Scandal in Denmark after Queen Margrethe withdrew royal titles from four of her eight grandchildren

Queen Margrethe of Denmark has decided to withdraw royal titles from four of her eight grandchildren to “protect the future” of the monarchy, reports CNN.

The 82-year-old monarch, who this year celebrated half a century on the throne, announced that from next year the children of her youngest son, Prince Joachim, will no longer be known as prince and princess, according to News.

The reason for the move, according to an announcement from the Danish royal family, is to allow the young royals to lead a more normal life, while other royal families follow a similar decision.

“The Queen’s decision is in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses have made in various ways in recent years. By 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 entails. implies”, claims the Royal House.

Countess Alexandra said she was “very sad and in a state of shock”

Joachim, the Queen’s second son, lives in Paris with his wife, Princess Marie, and their two children, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10. The prince has two older sons, Nikolai, 23, and Felix , 20, from his first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.

The royal house said their HRH titles would be “discontinued”, adding: “Prince Joachim’s descendants will therefore have to be called Excellencies in the future.”

All four of Joachim’s children will keep their places in the order of succession.

In a phone conversation with CNN, Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen, press secretary for Countess Alexandra, said she was “very sad and in shock.”

“He can’t believe why and why now, because there is no good reason. They would lose their titles anyway when they got married one day. Her sons are young men, so maybe they could get married in the near future, so why shouldn’t she wait until that day for the headlines to disappear on a happy day?”

The Queen’s children have learned in recent days that they have lost their royal titles

The palace said the latest development was a “natural extension” of previous moves: “In April 2008, Her Majesty the Queen conferred the titles of Count and Countess of Monpezat on her sons, their spouses and their descendants. In May 2016, it was also announced that His Royal Highness Prince Christian, the only of the Queen’s grandchildren, is expected to receive an amount of money from the state as an adult.”

Joachim’s older brother, Crown Prince Frederik, is first in line to the throne. His eldest child, Prince Christian, is second in line. All four of Frederik’s children, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, retain their titles.

Countess Alexandra told CNN via email that Von Wildenrath Løvgreen was authorized to speak on behalf of Joachim and Marie as well as herself.

“Their father told his children. They were quite shocked. He is truly a man of honour. He has lived all his life in his family with this title and he was shocked and almost cried this morning when one of the European tabloids spoke to him in Paris.”

The children only found out about the change in their titles in the last few days: “In May, he (Prince Joachim) was told that he could remove his titles when they turn 25, and then he heard nothing until now. several days”.

The four children have not spoken to their grandmother since they found out

Von Wildenrath Løvgreen explained that it is simply a formality, since Joachim’s children do not receive any money from public funds: “It is just the loss of their identity and it is very difficult for small children and young men. As Prince Nikolai told me, “what will they write on my passport now?”

The four children have not spoken to their grandmother since the announcement was made, she said.

Responding to the palace’s explanation that this would allow the young people to lead a more normal life, she added: “They will never have a normal life. If I do something stupid, it will fall on the family.”

Lene Balleby, the royal family’s communications director, told CNN in an email: “As Her Majesty the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been made for a long time. The Queen’s decision took different forms along the way, but Prince Joachim was involved and informed about the process on May 5. We fully understand that there are many emotions involved at this time, but we hope that the Queen’s wish to protect the Royal House of Denmark will be respected.”

It’s not the first time headlines have proved controversial for the family. The Queen’s husband, Prince Henrik, said he did not want to be buried in his wife’s plot at Roskilde Cathedral because he was not given the title of king.

The French-born prince, who died in 2018, had been unhappy with his title since he was named prince consort – rather than king consort – when the couple married in 1967.