Queen Margrethe and Crown Princess Mary attend opening of parliament amid royal titles scandal
By Natalie Oliveri|
T?he Danish royals have put aside the scandal gripping their family by carrying on with business as usual in Copenhagen.
Queen Margrethe II was joined by her son Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary for the annual opening of parliament on Tuesday.
The Queen's sister Princess Benedikte ?also attended the ceremony at Christiansborg Palace.
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But the Queen's youngest son Prince Joachim and his wife Princess Marie, who are at the centre of the royal title saga, were absent.
Joachim, 53, and Marie, 46, haven't joined the royals at the opening of parliament since 2018 as they moved to France.
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They recently spoke out against the 84-year-old Queen after she stripped four of her eight grandchildren of their prince and princess titles, also taking away their status of His/Her Royal Highness.
That decision has propelled the Danish royals into the spotlight, a monarchy that has largely avoided major scandals in recent years.
The Queen showed no signs of any unrest at ?Christiansborg, while Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik were all smiles at the event.
Denmark's parliament, known as Folketinget, is located within Christiansborg Palace on the island of Slotsholmen in Copenhagen.
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The opening of parliament is a tradition upheld by the Danish royals annually, where they listen to Prime Minister Minister Mette Frederiksen's speech, heralding in a new political year.
It takes place on the first Tuesday of October and marks the start of the new legislative year.
The Crown Princess continued her tradition of wearing pillbox-style hats to the opening of parliament, something she has done for the past four years.
She chose a blue Claes Iversen? coat, which she has previously worn, and a purple pillbox hat by Jane Taylor and clutch by Carlend Copenhagen.
Pinned to her coat was a large amethyst and diamond brooch, ?the purple stones representing Crown Princess Mary's birth month of February.
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Barely a week earlier, Crown Princess Mary became the first member of the royal family to voice her support for the Queen.
"Change can be difficult and can really hurt," she told reporters.
"But this does not mean that the decision is not the right one," she said, adding she and Crown Frederik would "look at our own children's titles when the time comes".?
Yesterday Queen Margrethe, who earlier this year celebrated 50 years on the throne, issued a statement apologising to Prince Joachim and his family for removing their royal titles.
But the monarch stood by her "difficult" decision saying was "a long time coming" and her "duty" as Queen.
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Margrethe said she was "sorry" after she "underestimated" how much the children, and her youngest son Prince Joachim, would "feel affected".
The decision, she said, was taken as a "Queen, mother and grandmother" and "necessary safeguard for the future of the monarchy".
The statement came less than a week after she announced the sweeping changes to Denmark's royal family.
The decision affects the four children of Prince Joachim: Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13 and Princess Athena, 10.
Royal experts have suggested the move shows "a family in deep crisis" while others say it's part of a broader trend among Europe's ruling houses? to slim down their monarchies.
The four children of Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik are not affected.?
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