Princess Madeleine of Sweden took to Instagram at the weekend to share the sweetest snapshot of her three children. The image shows Princess Leonore, five, Prince Nicolas, four, and Princess Adrienne, one, posing together outside, with the girls dressed in matching blue dress, and Nicolas wearing a blue shirt and shorts and eye-catching H&M 'police car' trainers. The young prince can be seen gently holding hands with his youngest sister as the trio smile for the camera. "Siblings!" Madeleine captioned the photograph, adding three love heart eye emoijs.
Princess Madeleine has shared a photo of Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne
The picture comes one week after it was announced Madeleine's three children, who she shares with husband Chris O'Neill, are no longer members of the Swedish royal house. The change also affects Madeleine's older brother Prince Carl Phillip, and his two children with wife Princess Sofia; Prince Alexander, three, and Prince Gabriel, two. All five children have lost their style of Royal Highness and, in the future, will not be expected to perform duties incumbent on the head of state.
A statement from Fredrik Wersäll, the Marshal of the Realm, the communiqué, read: "His Majesty The King has decided on changes to The Royal House. 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."
Madeleine and husband Chris O'Neill with their three children
Despite losing their style of Royal Highness, the statement noted that all five children will continue to retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by their grandfather, King Carl XVI Gustaf, upon birth.
MORE: Royal watchers are divided over Prince William and Kate Middleton's latest letter to a fan
Following the surprising announcement, Madeleine took to Instagram to address the news. "This change has been planned for a long time," the 37-year-old noted. "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."
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia have two sons together
Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia 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. "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."
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.