Is this the REAL reason behind the Danish royal feud?

It’s been a dramatic few days for the Danish Royal Family – after Queen Margarethe II of Denmark announced last week that she would be removing princely titles from four of her grandchildren.

The decision saw a bitter royal row breakout, with her youngest son Prince Joachim claiming his children, Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, were upset after having their ‘identities removed’.

As of January 1 2023, they will become Counts and Countesses, and will be known as Their Excellencies, rather than His or Her Royal Highness.

Amid the scandal, Joachim, 53, and his second wife Princess Marie, 46, admitted their relationship with his older brother Crown Prince Frederik, 54, and his sister-in-law Crown Princess Mary, 50, is ‘complicated’. 

And now, one Spanish magazine has claimed the real reason behind the rift is because Joachim ‘was deeply in love with his sister-in-law Mary’, according to Vanitatis Elconfidencial.

A photograph was even published by Swedish woman’s weekly magazine ‘Svensk Damtidning’, allegedly showing Joachim trying to kiss Mary at a gala party of the Royal Guard Regiment.

The Spanish magazine recalled: ‘With obvious signs of drunkenness, it seems that the youngest son of Queen Margarethe tried to stamp his lips on his sister-in-law’s mouth, that she got out of the way as she could and with an unperturbed smile, while Marie witnessed the embarrassing moment.’

It also suggested that shortly after Frederik and Mary’s wedding in 2004, Danish media began to speculate that Joachim ‘was deeply in love with his sister-in-law’. 

‘In fact, it didn’t help that in 2007 he announced his engagement to a French girl (Princess Marie) with the same name and a striking physical resemblance,’ wrote the magazine.

But with such strong rumours about the prince’s crush on Mary, the magazine claims Margarethe called ‘them to order’ and ‘started a campaign to show that there were no problems between the two women,’ including ‘unscheduled outings’ together.

MailOnline has contacted the Danish Royal Household for comment.  

On Tuesday, Queen Margrethe and her eldest son refused to answer questions regarding the fallout of last week’s bombshell royal titles as they arrived at the state opening of parliament. 

Margrethe, 82, was joined by Crown Prince Frederick and his wife Princess Mary at the opening of the Folketing, in Copenhagen. 

The assembled press asked a flurry of questions to all three royals on their arrival but the trio ‘chose with big smiles to turn their backs to the press and talk among themselves before they entered Christiansborg’, the seat of the Danish parliament, according to local news outlet BT.

The royals put on an upbeat display and smiled to each other as they took their seats ahead of the opening. Margrethe opted for a vibrant mint dress and matching hat, while Australian-born Mary looked more sombre in grey. 

It comes hours after Queen Margrethe issued a public apology for her decision to strip four of her grandchildren – the sons and daughters of her youngest son, Prince Joachim – of their royal titles. 

She said she was sorry for hurting her family with the ‘difficult decision’ but insisted it was the right choice. 

And according to Danish royal commentators, the public statement is ‘completely unusual’ and shows how serious the conflict within the family has become. 

They added the Queen likely fears coming across as an ‘ice queen’, following several emotive public statements from Joachim in which he spoke of how his children had been ‘harmed’ by their grandmother’s decision. 

Speaking to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet, royal house expert Lars Hovbakke Sørensen said: ‘It is a completely unusual situation, it is historic, and it shows something about the seriousness that the Queen feels called to make such a personal announcement in a press release. 

‘It is quite unusual and she has never done this before. It shows that there is a huge conflict.’

Mr Sørensen added the Queen’s statement was a way of ‘trying to close this conflict’ and draw a line under it, following several days of turbulence between the monarch and her youngest son.

Last Thursday Prince Joachim told Ekstra Bladet his children had been ‘hurt’ by their grandmother’s decision to remove their princely titles and make them counts and countesses, adding he had only had a few days to break the news to them before it was announced publicly.

However, according to Mr Sørensen: ‘You cannot have members or former members of the royal house constantly speaking in the press about the Queen’s decision and discussing back and forth with each other in full public view.’

