Queen Margrethe
This is how the people feel about their decision to strip their grandchildren of their titles
© Dana Press
Queen Margrethe divides minds. While her family in particular seems to be suffering from the fact that she stripped the titles of prince and princess from her son Prince Joachim’s children, the Danish people have a very different opinion of the monarch’s decision.
At the end of September, Queen Margrethe, 82, caused a royal scandal when she announced her decision to strip the children of her son Prince Joachim, 54, of the titles of prince and princess. From January 1, 2023, Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, will only be allowed to use the titles Count and Countess of Monpezat.
Queen Margrethe shocks her son and grandchildren
With her decision, the Queen wants to “create a framework in which the four grandchildren can organize their lives to a far greater extent, without being restricted by the special considerations and obligations that formal membership of the Royal House as an institution entails”. so declared the palace. However, Prince Joachim’s children will retain their place in the line of succession.
The family left Queen Margrethe appalled and saddened by this decision. Although the monarch apologized publicly, the family is said to have spoken out afterwards. However, it is unlikely that peace has returned to the Danish royal family.
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The people are divided
But while Prince Joachim and the rest of the family are in shock, the Danish people seem at odds on what to make of the proclamation of their queen. A survey of 1,271 Danes by the Danish tabloid “BT” showed that more than half – namely 56 percent – did not see Queen Margrethe more positively or negatively as a result of the decision. Only 17 percent have a more negative opinion afterwards, 22 percent are even more positive.
Royal house expert Jacob Heinel Jenden explains the predominantly positive survey result by saying that Queen Margrethe and the crown prince couple are still very popular with the Danish population. “When it’s so clear who draws the royal line in Denmark, it’s also clear that most people support the A-Team. The Queen can afford very few mistakes in the eyes of people in general. So it’s only Logically, given the choice, many people will choose them.”
However, the expert does not see the situation as completely unproblematic: “You have to be careful, because as soon as the facade cracks, there is no guarantee that you can rebuild it, or that it will only turn out to be the beginning. Because it is safe not to the queen’s advantage that she is portrayed as an ice queen.”
Sources used: danapress.com, bt.dk, instagram.com