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The Prince of Denmark spoke out about his mother's decision to revoke his children's royal titles.
On Wednesday, Queen Margrethe II, Europe's longest-serving, living monarch following Queen Elizabeth II's death, revoked four of her grandchildren's royal titles.
The decision impacts Prince Joachim's children: Nikolai, 23; Felix, 10; Henrik, 13; and Athena, 10.
The prince had Nikolai and Felix with his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, and Henrik and Athena with his current wife Princess Marie of Denmark.
"Her Majesty has 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," a press announcement from the royal house of Denmark stated.
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The statement went on to say that the Queen's decision comes from her desire 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," which bears similarities to King Charles' plans for a "slimmed down" monarchy.
The press release also noted that the Queen has been laying the groundwork for this decision since 2008 and that Joachim's four children will keep their place in the royal line of succession despite the title change. They will also be referred to as "excellencies" in the future.
Prince Joachim shared his children's reactions to the queen's decision with Danish outlets on Thursday, expressing frustration with his mother.
"We are all very sad. It's never fun to see your children being mistreated like that," he told Ekstra Bladet. "They themselves find in a situation they do not understand."
He also told the outlet he was only given five days' notice regarding his mother's decision, though he had been made aware Queen Margrethe intended to revoke his children's titles at some point since May 2022.
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"In May, I was presented with a plan, which basically stated that when the children each turned 25, it would happen," he told Ekstra Bladet.
But the royal house of Denmark told the Danish outlet B.T. in a statement that the decision should not have taken the prince or his children off guard.
"As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming," a spokesperson for the Danish royal family told B.T. "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."
Joachim repeated that he was only told about the accelerated decision five days in advance when he spoke to B.T., and he expressed confusion as to why his mother's plans changed.
"I simply don't know. I originally asked for time to think and give my feedback. That would also be taken into account," he said to B.T.
"I can say that my children are upset," he went on to say. "My kids don't know which leg to stand on."
"Why should their identity be removed?" he said. "Why must they be punished in that way?"
