Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 82, attended her first royal engagement with her son Crown Prince Frederick following the bombshell of stripping royal titles from her grandchildren of her youngest son. Crown Prince Frederick, 54, and Margrethe were accompanied by Frederick’s wife Crown Princess Mary, 50, in Copenhagen.
The move means that her grandchildren from Prince Joachim will no longer carry the title of Prince or Princess but instead will be Count or Countess of Monpezat which is the birth title of her late husband, Prince Henrik.
The Danish royal household released the statement which read: “I have made my decision as Queen, mother, and grandmother.
“But, as a mother and grandmother, I have underestimated the extent to how much my younger son and his family feel affected.
“That makes a big impression, and for that I am sorry.”
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The unusually personal statement shocked Danish royal commentators who noted it was “completely unusual” and demonstrates the severity of the rift in the family.
Speaking to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet, royal commentator Lars Hovbakke Sørensen said: “It is a completely unusual situation, it is historic, and it shows something about the seriousness that the Queen feels called to make such a personal announcement in a press release.
“It is quite unusual, and she has never done this before. It shows that there is a huge conflict.”
Prince Joachim spoke out about the rift in the family to Ekstra Bladet saying that his children were “hurt” by the decision and that he had little time to tell them the news before it was public knowledge.
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He also noted that his relationship with his brother Crown Prince Frederik is “complicated” and that since the announcement, his mother has not contacted him.
He added: “You cannot have members or former members of the royal house constantly speaking in the press about the Queen’s decision and discussing back and forth with each other in full public view.”
The Queen’s decision to remove the titles of Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, was criticised by Prince Joachim, the father of the four children.
He noted that his children were “hurt” by their grandmother’s decision and Margrethe released a statement of apology in an effort to not appear as an ‘ice queen’.
According to BT, a local news outlet, the royals ignored questions from the gathering press about the announcement and instead spoke to each other before entering Christiansborg’, the seat of Danish parliament.
The visit was only hours after the Queen issued a statement of apology, addressing her controversial decision.
