The crown prince of Denmark and heir to the throne, Prince Frederik, has thrown his support behind his mother Queen Margrethe’s decision to strip four of her eight grandchildren of their royal titles.
“My mother has made this decision alone, because it is what she can do and it is what she wants,” Frederik said, according to local outlet B.T. “And she thought now was the time to make a decision that I also support and see as the right thing to do.
“I myself am interested in the Danish monarchy staying lean over time, so I, therefore, support my mother’s decision, which she has chosen to make,” he added.
The children of the queen’s second son, Prince Joachim — Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10 — will be referred to as either “His Excellency Count of Monpezat” or “Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat” starting on January 1, 2023.
Members of the royal family, including the grandchildren, claimed they were blindsided by the bombshell decision. Joachim’s son Nikolai, who was seventh in line to the Danish throne, said he was “shocked” to hear the news.
Prince Frederik insisted he’s been in “continuous contact” with his brother Joachim, despite the latter saying otherwise.
“I am in continuous contact with my brother, I always have been, funnily enough, so there is nothing new in whether I have been in contact with him, I am in continuous contact with him,” Frederik told the outlet after his brother said earlier this month that it’s “never fun to see your children being mistreated like that.”
Queen Margrethe II, 82, said removing her grandchildren’s prince and princess titles will enable them to “shape their own lives” instead of “being limited.”
“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,” Queen Margrethe’s statement read.
No changes were made to the titles of Prince Frederik, the heir to the throne, as well as his wife, Princess Mary, and their children — Prince Christian, 16, Princess Isabella, 15, and 11-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.