Queen Margrethe apologizes over titles issue

Queen Margrethe of Denmark, after taking the decision to strip her grandchildren of their royal titles, has released a public message of apology. Comments which suggest that there is a “huge conflict” within the Danish royal family and which show that the queen is afraid of appearing as a heartless woman.

A few days ago, the 82-year-old queen released an unexpected public statement explaining her decision to strip certain grandchildren of the title of prince and princess. It was Prince Joachim’s four children who were struck by this decision, some immediately expressed their bitterness in public.

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Her son’s public statements therefore led the Queen of Denmark to issue an official statement to explain the situation and apologize. A decision that has alarmed Danish royal commentators, who are already talking about a quarrel within the Danish royal family. Commenting on what happened to Ekstra Bladet, in fact, expert Lars Hovbakke Sørensen said: “It’s quite unusual and I’ve never done it before. It shows that there is a huge conflict”.

Queen Margrethe’s apology and title dispute

Last Thursday, Prince Joachim commented on his mother’s decision saying her children felt “hurt”. The prince also added that he only had a few days to tell them the news before it was announced publicly. During the same interview, she also admitted that her relationship with her brother, Crown Prince Frederik, was “complicated”. For the moment, the relationship with Queen Margrethe and the rest of the royal family would be at loggerheads.

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Sørensen said that due to these public statements, the Queen of Denmark “had to say something” and could no longer remain silent. In an extraordinary statement, therefore, last night, the sovereign admitted that she had “underestimated” the impact of her actions. The expert added that it’s likely she didn’t want to publicly apologize for her choice, but Prince Joachim’s public comments left her with no choice but to face the allegations in public.

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Queen Margrethe’s official statement reads: ‘In recent days there have been strong reactions to my decision on the future use of the titles for Prince Joachim’s four children. It is clear that it affects me. My decision came a long time ago. With my 50 years on the throne, it is natural to both look back and look forward.” The Sovereign added that her choice was dictated by the necessities of the time: “It is my duty and my desire as Queen to ensure that the monarchy continues to shape itself to the rhythm of its time. Sometimes it takes tough decisions to make and it will always be difficult to find the right moment.”