Source: Global Times
[Global Times Special Correspondent Liu Haoran and Zhang Zixi] "The reversal of fairy tales?" Recently, the Queen of Denmark Margaret II announced an amazing decision - to strip the royal titles of four grandchildren of their grandchildren. Denmark is a world-renowned "fairy tale kingdom". Its extraordinary actions of its royal family have caused controversy and continue to ferment into a scandal. Some analysts believe that monarchy state is a general trend to reduce the scale of the royal family, and the Danish royal family itself is a beneficiary of the "royal modernization" process; but the queen's decision obviously did not reach a full consensus with her family, and the farce of family disagreement has even had an impact on the image of the royal family.
Queen Margaret II of Denmark. Visual China Picture
stripped of title, the queen apologized
According to Associated Press 8, Danish royal announced the decision to "removal of title" to the public on September 28. Starting from January 2023, all four children of Prince Joachim, the queen's youngest son, will lose the titles of prince and princess, and only the corresponding titles will be retained. The four affected "grandchildren" are the two sons born to Joachim and his ex-wife - 23-year-old Nikola and 20-year-old Felix; and a pair of children born to him and his current wife - 13-year-old Henry and 10-year-old Athena. The British " Guardian " said that Margaret II had been thinking about this matter for a long time. In her opinion, this major adjustment is in line with the trend. Several grandchildren will no longer be restricted by royal responsibilities in the future and can shape the life they want as they wish.
However, the grandchildren who were deprived of their ban did not appreciate it, but instead expressed surprise and grievance with their parents. Joachim, who serves as a military officer in France, recently openly complained to reporters in Paris that his children felt "unable to understand" about their grandmother's decision, and he himself did not understand why their children were "understood such punishment." The most "injured" is Joachim's youngest daughter Athena, who is said to have been "bullied" in the school she is attending.
Under pressure, Margaret II apologized publicly in a rare manner. She said she was sorry for her as a mother and grandmother, she underestimated the impact of her children and grandchildren on the matter. However, she did not withdraw her previous orders and emphasized that the queen has the obligation to consider the future development of the royal family and lead the royal family to keep pace with the times.
family conflicts, complex
In the eyes of many media, the Danish royal family is now facing a "disaster". Danish royal correspondent Jensen said that such a situation is "unprecedented" for the royal family. Not only do they communicate inappropriately, but now they are showing "family scandals" in front of the public, destroying the public's good impression of the Danish royal family. Denmark's Politics reporter Tigerson also said that the family has now become so alienated that it needs to communicate through the media, which is "too harmful" to the royal family. Even the interviewees sighed: "It turns out that the British royal family is not the only royal family with problems."
As public opinion continues to ferment, more unknown family conflicts in the Danish royal family have been "exposed" by the media. The “complex” relationship between Joachim and the crown prince and his wife may be the real reason for the rifts in the Danish royal family. The British "Guardian" disclosed that Joachim was close to his brother Frederick in his early years, but his relationship between his brothers gradually became distant as adults. Some insiders in the royal family said that "palace fights" often occur between the two princesses. Joachim's wife, Mary Cavalier, is jealous of Mary Donaldson, who is the crown prince. According to the British " Daily Mail ", the disagreement between the sisters-in-law originated from a "unkind love": Joachim is said to be obsessed with Donaldson , and in his early years he tried to kiss her with alcohol at a dance; and his wife witnessed this embarrassing moment throughout the whole process. Some media also said that the two princesses not only have similar names but also have very similar appearances, but even their birthdays are only one day apart. Joachim might be the spouse whom he looks for according to his sister-in-law's figure. This "sex scandal" was circulating in Denmark. In order to resolve the rumors, Margaret II often asked his two daughters-in-law to attend events together to show family harmony.
streamlining the royal family, and the general trend is
Although the deprivation of the title has caused disagreement in the Danish royal family, the queen's determination to streamline the royal family has been widely recognized by the public. Recent polls have shown that up to three-quarters of the Danish people support the Queen's decision. Australia's Brisbane Times said that as a privileged class, the daily behavior of royal members is like "walking a tightrope", and they cannot be high above and cannot be too "friendly to the people". Margaret II is well aware of this: when she ascended the throne in 1972, the royal approval rating was only 45%, but the recent polls have risen to 70% to 85%, which is closely related to her personal charm. However, once the royal power is handed over, it is unknown whether the new monarch can continue the glory of the older generation.
Long before Denmark, Dutch and Sweden have taken similar "simplification" measures. For example, the Dutch crown prince Amalia once wrote a letter to the Dutch Prime Minister, expressing his willingness to voluntarily give up the royal allowance of 1.6 million euros per year. In 2019, Swedish King Karl XVI Gustav canceled the royal title of five grandchildren and demoted them to "common people", a move that could save the country more than 13 million euros in expenses.
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