Queen Margrethe of Denmark has stripped four of her grandchildren of their royal titles. The children's father is the queen's second son, Prince Joachim.
The four children will also no longer be addressed as His/Her Royal Highness. The move is part of Queen Margrethe's desire to streamline the Danish royal family. Each of the children will be known as His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat beginning January 1, 2023.
The palace issued a formal statement explaining the choice. It reads, "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 children are Nikolai, 23; Felix, 20; Henrik, 13; and Athena, 10. Nikolai and Felix are Prince Joachim's children with his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, and Henrik and Athena are his children with his second wife, Princess Marie.
The children of Crown Prince Frederik, the heir to the throne, will retain their titles.
Prince Joachim has reacted negatively to the news, implying that his children are hurt by the decision.
He told Danish newspaper Exstra Bladet, "We are all very sad. It's never fun to see your children being mistreated like that. They find themselves in a situation they do not understand."
He added that his mother only gave him five days to prepare his children for the news.
Prince Joachim added that an initial plan was presented to him earlier this year, but he believed nothing had been finalized. He explained, "In May, I was presented with a plan, which basically stated that when the children each turned 25, it would happen. Athena turns 11 in January."
When asked if the decision had impacted his relationship with his mother, Prince Joachim simply answered, "I don't think I need to elaborate here."
The Danish royal house has doubled down on its belief that nothing surprising has taken place.
The palace issued a second statement addressing the change. A spokesperson for national paper B.T. explained, "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."
Prince Joachim responded, "I was given five days' notice of this. To tell my children that on New Year's their identity will be taken from them. I am very, very sorry to see them uncomprehending about what is happening over their heads."
