In September 2022, Denmark's Queen Margrethe announced her decision to remove prince and princess titles from four of her grandchildren. "It is a consideration I have had for quite a long time," Margrethe told reporters after the decision was announced. "I think it will be good for them in their future."
Soon after, Prince Joachim and his family made their unhappiness with the decision known. Margrethe then released another statement, saying "I have made my decision as Queen, mother and grandmother, but, as a mother and grandmother, I have underestimated the extent to which much my younger son and his family feel affected."
Here's everything you need to know about the title controversy—and everything that the members of the Danish royal family have said since Margrethe's decision.
What happened?
Queen Margrethe "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," per the Danish Royal House.
"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," the statement added.
Prince Joachim's four children—Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, Prince Henrik, and Princess Athena—will maintain their places in the order of succession.
How did Prince Joachim and his family react?
Prince Joachim, whose children will be losing their titles, immediately expressed his displeasure with his mother Queen Margrethe's decision. Joachim spoke with the press, telling B.T., "I can say that my children are sad. 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?" Joachim says he was given five days' notice, but the Royal Household has said Joachim was informed in May 2022.
His first wife, Countess Alexandra—mother to Nikolai, 24 and Felix, 21—also shared her unhappiness. "She can’t believe why and why now, because there’s no good reason," Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen, press secretary to Countess Alexandra, told CNN. "They would lose their titles anyway when they get married one day. Her sons are young men so maybe they might get married in the near future so why shouldn’t it wait until that day so that the titles would disappear on a happy day?"
"It’s just their loss of identity and it’s very hard for little children and young men. As Prince Nikolai said to me, 'what will they write in my passport now?'" Løvgreen added.
Nikolai also spoke with the press, saying, "We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone. I don’t understand why it had to happen this way."
Joachim moved his family to Washington, D.C. in June 2023, and in April 2024, he and Princess Marie spoke about the title controversy. "We weren't happy about the way it happened—but it's a family thing. It's complicated," Princess Marie said. "It's also their name. It's their identity since they were born. So it’s more than just what people see as a title." Joachim added: "We've moved on."
What about Crown Prince Frederik and his family?
The then-Crown Prince himself didn't say anything in the immediate aftermath but his wife, then-Crown Princess Mary, did speak to the press. She said "I can understand that it is a difficult decision to make and a very difficult decision to receive." She continued, "Change can be difficult and can really hurt. But this does not mean that the decision is not the right one. We will also look at our children’s titles when the time comes. Today we do not know what the royal house will look like in Christian’s time, or when Christian’s time begins to approach." (Prince Christian, her eldest son, is now first in line for the Danish throne.)
A month later, Frederik commented," I myself am interested in the Danish monarchy staying slim over time, so I therefore support my mother's decision." He also shared that the discussion over his children's titles is "something that belongs to the future."
How did Queen Margrethe react to all this drama?
Five days after her decision, Queen Margrethe weighed in once more. "In recent days, there have been strong reactions to my decision about the future use of titles for Prince Joachim’s four children. That affects me, of course," she wrote in a statement that the Danish Royal House shared.
She continued, "My decision has been a long time coming. With my 50 years on the throne, it is natural both to look back and to look ahead. It is my duty and my desire as Queen to ensure that the monarchy always shapes itself in keeping with the times. Sometimes, this means that difficult decisions must be made, and it will always be difficult to find the right moment."
Queen Margrethe then wrote of "future-proofing," and ensuring the continuation of the monarchy, saying, "Holding a royal title involves a number of commitments and duties that, in the future, will lie with fewer members of the royal family. This adjustment, which I view as a necessary future-proofing of the monarchy, I want to take in my own time."
She then explains "I have made my decision as Queen, mother and grandmother, but, as a mother and grandmother, I have underestimated the extent to which much my younger son and his family feel affected. That makes a big impression, and for that I am sorry."
She concluded, "No one should be in doubt that my children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren are my great joy and pride. I now hope that we as a family can find the peace to find our way through this situation."
During her New Year's address, Queen Margrethe once again opened up about the drama. "Difficulties and disagreements can arise in any family, including mine. The whole country has witnessed this," she shared. "That the relationship with Prince Joachim and Princess Marie has run into difficulties hurts me."
Queen Margrethe continued, "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."
In 2023, she was again asked about the decision. She said, via Billed Bladet, "I’m not really happy to get into it, if I’m honest. I could say something, but you shouldn’t say everything. For me, it has been important that it should not be Frederik’s lot to make such a decision." She added, "It was better that it was me—because then it is the old woman who has decided it. But it’s a little too close yet to talk about."
At the time, little did anyone know that Queen Margrethe would share her intent to abdicate on New Year's Eve 2023, and her son, Frederik, would become King Frederik X.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
