Members of Denmark's royal family are letting their thoughts be known about Queen Margrethe II's decision to change the royal titles of her grandchildren.

Last week, the monarch announced that four of her grandkids—23-year-old Prince Nikolai, 20-year-old Prince Felix, 13-year-old Prince Henrik, 10-year-old Princess Athena—as well as their descendants, will have their titles changed from Prince and Princess to Count and Countess of Monpezat by the start of 2023. The grandchildren still maintain their positions in the order of succession.

"The Queen's decision is in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses have made in various ways in recent years," a statement released by the Danish Royal Director of Communications reads. "With her decision, Her Majesty 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."

Crown Princess Mary—the wife of Crown Prince Frederick and mother to the queen's other four grandchildren—was asked about the queen's decision while at an event last Friday.

"I can understand that it is a difficult decision to make and a very difficult decision to receive," she said, per Hello! "Change can be difficult and can really hurt. But this does not mean that the decision is not the right one."

As for the potential of title changes to her own kids (16-year-old Prince Christian, 15-year-old Princess Isabella, and 11-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine), Princess Mary said, "We will also look at our children's titles when the time comes. Today we do not know what the royal house will look like in Christian's time, or when Christian's time begins to approach."

Patrick van Katwijk//Getty Images

Prince Joachim previously spoke with Danish publication Ekstra Bladet following the news that his children's titles would be altered.

"We are all very sad. It's never fun to see your children being mistreated like that," he told the outlet, per Entertainment Tonight. "They themselves find themselves in a situation they do not understand."

The mother of Felix and Nikolai, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, said in a statement to B.T. that her children felt "ostracized."

"We are all confused by the decision. We are saddened and in shock," her statement read, according to Entertainment Tonight. "This comes like a bolt from the blue. The children feel ostracized. They cannot understand why their identity is being taken away from them."

As an associate editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey keeps a finger on the pulse on all things celeb news. She also writes on social movements, connecting with activists leading the fight on workers' rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying yet another corset. 

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