Queen Margrethe II (in pink) gives a regal wave at Grasten Castle
(Picture: Luca Teuchmann/Getty Images)Denmark’s Queen Margrethe has stripped four of her eight grandchildren of their titles, the Danish palace announced.
The decision was made to allow the four children of her youngest son, Prince Joachim, to live more normal lives, and follows similar moves by other royal families in Europe to slim down their monarchies, the palace added.
The queen’s four other grandchildren, born to Crown Prince Frederik, will retain their titles but, when they come of age, only the future king, Prince Christian, will receive an appanage, a decision taken in 2016.
“As of January 1, 2023, the descendants of His Royal Highness Prince Joachim will only be able to use their titles of Count and Countess of Monpezat, their previous titles of Prince and Princess of Denmark ceasing to exist,” the statement from the royal palace said on Wednesday (September 28).
The Danish monarchy is one of the oldest in the world, and Her Majesty’s lineage can be traced back to the first Viking kings of Denmark more than 1,000 years ago.
Who’s in the Denmark royal family today?
Who are the Danish royal family?
Much like the British monarchy, Denmark’s royal family retains its popularity today due to its ability to adapt to the modern world.
Queen Margrethe is Europe’s only reigning queen and the continent’s current longest-serving monarch.
The 82-year-old queen succeeded her father upon his death in 1972.
On her accession, she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margrethe I, ruler of the Scandinavian kingdoms in the late 14th century and early 15th century.
In 1967, she married Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, with whom she has two sons: Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.
Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, have four children and the eldest, Prince Christian, is second in line to the Danish throne.
Princess Mary of Denmark is originally from Tasmania and is known as a style icon.
Crown Prince Frederik is a very popular figure in Denmark and has been voted Dane of the Year in Danish opinion polls more than once.
The queen’s second son, Prince Joachim, has four children from two marriages: Nikolai, Felix, Henrik, and Athena, ranging in age from 23 to 10.
The palace said the queen’s decision to strip their titles was made to allow them “to shape their own existence“and that it is “in line with similar changes that other royal houses have carried out in recent years in different ways”.
The mother of Prince Joachim’s two eldest sons told Danish media she was “shocked” by the Queen’s decision.
“This came from out of the blue. The children feel excluded,” Countess Alexandra told the daily BT.
“They can’t understand why their identity is being taken from them.” she added.