He added Queen Margrethe ‘had to say something’ following Prince Joachim’s public comments.

In a statement, the monarch admitted she had ‘underestimated’ the impact of her actions but said it was ‘a long time coming’ and it had been made as ‘a Queen, mother and grandmother.’ 

Another royal expert, Jacob Heinel Jensen, agreed the Queen felt ‘compelled’ to issue a public statement about the reported animosity and told B.T. the Queen’s statement reflected the ‘crazy situation’ the Danish Royal Household finds itself in.

He added it is likely she did not want to make a public apology about her decision, but that Prince Joachim’s public comments left her with no choice but to address the accusations.

Mr Heinel Jensen said: ‘Queen Margrethe has felt compelled to [issue a statement], and it is because the Royal House is of course afraid that she will appear like an ice queen, which she has become in the past week. This is of course an attempt to say that she is not, she also feels it and is upset about the situation.’ 

He added he thought the Queen’s decision was the right one – although he was unsure if it would calm Prince Joachim’s strong feelings about his mother’s decision.

The Queen’s statement read: ‘In recent days, there have been strong reactions to my decision on the future use of titles for Prince Joachim’s four children. It obviously affects me.

‘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 forward.

‘It is my duty and my wish as Queen to ensure that the monarchy continues to shape itself in keeping with the times.

‘It sometimes requires difficult decisions to be made, and it will always be difficult to find the right moment.

‘Carrying a royal title entails a number of obligations and duties, which will in future be the responsibility of fewer members of the royal family. 

‘This adaptation, which I see as a necessary safeguard for the future of the monarchy, I want to make in my time.’

She continued: ‘I have made my decision as Queen, mother and grandmother, but as a mother and grandmother I have underestimated how much my youngest son and his family feel affected. It makes a big impression, and I’m sorry for that.

‘No one should be in doubt that my children, children-in-law and grandchildren are my great joy and pride. 

‘I now hope that we as a family can find the peace to find our way through this situation ourselves.’ She signed off the note; ‘MARGRETHE R.’

According to Mr Sørensen, the incredibly personal statement, which includes the Queen’s admission she had ‘underestimated’ how seriously her grandchildren would be affected by the change, shows how serious the conflict within the family is. 

The statement was released after it emerged Prince Frederik has spent the last week in St Tropez taking part in a sailing competition – while his brother expressed his sadness that his children were to be stripped of their titles.

Prince Frederik joined friends to defend the prestigious BMW Trophy, which they also won in 2021. 

Her&Nu reported the royal arrived in the exclusive St. Tropez last weekend to take part in the Les Voiles Saint Tropez race with the TP52 boat Nanoq.

In a photograph from the event which was taken on Friday, the royal can be seen posing on a boat topless in the sunshine.

The Crown Prince appeared to recline on the boat as he chatted with friends during his seven day visit to the country last week. 

The news comes after Frederik’s brother Joachim and his second wife Marie admitted their relationship is ‘complicated’.

Speaking to B.T. they also said Queen Margrethe has ‘unfortunately not’ tried to speak to them, with Joachim adding: ‘It’s also family. Or whatever we want to call it.’

During the interview, B.T reported that a French woman approached the royal couple and told them their children will ‘always be princes and princesses to her’, apparently leaving Marie and Joachim in tears. 

Elsewhere, Marie, the mother of Joachim’s two youngest children, told the Danish news outlet that her daughter Athena is being bullied at school after the decision was publicly announced earlier this week.

‘They come and say (to Athena): Is it you who is no longer a princess?,’ she said, adding that her children were put under the public spotlight and so she feels the need to defend them.

Last week, Joachim hit out at his mother Margrethe’s decision, saying it ‘punished’ his children, as well as claiming he had only been told the news five days before it was made public – despite the Royal Household insisting the move ‘has been a long time coming’.

