The Danish royal family fell under the full glare of the spotlight in September when Queen Margrethe announced her decision to strip four of her grandchildren of their royal titles.
In an effort to slim down the monarchy, the Danish queen removed the HRH styling from the children born to her youngest son, Prince Joachim.
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The decree, which came into effect on 1 January, meant that Nikolai, 23, and Felix, 20, - Joachim's children with first wife Countess Alexandra - and Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11, who he shares with Princess Marie, are now titled Count or Countess of Monpezat.
The decision caused major controversy within the family – with Margrethe later taking the unprecedented step of apologising to Joachim and his children.
© Photo: Getty ImagesJoachim with his wife Marie and his four children
But she was certainly not the first European monarch to remove titles from their grandchildren in recent times.
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In October 2019, the Swedish royal palace announced that the children of Princess Madeleine and Prince Carl Philip would no longer be members of the royal house.
Carl Philip and Madeleine are the younger siblings of Crown Princess Victoria, who shares two children, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, with her husband Prince Daniel.
© Photo: InstagramPrincess Madeleine of Sweden's three children
The decision meant that Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, Princess Adrienne, and Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel lost their style of Royal Highness and would no longer be expected to perform duties incumbent on the head of state. Carl Philip and Princess Sofia's third child, Julian, was born in August 2021.
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An official statement released on behalf of King Carl Gustaf 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."
© Photo: Getty ImagesCarl Philip shares three children with wife Sofia
It continued: "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."
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Despite losing their style of Royal Highness, the statement noted that Madeleine and Chris' three children – Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne – and Carl Philip and Sofia's two sons – Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel – will continue to retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by their grandfather upon birth.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMadeleine and Carl Philip are Crown Princess Victoria's younger siblings
A short time after the announcement, Madeleine and her older brother Carl Philip broke their silence.
Taking to Instagram, Madeleine shared a snapshot showing her with her three children and wrote: "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."
Madeleine responded to her father's decision 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.
Carl Philip and Sofia also broke their silence
"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."
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