Queen Margrethe II of Denmark stripped her four grandchildren of their Princely status which is unprecedented in the modern European monarchy. No reigning monarch in living memory had ever strip his or her grandchildren in the male line of their princely status except in cases of unapproved royal marriages.
As per Royal Danish House official statement, the effectivity will be on January 1, 2023. So Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henri, 14, and Princess Athena, 11, will assume the title Their Excellencies, Count and Countess of Monpezat respectively.
It still, however, came as a shock to all the people involved and to the public. Royal observers and enthusiasts expressed shock at the decision because it was something that never happened in the monarchy before.
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| Prince Joachim and his family |
More than anything else, the princely status and HH styles of the four grandchildren are their birthright and not just bestowed out of nowhere to them, and besides their grandmother is still the current monarch.
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden also stripped his grandchildren, who are not children of his heir-apparent (Crown Princess Victoria), of their HRH styles in an effort to cut cost of the royal household but he did not strip them of their prince and princess titles because that's their birthright.
But Queen Margrethe II has her own reasons for doing so. Other royal commentators went on to say, perhaps, the Queen of Denmark was pissed off? Perhaps she was disappointed with her second son.
Well, it was rumored in previous years that Prince Joachim has a tense relationship with his mother and brother which prompted the Royal Danish Court to give him a job outside Denmark. He is currently working as a Danish diplomat in France.
And perhaps the Queen was also disappointed that Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix were not serious in their military training and instead pursued modeling careers, so to spare the Danish royal court from trouble in case the two princes will get involve in controversies, she might as well strip them of their princely status.
We really don't know what's going on with the Queen's mind. However, the decision seems did not set well with Prince Joachim and his former wife, Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg.
Were they informed of the decision?
According to the Danish Royal Court, Prince Joachim has been "involved and oriented throughout the process" regarding the stripping of royal titles of his four children. However, it seems it was not the case.
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| Countess Alexandra with her two sons, Prince Felix and Prince Nikolai |
Prince Joachim, who is currently sixth in the line of succession to the Danish throne, has spoken out following his mother’s decision. Speaking to Ekstra Bladet, he said (translated to English): “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.”
In an interview with B.T., Joachim admitted that he does not know why the “decision was accelerated.” He said (translated to English): “I simply don’t know that. I originally asked for time to think and give my feedback. That would also be taken into account.”
According to the prince, the original plan that was presented in May was that the stripping of the prince and princess titles of his children will happen when they reach 25.
“I asked to be allowed to come back with my proposal. And then it was all done for this upcoming New Year,” he said.
His eldest child, Prince Nikolai, is only 23, Prince Felix is 20, while Prince Henrik is 14 and Princess Athena, 11.
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| From left: Prince Felix, Prince Henrik, Princess Marie, Princess Athena, Prince Joachim |
Joachim revealed that his “children are sad” following the decision. He said, “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?”
His former wife, now titled Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg, also expressed her shock and heartache for her sons, Nikolai and Felix, and their younger siblings, Henrik and Athena.
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| Prince Joachim with Countess Alexandra and their two sons |
Danish magazine Se og Hør has reported that via her press advisor Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen, Alexandra said: "We are all confused by the decision. We are saddened and in shock. This comes like a bolt from the blue. The children feel ostracized. They cannot understand why their identity is being taken away from them."
Indeed, it's sad. We, in the royal world, have been discussing this very controversial decision of the Queen of Denmark and we are all shocked and sad because this thing has never happened before in the reigning European royal court. So it came as a huge surprise.
The official announcement was made by the Royal House of Denmark on September 28, 2022, Tuesday, that the four children of Prince Joachim, the second son and youngest child of the Queen, will no longer bear the princess and prince titles effective immediately January 1, 2023.
Here is the full statement from the Royal House of Denmark:
"In April 2008, Her Majesty The Queen 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.
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 Queen’s decision is in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses have made in various ways in recent years.
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.
All four grandchildren maintain their places in the order of succession".
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