Prince Joachim has revealed the Danish Royal Family have ‘a lot to work on’ after his mother Queen Margrethe stripped his four children of their prince and princess titles.
The Danish royal, 53, gave an insight into his relationship with his family while attending the annual Christmas Bazaar at the Danish Church in Paris on Friday with his wife Princess Marie.
In September, the Danish monarch announced that her grandchildren Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, will no longer have ‘His/Her Highness’ titles from January 2023.
At the time, the monarch insisted the move will be ‘good for them in their future’ and allow the children – who have maintained their positions in the line of succession – to ‘shape their own lives without being limited by the special considerations and duties’ that a formal affiliation with the Danish Royal Family involves.
However, Prince Joachim publicly spoke out against his mother’s decision in the days that followed – claiming that his children had been ‘harmed’ in the process.
Two months on, the sixth-in-line to the throne has now admitted that ‘communication was missing’ within the Royal Family in the lead-up to the shock announcement.
Prince Joachim gave an update on his relationship with his family while attending the annual Christmas Bazaar at the Danish Church in Paris on Friday with his wife Princess Marie on Friday
Queen Margrethe, 82, announced that Prince Joachim’s children will be known as Counts and Countesses from January 2023. Pictured attending New Year reception at Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen in 2013
Queen Margrethe of Denmark has stripped four of her grandchildren of their royal titles, the Danish royal household has announced. Pictured, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie with Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, Prince Henrik and Princess Athena of Denmark in September
He told local news outlet B.T.: ‘There is a lot to work on.
‘Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.’
Earlier this month, it was announced that the Danish Royal Family will be spending Christmas separately this year.
According to an official announcement from the household, Queen Margrethe will spend the festive season at Marselisborg Castle in Aarhus like usual.
Queen Margrethe beamed as she arrived at the re-premier of the ballet The Nutcracker in Tivoli’s Concert Hall in Copenhagen over the weekend
Also attending the ballet were her oldest son, Crown Prince Frederik (left), his wife Crown Princess Mary, and their two youngest children, twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine
The monarch will be joined by her younger sister Princess Beneikte and a group of ‘private friends’.
Meanwhile, Queen Margrethe’s eldest son Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, 54, will travel to Australia with his wife Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, 50, and their children Prince Christian, 17, Princess Isabella, 15, and Prince Vincent, 11, and Princess Josephine, 11.
The official announcement highlighted how ‘it has been five years since the Crown Prince couple together with their four children last visited the Crown Princess’s homeland’ as the reason for not spending Christmas in Denmark this year.
What’s more, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie will be spending Christmas on a ‘longer planned trip abroad’ with their children – although the household has not disclosed the location.
Shortly after his children were stripped of his titles, Prince Joachim claimed that he had only been given five days’ notice before the news was made public.
Instead of being Princes and Princesses, they will be Counts and Countess and referred to as Their Excellencies.
Following her announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish Embassy in Paris, where he lives with his French-born wife Princess Marie and his two youngest children, and said his four children had been ‘hurt’ by their grandmother’s decision.
Meanwhile, his ex-wife Alexandra, 58, was married to Prince Joachim for 10 years until 2005, said that her sons had been left feeling ‘ostracised’ from the institution and the decision had come like a ‘bolt out of the blue’.
Prince Joachim of Denmark said his four children have been hurt by their grandmother Queen Margrethe’s decision to strip them of their royal titles as he spoke for the first time since the bombshell announcement in September
Prince Joachim’s children Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, will all be losing their titles on January 1 2023
It had been reported that Prince Joachim was first informed of his mother’s decision in May, however he has claimed at the time that he was only informed of the decision five days beforehand.
‘I was given five days’ notice to tell them. In May, I was presented with a plan which, by and large, was that when the children each turned 25, it would happen.
‘Now I had only five days to tell them. Athena turns 11 in January,’ he clarified
The Royal Household then released another statement, saying: ‘As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has 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 Household will be respected.’
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