Denmark: the royal family is torn over the forfeiture of princely titles

In an interview with the Danish daily B.T., the latter regretted on Saturday that he "unfortunately" had no news from his mother or his brother, Crown Prince Frederik, since the decision.

"It's also family. Or whatever you might call it," he said.

Joachim's partner, Princess Marie of French origin, also described as "complicated" the relationship they had with the heir couple formed by the future King Frederik and his wife, Princess Mary.

"It's complicated, that's it. That's it," she told the tabloid, in an interview from Paris, where the princely couple live.

On Wednesday, the court announced that Margrethe II of Denmark had decided to withdraw from January 1 their princely title to the four children of Joachim, Nikolai and Felix - born from a first marriage - Henrik and Athena.

According to the palace, the goal of reducing the number of princes and princesses was to give them greater freedom to lead their lives as they see fit.

But the decision aroused the emotion of the prince and the mothers of the children, who assured not to have been associated with the decision.

"It's never funny to see your children treated like that," Joachim had already told the Danish press on Thursday.

The youngest prince has worked for two years as a defense attaché at the Danish embassy in Paris, after having completed a one-year session at the Center des Hautes Etudes Militaires (CHEM) in Paris as a colonel in the Danish army.

His French-born wife Marie had already revealed in 2020 that their move to France was not of their will.

But the family controversy had never reached its current level, just after the 50th anniversary jubilee of Queen Margrethe's reign.

Very popular, the latter had to reduce the festivities on September 10 following the death of her distant cousin Elizabeth II.

The dispute is the most serious crisis in the royal household since the one triggered by Prince Henrik in 2018.

Shortly before his death six months later, he had caused a scandal by announcing that he did not wish to be buried alongside his companion.