Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, Prince Henrik and Princess Athena will be starting the New Year with a big change. As of Jan. 1, 2023, the Prince and Princess titles of Prince Joachim of Denmark’s children will be discontinued. Back in September, the Danish Royal House announced Queen Margrethe II’s decision to change the titles of her youngest son’s kids.

In a statement at the time, the Royal House said, “In April 2008, Her Majesty The Queen bestowed upon her sons, their spouses and their descendants the titles of count and countess of Monpezat. In May 2016, it was also announced that His Royal Highness Prince Christian, as the only one of The Queen’s grandchildren, is expected to receive an annuity from the state as an adult.”

“As a natural extension of this, Her Majesty has decided that, as of 1 January 2023, His Royal Highness Prince Joachim’s descendants can only use their titles as counts and countess of Monpezat, as the titles of prince and princess that they have held up until now will be discontinued,” the statement continued. “Prince Joachim’s descendants will thus have to be addressed as excellencies in the future. The Queen’s decision is in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses have made in various ways in recent years.”

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The Royal House revealed that with her decision, 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.”

The Danish Queen’s decision prompted reactions from Joachim and his wife Princess Marie, whom he shares Athena and Henrik with, as well as from the Prince’s ex-wife Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, with whom he shares sons Nikolai and Felix. Her Majesty released a statement following “strong reactions,” explaining, “My decision has been a long time coming. With my 50 years on the throne, it is natural both to look back and to look ahead. It is my duty and my desire as Queen to ensure that the monarchy always shapes itself in keeping with the times. Sometimes, this means that difficult decisions must be made, and it will always be difficult to find the right moment.”

“Holding a royal title involves a number of commitments and duties that, in the future, will lie with fewer members of the royal family. This adjustment, which I view as a necessary future-proofing of the monarchy, I want to take in my own time,” the Queen added.

While she made her “decision as Queen, mother and grandmother,” the monarch admitted that “as a mother and grandmother” she “underestimated the extent to which much my younger son and his family feel affected. That makes a big impression, and for that I am sorry.” “No one should be in doubt that my children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren are my great joy and pride,” the Queen said. “I now hope that we as a family can find the peace to find our way through this situation.”

Aside from changes in titles for Joachim’s children, it’s been reported that the Danish Prince, who currently resides in Paris, will be moving to the United States in 2023. B.T.reported on Nov. 29 that Crown Prince Frederik’s younger brother has landed a new job in the “defense industry” in Washington, D.C. According to the outlet (translated to English), “Prince Joachim will start after the 2023 summer holidays, and this probably means that the family will move to the US federal capital during the summer.”

Joachim and his family celebrated Christmas apart from his mother and brother. The Danish House previously revealed that Joachim, Marie and their kids would be going on “a long-planned trip abroad over Christmas.” Meanwhile, Frederik and his respective family traveled to Australia to spend the holiday with the Crown Princess’ family. On Dec. 31, Queen Margrethe will deliver her annual New Year’s Address from Christian IX’s Palace at Amalienborg.