Queen Margrethe celebrates 83rd birthday with her sons after stripping Joachim’s children of titles
Denmark’s royal family put up a united front today for Queen Margrethe’s 83rd birthday.
Queen Margrethe – who underwent back surgery last month – was all smiles this afternoon as she waved to crowds of well-wishers from a balcony at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.
The mother-of-two looked elegant in a matching powder blue midi skirt, high-neck top and jacket.
The Danish queen — whose half-century reign makes her Europe’s longest-serving monarch — swept her hair back in her trademark bun and wore a set of blue diamond earrings.
She added a splash of color to her outfit with some vibrant red nail polish, but otherwise wore minimal makeup.
Queen Margrethe of Denmark waved to crowds of well-wishers outside the palace in Copenhagen on her 83rd birthday
Stepping onto the balcony, Margrethe was photographed without a cane – she had been spotted with a cane at Fredensborg Castle in Denmark earlier on Wednesday.
The monarch was also joined by her son Frederik, Crown Prince and his wife Princess Mary and their four children – Prince Christian, 17, Princess Isabella, 15, and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent, 12.
However, Prince Joachim and his children were also present – later in the afternoon the whole family appeared on the balcony.
It’s been a tumultuous autumn for the Danish royal family after the monarch stripped the four children of her youngest son, Prince Joachim, of their prince and princess titles – a shocking move he publicly spoke out against.
She has said the decision was intended to allow Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20 – born of Prince Joachim’s first marriage – and Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, to live normal lives without royal obligations.
Instead of being princes and princesses, they are earls and countess and are referred to as their excellencies – a change now reflected on the household’s website.
At the time, Prince Joachim publicly spoke out against his mother’s decision – claiming his children had been ‘harmed’ in the process.
Later this year, the 53-year-old royal, who is sixth in line to the Danish throne, will move with his family to Washington DC to become a defense industry attaché at the Embassy of Denmark.
The monarch was also accompanied by her son Frederik, Crown Prince and his wife Princess Mary and their four children
Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, Count Henrik, Count Nikolai and Countess Athena pictured on the balcony of Amalienborg Castle
Last year, the sixth-in-line to the throne admitted that “communication was lacking” within the royal family ahead of the shocking announcement.
Joachim told local news outlet BT: ‘There’s a lot to work on. Communication was what was lacking. 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 just 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 if the kids each turned 25, it would happen. Now I only had five days to tell them. Athena will be 11 in January,” he clarified
Meanwhile, his ex-wife Alexandra said her sons, Nikolai and Felix, felt “banned” from the institution and that the decision came like a “bolt from the sky.”
Queen Margrethe (centre) pictured with her sons Prince Frederik (left) and Prince Joachim (right) and their children
Pictured: Royal fans gather outside Christian VII Palace in Copenhagen’s Amalienborg to catch a glimpse of the monarch
Last year, Queen Margrethe stripped Prince Joachim’s children of their royal titles. Pictured with her sons on her 83rd birthday
The royal family issued a further statement, saying: ‘As the Queen said yesterday, the decision is long overdue.
“We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen’s wish to future-proof the Royal House will be respected.”
In February, the royal palace announced that Queen Margrethe had to undergo “major back surgery”.
“Her Majesty has suffered from back problems for a long time and recently the situation has worsened,” the announcement reads.
After the operation, the palace said the queen had to go through a “longer rehabilitation process”.
The announcement came after Margrethe was forced to cancel a series of events, including the opening of an exhibition in Copenhagen.
The mother-of-two looked elegant in a matching powder blue midi skirt, high-neck top and jacket
The eldest son of Denmark’s popular monarch heir to the throne, Crown Prince Frederik (pictured front, right), 54, and his wife, Crown Princess Mary (pictured back, right), 51, are likely to feature, as will Margrethe’s youngest son, Prince Joachim, 53, and his wife Princess Marie (pictured together, rear left), 47, and the Queen’s sister, Princess Benedicht, 78
The Danish constitution gives Margrethe, the head of state of Denmark, no political power and her duties are ceremonial.
She was proclaimed queen on January 15, 1972, one day after her father, King Frederik IX, died after a short illness.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Margrethe became the only living queen in the world.
She is also now the second longest-serving monarch in the world, second only to Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, after 50 years on the throne.