The Danish royal family had a tumultuous autumn following Queen Margrethe's decision to strip four of her grandchildren of their royal titles.
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From 1 January, Prince Joachim's children – Prince Nikolai, 23, and 20-year-old Prince Felix, Princess Athena, ten, and 13-year-old Prince Henrik – will lose their titles and will instead by styled as His or Her Excellency Count / Countess of Monpezat.
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The move caused great upset within the family, with Joachim, his wife Princess Marie, and his ex-wife Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, all speaking publicly of their distress.
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But will the family – including Joachim's older brother Crown Prince Frederik, wife Crown Princess Mary and their four children – reunite for the Christmas period? It appears not.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Joachim and wife Princess Marie with his four children
Traditionally, the royals spend the festive holiday at Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus. However, every couple of years, Fredrik, Mary and their family - Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine - travel to Australia to spend Christmas with their maternal family.
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And that is once again the case this year, with the family photographed this week in Sydney.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCrown Prince Frederik with his family
It's the first time Crown Princess Mary has been able to travel to her homeland of Australia for an extended period with her family in five years. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the Crown Prince Family routinely switched back and forth between Denmark and Australia for holidays.
Joachim, meanwhile, has also decided to spend time away from the Palace. A statement released by the royal court previously confirmed that he and his family will spend Christmas "on a long-planned trip abroad". It is not known exactly where they will travel to.
© Photo: Getty ImagesQueen Margrethe pictured with her two sons
With both her sons away, Queen Margrethe and her sister, Princess Benedikte, will spend Christmas Eve together at Djursland with private friends while spending the wider holiday period from 21 to 30 December at Marselisborg Castle in Aarhus.
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