Royal family members said they are “saddened and in shock” after Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announced she was removing the royal titles of several grandchildren because it’s best for their future.
In a statement from the Royal House of Denmark, the 82-year-old monarch announced that four of her eight grandchildren will no longer be identified by their royal titles, the New York Post reported.
The grandchildren will be identified as “His Excellency Count of Monpezat” or “Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat” starting on January 1, 2023, the outlet noted.
All four of Prince Joachim’s children: Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, will maintain their places in order of succession. Joachim is currently the sixth in line to the throne.
Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg — the mother of Prince Nikolai and Prince Feliz made it clear she was “confused” by the move.
“We are saddened and in shock,” Prince Joachim’s ex-wife shared in a statement from her press advisor Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen, according to Danish magazine Se og Hør.
“This comes like a bolt from the blue,” she added. “The children feel ostracized. They cannot understand why their identity is being taken away from them.”
Margrethe, who is now the longest-reigning monarch after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, defended the move and said, “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,” Hello! magazine noted.
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II strips four grandchildren of royal titles https://t.co/U2uraLV78Z
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 29, 2022
In the statement from the Denmark royal household, it said that Her Majesty The Queen in 2018 “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,” the message on the website read. “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.”
“Prince Joachim’s descendants will thus have to be addressed as excellencies in the future,” the statement added. “The Queen’s decision is in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses have made in various ways in recent years.”
The statement concluded with a message that the queen’s move is in hopes that this will “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.”
It is unclear from the report if the queen’s decision had any connection to the drama involving two of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchildren Prince Harry and Prince William, their spouses Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, and their children.
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