Royally shaken. Queen Margrethe of Denmark shocked her family after announcing her plans to take away the titles of Prince Joachim‘s children.
Joachim is the second son of Margrethe, who has sat on the Danish throne since 1972, making her the longest-serving current head of state in Europe. Along with Joachim, the monarch shared son Crown Prince Frederik with late husband Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, who died in 2018.
The world learned of Margrethe’s shocking decision on September 28, 2022. “In April 2008, Her Majesty The Queen bestowed upon her sons, their spouses and their descendants the titles of count and countess of Monpezat. In May 2016, it was also announced that His Royal Highness Prince Christian, as the only one of The Queen’s grandchildren, is expected to receive an annuity from the state as an adult,” read a statement from the Danish Royal Palace. “As a natural extension of this, Her Majesty has decided that, as of 1 January 2023, His Royal Highness Prince Joachim’s descendants can only use their titles as counts and countess of Monpezat, as the titles of prince and princess that they have held up until now will be discontinued.”
Joachim is sixth in line for the Danish throne and has four children: sons Nikolai, Felix and Henrik and daughter Athena. The palace defended the title changes as being “in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses have made in various ways in recent years.” (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s children were not given royal titles at birth, while the grandkids of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia were stripped of their titles in 2019.)
“With her decision, Her Majesty The Queen wishes to create the framework for the four grandchildren to be able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent without being limited by the special considerations and duties that a formal affiliation with the Royal House of Denmark as an institution involves,” the September 28 statement concluded.
Per CBS News, the decision does not impact Frederik’s four children — Christian, Isabella and twins Vincent and Josephine — whom he shares with wife Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark.
While the palace implied that the move was in the works for some time, Joachim wasn’t expecting the announcement. “We are all very sad. It’s never fun to see your children being mistreated like that,” he told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet one day after his mother’s statement. “They find themselves in a situation they do not understand.”
When asked how the drama has affected his relationship with the queen, Joachim replied, “I don’t think I need to elaborate here.”
Despite her son’s surprise, Margrethe didn’t waver. “It is a consideration I have had for quite a long time and I think it will be good for them in their future. That is the reason,” she told reporters as she arrived for an event at the National Museum in Copenhagen, per Hello! Magazine.
Scroll down for a breakdown of the Danish royal drama:
The decision will go into effect on January 1, 2023. "Prince Joachim's descendants can only use their titles as counts and countess of Monpezat," the Danish palace explained in a statement, noting that the children will "be addressed as excellencies in the future" rather than prince or princess. Niviere David/ABACAPRESS.COM/Shutterstock
While speaking to the national newspaper Ekstra Bladet, Joachim claimed he was only given "five days' notice" before his mother's announcement. "In May, I was presented with a plan, which basically stated that when the children each turned 25, it would happen," he alleged, pointing out that his youngest daughter would only be turning 11 in January 2023. Shutterstock
Nikolai told Ekstra Bladet that he and his family were "very sad" about the queen's decision. "We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone," he said in September 2022. "I am very confused as to why it has to happen like this." He echoed Joachim's prior statement, saying that they were informed of the change no "longer than a little over a week ago." Shutterstock
The queen's second son married Princess Marie of Denmark, with whom he shares Henrik and Athena, in 2008. He was previously married to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, from 1995 to 2005. The exes share Nikolai and Felix. Alexandra addressed the situation in a September 2022 interview, claiming, "This came from out of the blue. The children feel excluded. They can't understand why their identity is being taken from them." Shutterstock
Following the monarch's initial statement, the palace addressed the decision once again, arguing that Joachim and his family shouldn't have been so surprised. "As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming. We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen's wish to future-proof the Royal Palace will be respected," the statement noted. Niviere David/ABACAPRESS.COM/Shutterstock
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