Comedian Trevor Noah, former host of "The Daily Show," has won the Dutch Erasmus Prize, becoming the first humorist awarded the honor since Charlie Chaplin in 1965, the foundation that selects the winner announced last week. The award is named for Dutch philosopher and humanist scholar Desiderius Erasmus, who lived from 1466 to 1536. The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation said Noah, 39, was receiving the prize "for his inspired contribution to the theme 'In Praise of Folly,' named after Erasmus's most famous book, which is filled with humor, social criticism and political satire." It added: "With his sharp-minded, mocking yet inclusive political comedy, Noah, in the eyes of the jury, upholds the 'Erasmian Spirit.'" Noah, who rose to prominence as a stand-up comic in his native South Africa, departed Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" after a seven-year run. The Dutch foundation noted that his time anchoring the show coincided with the presidency of Donald Trump, the covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. "With his astute reflections on such issues, he garnered a young, diverse and global audience and, in the process, infused a highly polarized media landscape with a breath of fresh air," the foundation said. The award, which carries a cash prize of about $150,000, is given annually to "a person or institution that has made an exceptional contribution to the humanities, the social sciences or the arts, in Europe and beyond," according to the foundation. A ceremony is scheduled for the fall.
Prince Joachim of Denmark is moving to the United States to take up the post of defense industry attache at the Danish embassy in Washington starting in September, the Danish defense ministry said last week. "I am proud that I still get the opportunity to represent Denmark internationally in the area of security and defense" the 53-year-old prince said. "Transatlantic cooperation is a high-priority area, and I am honored that they have found me qualified for the task." Prince Joachim is the younger son of Queen Margrethe II and the sixth in the line of succession to the Danish throne. He has an extensive military background with the Danish Armed Forces. The prince has held a similar position at the Danish embassy in Paris since 2020 but announced in November that he would leave the position this summer. Last year, a split arose between him and the Danish royal house when the queen decided that the prince's four children should lose their titles as prince and princess. Margrethe later apologized for upsetting members of her family with the decision, but has refused to change her mind.
Denmark's Prince Joachim waves as her arrives at Copenhagen City Hall for the City's celebration of Queen Margrethe's 50th ruler jubilee, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Nov. 12, 2022. Prince Joachim is moving to the United States to take up the post of defense industry attache at the Danish embassy in Washington starting in September, the Danish defense ministry said on Friday March 17, 2023. (Martin Sylvest/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)