Denmark’s Prince Joachim stays silent on his mother’s abdication: Queen Margrethe’s second son refuses to comment as he leaves NY party after older brother Frederik was promoted to King – following royal title row

A 'closed' and 'disappointed' Prince Joachim refused to comment on his mother's abdication or congratulate his older brother in the hours after Queen Margrethe's TV bomb speech, MailOnline can exclusively reveal today.

The Danish monarch's youngest son declined to discuss the seismic announcement as he left a party in Copenhagen on New Year's Eve – despite having a reputation for enjoying talking to journalists.

Prince Joachim is sixth in the line of succession to the Danish throne, but in 2022 Queen Margrethe stripped his four children of their royal titles as she downsized the number of working royals. A public row ensued.

A Danish royal insider told MailOnline: 'I think he's disappointed. At least that's the impression you got after his response on New Year's Eve. He could have congratulated his brother or something, but the dismissal of a comment was striking.”

He added: “Prince Joachim is generally very hospitable, but he has clearly chosen to be more closed than before.”

On New Year's Day, he appeared in a much better mood, waving to the crowds as he arrived with his wife Princess Marie for his mother's annual banquet at Amalienborg Castle.

The Queen's youngest son has been known to address journalists, but on New Year's Eve he remained silent

Queen Margrethe II will hand over the baton to Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary on January 14

In 2022, Margrethe caused a public rift with her youngest son, Prince Joachim, after stripping his four children of their royal titles. She subsequently apologized for the timing of the announcement but stood by the edict.

In the days that followed, Joachim had spoken out against his mother's decision – claiming that his children born from Joachim's first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg – and Henrik and Athena had been 'harmed' in the process.

Months later, the sixth in line to the throne admitted there was a 'lack of communication' within the royal family in the run-up to the shock announcement.

Joachim told local news channel BT: 'There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.'

Shortly after his children were stripped of his titles, Joachim claimed he was given only five days' notice before the news was made public.

Following the Queen's announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish embassy in Paris, where he lives with his French-born wife Princess Marie and his two youngest children, and said his four children were “hurt” by the their grandmother's decision. .

'I was given five days' notice to tell them. In May I was presented with a plan that broadly stated that this would happen when the children each turned 25. Now I only had five days to tell them. Athena will turn eleven years old in January,” he clarified at the time.

Meanwhile, his ex-wife Alexandra said her sons, Nikolai and Felix, felt they had been “left out” of the institution and the decision had come as a bolt from the blue.

The Royal House released a further statement, saying: 'As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming.

'We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen's wish to make the Royal House future-proof will be respected.'

Prince Joachim and Princess Marie arrive yesterday for the New Year's banquet at Amalienborg Castle, Copenhagen

Queen Margrethe announced in September 2022 that the four children of her youngest son, Prince Joachim, would no longer be able to use the title of prince and princess after January 1, 2023. In the photo Countess Athena, left and right, Count Henrik

Denmark's royal family has updated their website to reflect the new status of four of Queen Margrethe's grandchildren after they were stripped of HRH titles. In the photo Count Nikolai, left and right Count Felix

In an interview with local Danish media last February, Queen Margrethe had revealed that she thought it was better for her to take action rather than leave the burden to Crown Prince Frederik as the future king.

“It was important to me that it would never be Frederik's fate to make such a decision,” she said at the time.

'It's better that I did. Because then it is the old lady who made the decision. I don't feel like going into it to be honest.

'I could mention a few things, but you don't have to say everything. But it's still a bit too private to talk about.'

They are now Counts and Countess and are called Their Excellencies – and in January the Danish Royal Family updated their website to reflect the new status.

In the 2022 New Year's speech, Margrethe admitted: 'It hurts me that the relationship with Prince Joachim and (his wife) Princess Marie has gotten into trouble.

'Difficulties and disagreements can arise in any family, including mine. The whole country has witnessed this.”

She added that she was “confident that the family can enter the new year together with confidence, understanding and new courage.”