Vind til Sanderumgaard (b. Hellerup, 5 May 1954),^[6] grandson of Prince Erik of Denmark.^[7] His father married firstly in Taarnborg Gods, Korsør, on 2 August 1958 and divorced Countess Marianne Moltke af Nør til Kruusesminde (b. Kruusesminde Gods, Korsør, 18 October 1936), Landlady in Kruusesminde Gods, Korsør,^[8] married thirdly on 9 September 1976 and divorced in 1995 Baroness Louisa Wedell-Wedellsborg (b. San Francisco, California, 8 June 1939)^[9] and married fourthly in 2002 Bente Skipper.

In 1992, he assumed ownership of the family's residence Egeskov Castle near Kværndrup, from his father Count Claus Christian.^[10] Under his ownership, Egeskov Castle has been turned into one of Funen's major tourist attractions. He was awarded the title of Hofjægermester^[11](hunting master of the court) in 2006 and the title of Kammerherre^[12] (chamberlain) in 2015.^[13]

Michael married firstly in 1992 to Margrethe Kirketerp-Møller (27 March 1965 - aft. 1995), the daughter of Mogens Kirketerp-Møller (12 October 1936 - 25 February 2018), Landlord and owner of Sandholt castle, and wife Elisabeth Lisbeth (m. 22 February 1963).^[14][15] The couple later divorced.^[16] They have a son and a daughter:

• Countess Marie-Sophie Elisabeth Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (born 2 April 1993)
• Count Gregers Carl Preben Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (born 31 May 1995), a godson of the King of Denmark

He married secondly Caroline Søeborg-Ohlsen (b. 1968) on 26 August 2006.^[17] She is daughter of cellist Bertel Søeborg Ohlsen and his wife, Anette Faaborg (b. 1942), a pianist.^[18] The couple divorced in 2016 and have two children:

• Count Julius Søeborg Ahlefeldt Laurvig-Bille (born 2007), a godson of Prince Joachim of Denmark
• 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, at Sankt Jørgens Kirke in Svendborgsund.^[19][20]