Meanwhile, Princess Mary came out in public support of her mother-in-law’s move while speaking in an interview with Ekstra Bladet in Copenhagen on Friday, saying that while ‘change can be extremely difficult and can really hurt… this does not mean that the decision is not the right one’.

The oldest son of Australian-born Princess Mary, 50, and Frederik is Prince Christian, 16, who is second-in-line to the throne.  

Frederick and Mary’s four children – Prince Christian, 16, Princess Isabella, 15, and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent, 11 – remain unaffected by the monarch’s decision as they are direct descendants of the future King. 

However Princess Mary suggested that might not always be the case, saying they will ‘also look at [their] children’s titles when the time comes’. 

Speaking about the monarch’s intention to slim down the Danish royal family, Joachim said: ‘The reality must still be: whether you modernize or slim down, it must be done in a proper way. It’s about children. Orderliness and children. It is a very heavy matter.’

Commenting on Princess Mary’s point that her children may too lose titles in the future, Joachim said: ‘I don’t know how they feel if they have to think it through. Now is preparation time. We didn’t have that.’

Last week, commenting on his children’s reaction to the move to B.T., Joachim said his children ‘don’t know which leg to stand on as their identity is removed’ – and questioned ‘why must they be punished in that way?’.

The prince said: ‘I can say that my children are sad. My kids don’t know which leg to stand on. What they should believe. Why should their identity be removed? Why must they be punished in that way?’

‘I don’t want to engage in speculation and mudslinging,’ said Joachim. ‘I am telling the truth… I was given five days notice… I was given five days’ notice of this. To tell my children that on New Year’s their identity will be taken from them.’

He added that in May, he was presented with a plan that his ‘children’s identity should be taken from them when each of them turned 25’, to which he asked ‘to be allowed to come back with my proposal’.

But he said he was given just five days notice that the decision was to be accelerated, adding: ‘I am so sorry for my children. I just demand the truth.’

His ex-wife, Countess Alexandra, the mother of his two eldest children, added in a statement to Danish magazine Se og Hør: ‘This comes like a bolt from the blue. The children feel ostracized. They cannot understand why their identity is being taken away from them.’

Her spokesperson Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen told another news organisation that Joachim learned of his children’s fate via an aide. 

Queen Margrethe spoke neither to her sons nor her grandchildren, it is claimed. 

‘The children have received the message that they are losing their titles, delivered by their father, just as Countess Alexandra was told by Prince Joachim,’ the spokesperson added.   

Meanwhile, speaking about the decision last Wednesday, Queen Margrethe 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.’ 

And the Royal Household released another statement, saying: ‘As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming. 

‘We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen’s wish to future-proof the Royal Household will be respected.’ 

Prince Nikolai, a model, also spoke out last week, telling Ekstra Bladet: ‘My whole family and I are of course very sad. We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone.

‘I am very confused as to why it has to happen like this,’ he told reporters from outside the Copenhagen apartment where he lives with his girlfriend.

Countess Alexandra, Prince Joachim’s ex-wife and mother to Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, is also ‘very sad’ and ‘shocked’ about the decision.

‘She can’t believe why and why now, because there’s no good reason,’ Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen, press secretary to Countess Alexandra told CNN.

‘They would lose their titles anyway when they get married one day. Her sons are young men so maybe they might get married in the near future so why shouldn’t it wait until that day so that the titles would disappear on a happy day?’

Under the agreement, Nikolai, Felix, Henrik, and Athena will be known as either His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat from January 1, 2023. 

However they will maintain their positions in the order of succession. 

They are currently seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth, but would move down if any of Crown Prince Frederick’s children were to have children.   

Margrethe, who is the world’s longest serving queen and celebrates her Golden Jubilee this year, is affectionately known as ‘aunt Daisy’ by European royals due to her close personal ties with many reigning monarchs.

She is a first cousin of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and a second cousin of Norway’s King Harald V. 

She enjoyed a close relationship with the Queen, a distant cousin, and the Duke of Edinburgh, and shared deeply personal tributes following their deaths.  She was joined by her son Crown Prince Frederick at the Queen’s funeral earlier this month.   

