Is King Charles III taking notes from Queen Margrethe II of Denmark? Some royal watchers seem to think so.
The Danish monarch decided to strip four of her grandchildren of their prince and princess as well as their HRH titles, the royal palace announced on Wednesday. The children of her second son, Prince Joachim, will now be known as “His Excellency Count of Monpezat” or “Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat” starting on Jan. 1, 2023.
All four of her grandchildren maintain their places in the order of succession. They are currently seventh through 10th in the line to the throne.
“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 palace said in the statement.
“The Swedish king did the same thing a few years ago,” royal expert Shannon Felton Spence told Fox News Digital. “It’s joint recognition that contemporary monarchies must be more streamlined and efficient. ‘Modern monarchies’ sounds better than contemporary. In Denmark’s case, the crown prince has four children. In Britain’s case, Prince William has three. Those are large modern families.”
Charles’ two grandchildren from his second son, Prince Harry, were expected to receive prince and princess titles once he became king. However, there’s speculation that the monarch, 73, is waiting to learn about the contents of Harry’s upcoming memoir before making a final decision. Sources have previously shared that the grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, shouldn’t receive HRH titles because their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, aren’t working royals.
In 2020, the couple announced they were stepping back as senior members of the British royal family.
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It didn’t take long for Joachim to express disappointment over his mother’s decision concerning his children.
“We are all very sad,” the Danish prince told national newspaper Ekstra Bladet on Thursday. “They find themselves in a situation they do not understand.”
“I was given five days’ notice,” the 53-year-old alleged.
The reporter responded that she assumed Joachim learned of the queen’s plans in May. But Joachim, who is sixth in line to the throne, said that wasn’t the case.
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“In May, I was presented with a plan, which basically stated that when the children each turn 25, it would happen,” he explained, noting that his youngest child, Athena, turns 11 in January.
When the journalist asked how the decision affected his relationship with his mother, Joachim appeared emotional.
“I don’t think I need to elaborate here,” he replied before walking away.
A spokesperson for the Danish Royal Palace told national outlet B.T. that the announcement shouldn’t have come as a surprise, stressing it had “been a long time coming.”
“We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the queen’s wish to future-proof the royal palace will be respected,” said the spokesperson.
In response, Joachim told the outlet, “I was given five days’ notice of this. To tell my children that on New Year’s their identity will be taken from them. I am very, very sorry to see them uncomprehending about what is happening over their heads. … I can say that my children are upset. 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 shares his two eldest sons with his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. He remarried in 2008 to Princess Marie. They share two children.
Alexandra she was “in shock” over the decision.
“We are all confused by the decision. We are saddened and in shock,” said Alexandra, as quoted by Danish magazine Se og Hør. “This comes like a bolt from the blue. The children feel ostracized. They cannot understand why their identity is being taken away from them.”
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The queen, 82, is adamant that the decision will be “good for them in their future.”
Margrethe’s half-century reign makes her Europe’s longest-serving monarch following the Sept. 8 death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, 96, who ruled for 70 years.
Felton Spence pointed out that Charles’ goal has always been to have a slimmed-down monarchy with fewer working royals. Reducing the number of royals would also mean reducing who is funded by the sovereign grant, or the public funds used to support them.
“It certainly gives strength to the argument that the king’s decision is based on efficiency and what’s best for the monarchy as an institution, not out of any personal feelings about family members,” said Felton Spence. “And it continues to raise eyebrows around Harry and Meghan’s intention with fighting for the titles when their peers across Europe are delighted to make the opposite decision. And when I say peers, I really mean it.”
She noted how the children of Princess Madeleine of Sweden lost their HRH titles in 2019 and aren’t official members of the royal house. While prince and princess are their personal titles, no future spouses will be able to use them.
“The purpose of these changes is to establish which members of The Royal Family may be expected to perform official duties incumbent on the Head of State or related to the function of the Head of State,” a palace statement read at the time. “His Majesty The King has decided that the children of Their Royal Highness’s Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, and the children of Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine and Mr. Christopher O’Neill will no longer be members of The Royal House.”
“Princess Madeleine of Sweden lives in Miami with her family,” said Felton Spence. “She shows up in Sweden for special events, she works with her mother on Childhood, a private charity. And by all accounts, she and her husband are raising their kids without titles in America. … I have heard that Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia were thrilled with the decision … just like Princess Anne felt back in the early ’80s. It frees up those children to have more normal lives.”
Felton Spence also suspected that Charles doesn’t need to look to Margrethe for guidance because a decision may have already been made.
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“My view is that he has already made the decision on the titles and that it may not even be revealed,” she said. “Why does he need to put out an announcement about this? It’s not relevant to his transition at all. They aren’t working royals. I think Harry and Meghan being knocked to the bottom of the royal website, and the fact that we didn’t get an official announcement that it did happen, is a pretty clear indication that he has made a decision.”
“And, again, I truly believe it has nothing to do with personal relationships,” she shared. “This is all the workings of a family business that we are seeing. This is the business side.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex live in California with their two children.
