By Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter, Kens Madsen Mailonline
11:58 02 January 2024, 12:33 02 January 2024 updated
A “closed-minded” and “disappointed” Prince Joachim refused to comment on his mother’s abdication or congratulate his brother in the hours after Queen Margrethe’s shocking televised speech, MailOnline reports. It was revealed exclusively today.
The Danish king’s youngest son did not mention the bombshell announcement as he left a party in Copenhagen on New Year’s Eve, even though he is known to happily chat with journalists.
Prince Joachim is sixth in line to the Danish throne, but in 2022 Queen Margrethe stripped his four children of their royal titles in an effort to reduce the number of working royals. A public argument ensued.
“I think he’s disappointed,” one Danish royal source told MailOnline. At least that’s the impression you got after his reaction on New Year’s Eve. He could have congratulated his brother or something, but his refusal to comment was shocking. ”
It added: “Prince Joachim tends to be very welcoming, but he has clearly chosen to be more closed off than before.”
On New Year’s Day, he appeared to be in much better spirits as he waved to the crowd as he arrived with his wife, Princess Marie, for his mother’s annual banquet at Amalienborg Castle.
In 2022, Margrethe caused a public rift with her youngest son, Prince Joachim, after stripping their four children of their royal titles.She later apologized for the timing of her announcement. But he supported the proclamation.
In the days that followed, Joachim spoke out against his mother’s decision, claiming that his children from his first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, had been “harmed” in the process.
Months later, the sixth-in-line to the throne admitted there had been a “lack of communication” within the royal family leading up to the bombshell announcement.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Joachim told local news outlet BT. What was missing was communication. Now we have met and are on the right path. ”
Shortly after the children were stripped of his title, Joachim claimed that he was given only five days’ notice before the news was made public.
After the Queen’s announcement, Joachim gave an interview to Danish publication Ekstra Vlade in front of the Danish embassy in Paris, explaining that he lives with his French-born wife, Princess Marie, and his two youngest children, and that his four children live with their grandmother. He said he was “hurt” by the decision. .
“I was given five days’ notice to tell them that.” In May, I was presented with a plan that, broadly speaking, would come true when each of my children turned 25. . Well, I only had 5 days to tell them that. Athena will turn 11 in January,” he revealed at the time.
Meanwhile, his ex-wife Alexandra said her sons Nikolai and Felix felt “expelled” from the facility and the decision was like “a bolt out of the blue”.
The royal family issued a further statement, saying: “As the Queen said yesterday, this decision has been a long time coming.”
“We know there are many emotions at stake at this time, but we hope that the Queen’s wishes to protect the future of the Royal Family will be respected.”
In an interview with local Danish media last February, Queen Margrethe revealed that she believed it would be better for her to take action rather than leaving the burden of future kingship to Crown Prince Frederik.
“What was important to me was that Frederick should never have made a decision like that,” she said at the time.
“You’d better do it, because it was your grandmother who made the decision. To be honest, I don’t want to get into that.
“You can mention some things, but you don’t have to say everything. But it’s still a little too private to talk about it.”
They are now the Earl and Countess and are called His Excellencies. And in January, the Danish royal family updated its website to indicate its new status.
In her 2022 New Year’s address, Margrethe acknowledged that she was “saddened by the difficulties facing Prince Joachim’s relationship with (his wife) Princess Marie.”
“Difficulties and disagreements can arise in any family, including mine. The entire country witnessed this.”
She added: “I am confident that the family will be able to face the new year with confidence, understanding and renewed courage.”