Royal titles and honors are an emotional issue for members of royal families.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wants to purge the Danish monarchy.
Danish Queen Margrethe II wants some of her grandchildren to lose the titles of prince and princess. Affected are the children of Prince Joachim – two sons from his first marriage and a son and a daughter with the current wife. From January 1, 2023, the four are only Count and Countess of Monpezat. The Queen gives the reason that she wants to give the four grandchildren freedom. But they don’t seem to want these freedoms at all.
The father Prince Joachim says in an interview with the Danish Tabloid «BT»: “I am very, very sad when I see how upset the children are. Why are they deprived of their identities? Why are they being punished like this?”
With this step, the Queen wants to further purge the Danish monarchy. A step that comes as no surprise – the type of communication, on the other hand, is. It is surprising that the royal family is taking the dispute publicly through the media. However, this also shows that the titles are an emotional topic for members of royal families. Four stories from the recent past.
1. Princess Mako waives one million francs
Princess Mako of Japan loses her title when she marries former classmate Kei Komuro in October 2021. Mako renounces a dowry of one million Swiss francs because she fears the anger of the population.
The dowry would have been financed through taxes. The announcement of the engagement had already caused negative headlines in Japan in 2017. Because Komuro’s family is in debt. The suspicion was spread that the Komuro family wanted to solve their financial problems by having their son marry into the imperial family. Although Mako waived the money, the negative headlines didn’t stop.
Shortly before the wedding, the court officials announced that Mako was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result. The marriage is finally consummated without the traditional wedding ceremonies customary at the imperial court. And Mako is moving to New York with her husband. The two live in a one-room apartment.
Princess Mako and Kei Komuro during a press conference in Summer 2021.
2. The Queen is stripping her son Andrew of his military titles
Former British party prince Andrew fell deeply: In January 2021, the Queen revoked all honorary military titles and patronage from her second eldest son Andrew. It comes in response to allegations that Andrew sexually abused a then-underage girl in 2001. The abuse is said to have occurred in the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, the accomplice of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in custody. Andrew denies the allegations. Although Andrew is allowed to keep the title “Royal Highness”, he no longer uses this title in public and only appears as “Duke of York”. Andrew had appeared as a private person in the court case against him in New York.
Prince Andrew at his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on September 19 in London.
3. Harry and Meghan separate from the British royal family
In January 2020, Queen Elizabeth II announced that the British royal family was breaking all official ties with Harry and Meghan. It is the result of long discussions between the couple and the royal family.
It all started with a TV interview at the end of 2019 that Harry and Meghan gave without consulting the royal family. In it, the two criticize the pressure exerted on them by the tabloids.
A few weeks later, the couple announced that they would step down as “senior royals”. The two want to spend more time in North America and become financially independent from the royal family. After long negotiations with the Queen, a clear decision finally follows: Queen Elizabeth II says the palace is breaking all official ties with the couple. With this move, Harry lost all military titles and patronage. Although he was allowed to keep the title “Royal Highness”, in public he usually only appears as “Duke of Sussex”.
Harry and Meghan in New York in July.
4. Grandchildren of the Swedish royal couple lose their “Royal Highness” status
In 2019, King Charles Gustav XVI. and Queen Silvia’s five grandchildren belonging to the Swedish royal family. Affected are the two sons of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia and the three children of Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill.
Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne, who were between 1 and 5 years old at the time, lost their “Royal Highness” status. They retain the titles of prince and princess and remain members of the royal family.
Thanks to this decision, the five children will one day be able to decide for themselves what kind of work they want to do. According to a statement by the royal family, the reason for the withdrawal of the status was that the royal family was too large. Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, Crown Princess Victoria’s children, are exempt from the decision.
