Queen Margrethe of Denmark insisted removing her grandchildren's royal titles will be "good" for them.
Queen Margrethe has removed her grandchildren's titles
The 82-year-old monarch has announced Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and 10-year-old Athena - the children of her second son, Prince Joachim - will no longer be known as Prince or Princess and will lose their His/Her Highness titles and instead will be known as His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat from 1 January, 2023, though they will retain their places as seventh to tenth in the line of succession.
The queen said: "It is a consideration I have had for quite a long time and I think it will be good for them in their future. That is the reason."
Asked if the move was "for her grandchildren's sake", she added: "Yes, of course."
The queen insisted she "hadn't seen" any suggestions the quartet felt "ostracised", despite reports.
She said: "Well, you have to see how you ... I haven't seen it myself, I must say."
Following the announcement on Wednesday (28.09.22), Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg - Joachim's first wife and the mother of his eldest two sons - said she and her sons were "saddened and in shock".
She said in a statement: "We are all confused by the decision. We are saddened and in shock.
"This comes like a bolt from the blue. The children feel ostracised. They cannot understand why their identity is being taken away from them."
When the decision was announced, it was explained Margrethe wanted her grandchildren to be more free to "shape their own life" away from the restrictions of the royal family.
The palace said in a statement: "With her decision, Her Majesty The Queen wishes to create the framework for the four grandchildren to be able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent without being limited by the special considerations and duties that a formal affiliation with the Royal House of Denmark as an institution involves."
Joachim has his younger children with second wife Princess Marie.
The decision does not apply to the four children of Crown Prince Frederick and his wife Crown Princess Mary, as Prince Christian, 16, Princess Isabella, 15, and 11-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine will continue to be part of the royal house.