Queen Margrethe of Denmark Poses with Grandchildren After Stripping Some of Their Royal Titles

Queen Margrethe of Denmark rang in her birthday surrounded by family.

The monarch of Denmark turned 83 on Sunday, appearing on the balcony of Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen to mark the milestone. Queen Margrethe stepped out her sons Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, her daughters-in-law Crown Princess Mary and Princess Marie and all eight of her grandchildren for the first time since she stripped Prince Joachim and Princess Marie's four children of their royal titles.

Queen Margrethe (who recently had back surgery) was first seen solo on the middle of three balconies at Amalienborg Castle to greet the cheering crowds gathered below, as the Royal Life Guards Band played a birthday tune. Crown Prince Frederik, 54, and Crown Princess Mary, 51, then appeared on an adjacent terrace with their four children: Prince Christian, 17, Princess Isabella, 15, and 12-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

At the same time, Prince Joachim, 53, and Princess Marie, 47, came out with Count Nikolai, 23, Count Felix, 20, Count Henrik, 13 and Countess Athena, 11, on the third balcony. Prince Joachim shares his two eldest sons with his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. He married Princess Marie in 2008, and they later welcomed Henrik and Athena.

All eight of the Queen's grandchildren then joined her on the center balcony, smiling as they waved to well-wishers below. The moment marked the first time Queen Margrethe gathered with her grandchildren in public since she announced that she was stripping Joachim's kids of their prince or princess titles and "His/Her Highness" styling, which they inherited at birth. At the start of 2023, Nikolai, Felix, Henrik and Athena instead became known by His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat.

The announcement created strain within the family. Prince Joachim told the press he felt blindsided by the news and claimed he was only given five days' notice before the public announcement. Queen Margrethe, however, maintained that the plans had been in motion for a while and said the decision was made in the best interests of her grandchildren.

Shortly after the announcement was made, the monarch issued an apology saying she "underestimated" how greatly the shock of the news would affect the family dynamic and calling the change "necessary future-proofing of the monarchy."

The shakeup did not affect the four children of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. Unlike their first cousins, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine retain their titles and remain in the royal house for the foreseeable future as the children of the Crown Prince Couple. The eldest son of Queen Margrethe and the late Prince Henrik, Frederik, is first in line to the Danish throne.

In March, the Danish Royal House announced that Prince Joachim and Princess Marie are moving to Washington, D.C. this summer. Prince Joachim is set to start a new job at the Danish Embassy under the Ministry of Defense on September 1, helping strengthen the defense industrial cooperation with the United States and Canada in the coming years. As the palace said the prince and his "family" will make the move, Count Henrik and Countess Athena are expected to join their parents. It remains unclear whether Nikolai and Felix will join their father in America full-time.

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The Danish Royal House added that Prince Joachim and Princess Marie have been living in France (Marie's home country) for the last four years for Joachim's job.

"The reason was that Prince Joachim initiated France's highest-ranking military training course as a supplement to the Prince's long-term commitment to the Defense," the palace said of the couple's initial move from Denmark. "After completing the education, both the Prince and Princess were associated with the Danish Embassy in Paris as the Defence Attaché and Special Cultural Representative, respectively."