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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Rebecca Russell

Three royal princesses' remarkable US tour - from Disney trips to meeting Elvis

Several members of the British Royal Family have undertaken tours of the United States - but none of them can compare to that of three princesses.

A trio of Scandinavian royals embarked on the trip of a lifetime to California in 1960 and were pictured on the rides at Disneyland and meeting various celebrities, including Jerry Lewis and Elvis Presley.

Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark (now Queen Margrethe II), her first cousin, Princess Margaretha of Sweden, and their cousin, Princess Astrid of Norway all flew to the US together for Scandinavian Airlines' first transatlantic flight to Los Angeles.

The visit saw the royal trio undertake a number of exciting engagements, including stops in Disneyland, Sea World, a roadside Diner and Hollywood.

The three princesses at Disneyland in Anaheim (Getty)

The royals then appeared at Paramount Pictures where they met Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. They were then pictured with Elvis Presley who took a break from filming G.I. Blues to greet the guests.

Following their return to their respective countries, the young royals all got married and carried on with their royal duties.

Princess Margaretha of Sweden, now 88, married John Ambler and had three children: Baroness Sybilla von Dincklage, Charles Edward Ambler and James Patrick Ambler.

Meanwhile, Princess Astrid of Norway, now 91, married Johan Martin Ferner one year after the visit and eventually had five children: Cathrine, Benedikte, Alexander, Elisabeth and Carl-Christian.

Elvis Presley takes a break from shooting G.I. Blues at Paramount Pictures Studios to meet with princesses Margrethe of Denmark, Astrid of Norway, and Margaretha of Sweden (l-r). (Getty)

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Lastly, the-then Crown Princess Margrethe succeeded her father and became Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in 1972.

In September last year, Queen Margrethe of Denmark made the historic decision to strip four of her grandchildren of their princely titles.

She told reporters at the time that: "It is a consideration I have had for quite a long time. I think it will be good for them in their future."

The statement explained from the Danish royal website reads that the monarch: "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."

Queen Margrethe started her reign in 1972 (Getty Images)

It went on to say that: "Prince Joachim’s descendants will thus have to be addressed as excellencies in the future. The Queen’s decision is in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses have made in various ways in recent years."

As a result of the decision, the four children of Queen Margrethe's second son Prince Joachim lost their prince or princess titles and "His/Her Highness" styling.

The Danish Royal Family website was updated on January 1 and show that Joachim's three sons Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, and Henrik, 13, and daughter Athena, 10 are now referred to as Counts and Countess of Monpezat.

The four royals retain their places in the order of succession and are currently seventh through to the tenth in line to the throne behind their uncle, cousins and father.

There was instant tension within the family as Prince Joachim - who is planning to move his family to the US - expressed his thoughts on the decision with the press.

He told BT: "I can say that my children are sad. My kids don't know which leg to stand on. What they should believe. Why should their identity be removed? Why must they be punished in that way?"

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