Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix’s mother ‘in shock’ after decision to strip them of their titles 

Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix’s mother is ‘in shock’ after Queen Margrethe II of Denmark yesterday announced that her grandchildren would be stripped of their titles. 

The queen, 82, announced the move in a statement yesterday, saying she hoped it would allow her grandchildren to ‘shape their own lives without being limited by the special considerations and duties’ that come with a formal affiliation with the Danish Royal Family.

Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, will have prince and princess removed from their titles, and will no longer be able to use His or Her Royal Highness. 

The children of Prince Joachim, 53, the youngest of Margrethe’s two sons, will be known as either His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat from January 1, 2023.

According to a statement from her press advisor Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen to Danish outlet Se og Hør, Alexandra, 58 – who is Joachim’s ex-wife and shares Nikolai and Felix with the royal – claimed the decision comes ‘like a bolt from the blue’. 

Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix’s mother (pictured with her sons) is ‘in shock’ after Queen Margrethe II of Denmark yesterday announced that her grandchildren would be stripped of their titles

The queen, 82 (pictured with Felix and Nikolai in 2021), announced the move in a statement yesterday, saying she hoped it would allow her grandchildren to ‘shape their own lives

She added: ‘We are all confused by the decision. We are saddened and in shock.

‘The children feel ostracised. They cannot understand why their identity is taken from them.’

Meanwhile Joachim has said his four children have been ‘harmed’ by their grandmother’s decision as he spoke for the first time since the bombshell announcement. 

The children of Prince Joachim, 53, the youngest of Margrethe’s two sons, will be known as either His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat from January 1, 2023. Pictured, Nikolai 

‘We are all very sad. It’s never fun to see your children being harmed. They are been put in a situation they do not understand,’ he said in an interview with Danish news outlet Ekstra Bladet today.

Joachim, who is sixth-in-line to the throne behind his brother and his children, was speaking outside the Danish Embassy in Paris, where he lives with his second wife Marie and their children Henrik and Athena. 

Nikolai and Felix, who are both models, are the product of his first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.

The queen’s decision is seen as a move to streamline the monarchy – in echoes of King Charles’ desire for the British Royal Family, and those of other European royal households.

Nikolai, 23, (far right) Felix, 20, (far left) Henrik, 13, (second from right) and Athena, 10 (third from right) (all pictured with Prince Joachim (third from left) and Princess Marie (second from left)) will have prince and princess removed from their titles, and will no longer be able to use His or Her Royal Highness

Queen Margrethe last night defended her decision, saying at an event in Copenhagen: ‘It is a consideration I have had for quite a long time and I think it will be good for them in their future. That is the reason.’ 

It had been reported that Prince Joachim was first informed of the decision in May, however he has claimed this morning that he was only informed of the decision five days ago.

‘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.

Prince Joachim (right back), 53, the youngest of Margrethe’s two sons, said he was only given five days’ notice that Nikolai (left), 23, Felix (second from left), 20, Henrik (far right), 13, and Athena (second from right), 10, will have prince or princess removed from their titles, and will no longer be able to use His or Her Royal Highness. Pictured with their grandmother Queen Margrethe (centre) and Princess Isabella (behind Princess Athena)

Alexandra’s spokesperson Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen told another news organisation that Joachim learned of his children’s fate via an aide. 

Queen Margrethe spoke neither to her sons nor her grandchildren, it is claimed. 

‘The children have received the message that they are losing their titles, delivered by their father, just as Countess Alexandra was told by Prince Joachim,’ the spokesperson added. 

However, despite the stripping of their titles, the prince’s children will maintain their positions in the order of succession. 

Nikolai and Felix, who are both models, are the product of his first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg (pictured) 

Out of a title: The four grandchildren who will no longer be TRHs 

Nikolai of Denmark, 23: The Copenhagen Business School student and model regularly tops lists of the world’s most eligible bachelors. He lives in Denmark but has jetted around the world to walk for designers in Paris and London. Nikolai has also appeared on the cover of Vogue Scandinavia. 

Felix of Denmark, 20: Following in his brother’s footsteps, Prince Felix has also had success as a model and has starred in an advertising campaign for Georg Jensen. He had a short stint at the Royal Danish Military Academy but quit after two months because it ‘wasn’t for him’. 

Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, of Denmark: The youngest of Prince Joachim’s four children, Henrik and Athena are the product of his second marriage to Princess Marie. They live with their parents in Paris. 

They are currently seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth, but would move down if any of Crown Prince Frederick’s children were to have children. 

The bombshell announcement was made in a statement released yesterday by the Danish Royal Household.

It read: ‘In April 2008, Her Majesty the Queen conferred the titles of Count, Countess and Comtesse of Monpezat on her sons, their spouses and their descendants. 

‘In May 2016, it was also announced that His Royal Highness Prince Christian, as the only one of the Queen’s grandchildren, is expected to receive an annuity from the state as an adult.

‘As a natural extension of this, Her Majesty has decided that with effect from 1 January 2023, the descendants of His Royal Highness Prince Joachim can only use their titles as Count and Countess of Monpezat, as their previous titles as Prince and Princess of Denmark will lapse. 

‘Prince Joachim’s descendants will henceforth have to be addressed as Excellencies. 

‘The Queen’s decision is in line with similar adaptations that other royal houses have implemented in different ways in recent years. 

‘With her decision, Her Majesty the Queen wants 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.

‘All four grandchildren maintain their places in the order of succession,’ concluded the statement.

Margrethe, who is the world’s longest serving queen and celebrates her Golden Jubilee this year, is affectionately known as ‘aunt Daisy’ by European royals due to her close personal ties with many reigning monarchs.

 

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