In her New Year’s Speech, officially called the New Year Address, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark addressed the challenges the royal family has faced during 2022.
The Queen expressed her sorrow of the “difficulties” and “hurt” the family has gone through after her decision of stripping four of her grandchildren of their royal titles.
– That the relationship with Prince Joachim and Princess Marie has run into difficulties hurts me (…) Difficulties and disagreements can arise in any family, including mine. The whole country has witnessed this, the Queen said, adding she hoped for the family to move forward in the new year.
– We have now had a quieter period and time for reflection, and I am sure that our family can embark on the new year together with confidence, understanding and new courage, she said.
In September, Queen Margrethe announced that as of 1 January 2023, her four grandchildren of her youngest son, Prince Joachim, could no longer go by their royal titles of Princes and Princess. Prince Nikolai, 32, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, should now be addressed as the Counts and Countesses of Monpezat.
The Queen said her grandchildren should be allowed living normal lives and that the decision was part of a plan to modernise and streamline the royal family, although experts have pointed to the fact that stripping the children of their royal titles does not make them any less famous.
At the time of the announcement, Prince Joachim, former wife, and mother of Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, Countess Alexandra, and Princess Marie, mother of Prince Henrik and Princess Athena, expressed hurt and bewilderedness by the decision.
Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/queen-margrethe-admits-difficulties-hurt-072147750.html
