In the U.S. alimony is usually discontinued on the remarriage of the recipient. Child support is different and continues until the child is of a certain age or finished with schooling. Is apanage the same as alimony, or is it specific to the royal family. Was it contingent on Alexandra continuing to perform royal duties or was it granted to her simply because she had left Hong Kong, made Denmark her home as the wife of a royal prince? IIRC, Alexandra was in investing and finance before her first marriage. If she invested wisely, it doesn't seem like she would need this source of income any longer. If she received it on the expectation of her performing royal duties and she does not fulfill that obligation, it doesn't seem right for her to continue accepting the income.
At least one top politician has said very clearly that the apanage was to ensure that Nikolai and Felix grew up living a life befitting their status. At the time M&F had no children and Nikolai could be the next heir.
It has later emerged that QMII came up with this arrangement and as far as I understand Alexandra's apanage was detracted from Joachim's because his apanage went up when he married, to pay for a wife. - And considering how busy Alexandra was before Mary became Crown Princess it was a good investment. - And keep in mind, she was still a princess.
It's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future, so I think the first thing on the mind of the politicians was to avoid a situation like in Britain, with Diana and Fergie feeding the press with endless material.
We should also keep in mind that of the 179 MP's in the Parliament, practically all of them would have no more info about why Joachim and Alexandra divorced than we do - and the public (and press) sympathy back then was very much behind Alexandra.
I think it was expected Alexandra would do a Benedikte. I.e. working quite a lot with her protections (I'd estimate that only about two-thirds of what Benedikte is doing is mentioned here on TRF) while keeping her private life low-key.
After she remarried and became a commoner I think it was expected Alexandra would take a seat on a few politically safe boards or perhaps join a politically safe company or state business - but she didn't and that in hindsight is perhaps a mistake, because it can so easily be seen as if she is idling her time away on the taxpayers expense. - When in reality the apanage is probably only a nice supplement to her income.
And to the politicians who are used to dealing with a budget based on a GNP of what is it? Some 1.800 billion DKK? Alexandra's apanage is not even peanuts.
After the sale of Schackenborg no one can realistically believe Nikolai and Felix won't be able to get the best education money can buy and they will not have to live in a one room apartment living on canned food the last week of every month until they get a job that pays well enough for them to live a reasonably comfortable life. Because I don't think we should expect Joachim's children, certainly not all four of them, to have a prominent role within the DRF in the future. Perhaps if one or two of them develop a particular talent for royal duties, but otherwise no. On top of that they are very likely to settle and marry abroad somewhere.
So from a PR point of view I think it would be wise of Alexandra not wishing to accept the apanage once Felix turns eighteen.
The public view on that may indeed turn from a low grumble to a demand for Alexandra to be stripped of the apanage if as a consequence of the divorce it turns out that Alexandra's economy is much better than expected. If she has say an estimated fortune of 20 million DKK, (
not including her house) it will be extremely difficult to explain to the public why she should continue to receive an apanage and certainly after Felix turns eighteen.
5 million DKK = Fair enough.
10 million DKK = Weeell, okay then, but really...
15 million DKK = Come on!
20 and above = Forget it!
Compared to the average Danish homeowner (some 60%) who has a fortune,
including the house and everything else and minus debt, of a little more than 1 million DKK.