The Queen seemingly enjoys a close relationship with both sons and all eight of her grandchildren, and makes regular appearances with both families. However there is now said to be an ‘ice-cold air’ between the Queen and her grandchildren.

‘There is ice-cold air between Queen Margrethe and her grandchildren after she decided that they will lose their titles as prince and princess from the New Year,’ leading Danish publication Ekstra Bladet reported. 

‘The news, which has crushed both the four children and their parents, was not delivered by the queen herself.

‘They have not been called to Amalienborg for a cold coke and an explanation as to why they must henceforth be addressed as counts and countesses. Not even that far.’  

Queen Margrethe has a well-cushioned allowance, with the Danish Civil List granting her £800,813 a month, or £9.6 million for the year to run the royal household – including staff, properties and administration, according to Business Insider. 

Meanwhile, Celebrity Net Worth lists her net worth at around £37million.

Around £183,750 per month is reportedly given to the Queen’s children. Crown Prince Frederik receives the largest amount of this money, of which 10 per cent is given to his wife, Princess Mary.

Many of the Danish Royal Family’s properties are owned by the state, and run by the Agency for Palaces and Cultural Properties.  

This includes the main residence of Amalienborg, their spring home of Fredensborg palace, their summer house of Gråsten Palace and the hunting lodge Eremitageslottet .

The Danish Queen’s personal properties include Marselisborg Castle, Château de Caix in France, and the royal hunting lodge in Jutland at Trend.  

Prince Joachim lives with his second wife Princess Marie in Paris, where he has been working as a Defense Attaché at the Danish Embassy since September 2020 – but when he returns home to Denmark it is sometimes to the Schackenborg Castle in southern Jutland.

The estate was the prince’s private residence from 1993 to 2014, before he sold the property. 

But since Prince Joachim and Princess Marie are on the board of the Schackenborg Castle Foundation, they occasionally return to live there for short periods of time. 

In the summer of 2020, Prince Joachim suffered a stroke while holidaying in France with his family and had to be rushed into hospital for emergency brain surgery.

Prince Joachim’s eldest sons, Felix and Nikolai, are Margrethe’s eldest grandsons and have embraced a life in the public eye. 

The 20-somethings, who both live in Denmark, both enrolled in the National Military Academy but dropped out before completing their studies. 

They have enjoyed flourishing careers as models, posing for several advert campaigns and on the cover of magazines. 

Nikolai caught international attention in 2018 when he walked in the Burberry show at London Fashion week, before a front row that included Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Michelle Dockery, Naomi Watts, Zendaya, and Idris Elba.

He is signed to Scoop Models agency in Denmark and has been multiplying his modelling gigs. 

He sent royal fans into a frenzy in February when he graced the cover of Vogue Scandinavia.

The 23-year-old oozed sophistication when appearing in the magazine and looked effortlessly stylish in a matching pink Dior jacket and trousers as he posed in front of a number of colourful flowers.

When he is not modelling, Nikolai is studying Business Administration and Service Management at the  In 2019, Prince Nikolai began his B education at Copenhagen Business School.

Last year he was living in Paris as part of a school exchange, and could see his younger siblings and his dad more easily. 

At the end of last year, he started training at the Royal Danish Military Academy to become an Army Lieutenant, but in October it was announced that he’d quit after just two months because it ‘wasn’t for him’.

Prince Felix chose to make his modelling debut for jeweller Georg Jensen, appearing in pictures and an advert promoting the new Reflect collection of necklaces, earrings and rings. 

The royal is further down the line of succession, pursuing his own career path rather than being a ‘working royal’ was expected choice for Felix even before his grandmother’s announcement, and modelling is certainly a popular choice for minor royals across the globe. 

While they are growing to be their own person, Felix and Nikolai do attend royal events on occasion.  

They both looked very dapper as they attended the celebrations for their grandmother’s golden jubilee with their parents in early September.