Princess Madeleine of Sweden and her brother Prince Carl Philip have publicly spoken out following the news that their children's titles have been dropped. Madeleine's three children Leonore, Nicolas and Adrienne, and Carl Philip's two sons Alexander and Gabriel, will no longer be styled as Royal Highness, the Swedish palace announced on Monday.
In an Instagram post, Madeleine, 37, shared a photo with her three youngsters, who are aged between one and five. The doting mum, who is married to businessman Chris O'Neill, noted: "This change has been planned for a long time. Chris and I think it is good that our children now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives as individuals in the future."
Princess Madeleine shared a photo of her children on Instagram
Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia, meanwhile, released a similar post on their Instagram account, writing: "We see this as a positive as Alexander and Gabriel will have freer choices in life. They will retain their Duke titles and their duchies, Södermanland and Dalarna, which we value and are proud of. Our family has strong connections to both areas and we maintain our commitment there.
MORE: 11 times the royal family couldn't believe their eyes
"We will continue to focus on issues close to our heart. We will also continue to support the King and the Crown Princess - our future head of state - and participate in the King's activities."
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia share two sons together
Earlier in the day, the palace released a statement via Fredrik Wersäll, the Marshal of the Realm, announcing King Carl XVI Gustaf's decision to make changes to The Royal House. The statement noted: "The purpose of these changes is to establish which members of The Royal Family may be expected to perform official duties incumbent on the Head of State or related to the function of the Head of State. His Majesty The King has decided that the children of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, and the children of Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O'Neill will no longer be members of The Royal House."
MORE: Alesha Dixon finally shares photo of baby daughter and reveals name
The statement concluded by noting that Madeleine and Prince Carl Philip will continue to perform royal duties. Madeleine, who is based in Miami, works for the World Childhood Foundation, the organisation that her mother Silvia co-founded. Carl Philip and his wife Sofia will also continue to support their charity, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia's Foundation.
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.