The Danish Queen Margrethe II wants to streamline the monarchy. The family of their younger son Prince Joachim had to do the job for this: they will be stripped of their titles from January 1, 2023.

From then on, Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, Princess Athena and Prince Henrik may only call themselves Count and Countess. The decision caused a stir and violent reactions, not only within the family and the royal family.

Most recently, the monarch even came under pressure to explain and now felt compelled to make a public statement and the associated apology about her decision.

The statement said: It is her duty and her wish as Queen to ensure that the monarchy continues to be contemporary. "It sometimes requires difficult decisions and it will always be difficult to find the right moment. Holding a royal title brings with it a range of obligations and duties that fewer members of the royal family will have in the future." She sees this adjustment as a necessary safeguard for the future of the monarchy.

But she also tries to explain herself from a different perspective: "I made my decision as a queen, a mother and a grandmother, but as a mother and grandmother I underestimated how much it affected my youngest son and his family. And it does I'm sorry."

Her son Prince Joachim recently said in the Danish tabloid "BT": "I can say that my children are upset. My children do not know which leg to stand on. What to believe. Why will stripped of their identities? Why do they have to be punished like this?"

In her statement, Queen Margrethe also emphasized that nobody should doubt that her children, children-in-law and grandchildren are her great joy and her pride. "I hope that as a family we can now find the peace to deal with this situation."

Sources: "B.T.", Danish Royal House