Last week, Queen Margrethe announced her plan to remove the royal titles from four of her grandchildren. It’s been chaos ever since. The four grandchildren are the children of Prince Joachim, QM’s younger son, from his two marriages. Joachim went straight to Danish media after his mother’s announcement, claiming that he was barely given notice that this was happening, that he’s very hurt and his children are hurt too. Over the weekend, Joachim and his second wife Marie spoke to the media again, talking about how their daughter was already being bullied in school, how this decision is hurtful to the kids, and how they feel estranged from the royal family, especially Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. Joachim also told B.T. that since QM’s announcement, he had not spoken to his mother or his brother, and that his family had not reached out to him. Well, Margrethe heard all of Joachim’s statements and she issued one of her own:

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is speaking out about the hurt caused by her decision to strip four grandchildren of their royal titles. In a new statement released by the palace on Monday, the Danish monarch said she “underestimated” how the news would affect her second son, Prince Joachim, and his four children, who are set to lose their prince and princess as well as “His/Her Highness” titles next year. Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, will retain their places in the line of succession but will be known instead by His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat.

Queen Margrethe, 82, started her statement, “In recent days, there have been strong reactions to my decision about the future use of titles for Prince Joachim’s four children. That affects me, of course.”

“My decision has been a long time coming. With my 50 years on the throne, it is natural both to look back and to look ahead. It is my duty and my desire as Queen to ensure that the monarchy always shapes itself in keeping with the times. Sometimes, this means that difficult decisions must be made, and it will always be difficult to find the right moment,” she continued. “Holding a royal title involves a number of commitments and duties that, in the future, will lie with fewer members of the royal family. This adjustment, which I view as a necessary future-proofing of the monarchy, I want to take in my own time.”

“I have made my decision as Queen, mother and grandmother, but, as a mother and grandmother, I have underestimated the extent to which much my younger son and his family feel affected. That makes a big impression, and for that I am sorry,” Margrethe said. “No one should be in doubt that my children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren are my great joy and pride. I now hope that we as a family can find the peace to find our way through this situation.”

[From People]

It’s kind of an extraordinary statement, right? I’m so used to the shenanigans from the Windsor clan, it’s fascinating to see a sovereign accept responsibility, apologize and also… not back down. This statement isn’t a reversal of Margrethe’s decision, it’s an apology and an acknowledgement that her decision hurt her son and her grandchildren. But she’s like: I’d do it again, anything to protect the crown.

It’s clear that there had been discussions for months, perhaps even years, about the eventual need to “strip” Joachim’s children of their titles, or to edit the Danish royal family in various ways. It’s also clear that Joachim believed, up until a week and a half ago, that other options were on the table and that none of this was going to be permanently decided right now.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.