It’s time for the King to follow the European royals and strip Harry and Meghan of their titles. It will upset his son… but their continental cousins have already proven it’s the only course of action: RICHARD EDEN
The Royal Family have always seemed to me to have a slightly condescending attitude to their continental cousins.
While European monarchs have regularly travelled to this country for big occasions such as royal weddings, ours haven’t always returned the compliment. More often than not, it’s been Prince Edward who’s been dispatched to a royal wedding overseas rather than our monarch or even our heir to the throne.
The so-called ‘bicycling monarchies’ of Scandinavia have frequently been the subject of mockery when contrasted with our ‘proper’ monarchy with its horse-drawn carriages, numerous palaces and all the pomp and circumstance you could want.
But, as I researched the latest edition of my YouTube show Eden’s Royals, what struck me most was how King Charles could learn a thing or two from some of the foreign monarchies.
This week, I focused on the Danish royal family, who have much in common with our own. While Queen Elizabeth II reigned for a record-breaking 70 years, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, her third cousin, was a similarly respected figure who was on the throne for 52 years.
Unlike Queen Elizabeth, Margrethe did not reign until her death. Instead, she announced her abdication at the age of 83 in a speech televised to the nation on New Year’s Eve in 2023. It was the first time in nearly 900 years that a Danish sovereign had voluntarily stepped down to make room for a younger generation of royals and came as a major shock because Margrethe had always insisted that her job was for life.
Before she abdicated in favour of her elder son, King Frederik X, 58, who is married to the Australian-born Queen Mary, 54, Margrethe made a point of doing something which caused deep upset.
In September 2022, she announced that the children of her younger son, Prince Joachim, would no longer be styled as ‘prince’ or ‘princess’ from the following year onwards. The dramatic decision affected four of her grandchildren: Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, Prince Henrik and Princess Athena.
Build professional websites and manage your agency with Webydo’s…
Webydo · Sponsored
It’s time for the King to follow the example of his Danish counterpart and take action which will undoubtedly upset his younger son but will benefit the monarchy and the country, writes Richard Eden
Not only have Harry and Meghan been allowed to keep their titles, but their children remain Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet
The children would still be able to use the titles of counts and countess of Monpezat, but would be addressed as ‘excellencies’ rather than ‘majesties’.
Margrethe said she wanted 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’.
Prince Joachim, who had not been involved in any great controversies, was furious.
‘We are all very sad,’ he responded publicly. ‘It’s never fun to see your children being mistreated like that. They themselves find themselves in a situation they do not understand.’ And his son Nikolai, then 23, said he was ‘in shock’ and that he was ‘very confused as to why it has to happen like this’.
Despite their reaction, Margrethe was adamant that she needed to go ahead with the changes for the good of the institution. ‘It is my duty and my desire as Queen to ensure that the monarchy always shapes itself in keeping with the times,’ she said. ‘Sometimes, this means that difficult decisions must be made, and it will always be difficult to find the right moment.’
Margrethe’s decisive action is in stark contrast to the absence of any moves by King Charles against his younger son.
Before she abdicated Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made a point of doing something which caused deep upset
Unlike Prince Joachim, Prince Harry has abandoned public duties, repeatedly attacked his family and undermined the monarchy. Yet he and his wife have been allowed to keep the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles that Queen Elizabeth gave them because they were working royals.
Harry has even been allowed to remain as a Counsellor of State, legally entitling him to stand in for the King, at least in theory. Instead of stripping him of the role, the King extended the number of Counsellors of State to include his brother and sister, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, so Harry was less likely to be required.
Not only have Harry and Meghan been allowed to keep their titles, but their children remain Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
All this is a huge boost to the Sussexes as they try to claw back the automatic, 24-hour police protection which they lost when they moved overseas. After all, why would the Government want to deny them of something they so desperately want when the King allows them to keep all their perks?
It’s time for the King to follow the example of his Danish counterpart and take action which will undoubtedly upset his younger son but will benefit the monarchy and the country.
