Denmark's Queen Margrethe Stars in New Portraits as Grandchildren Prepare to Lose Royal Titles

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Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is celebrating her 50-year reign with family photos.

On Wednesday, the Danish Royal House released regal portraits of the 82-year-old Queen with her sons and their wives in honor of her 50-year Government Jubilee this year. The photos were taken in the Hall of Knights at Christiansborg Palace in Amalienborg at a gala held in the Queen's honor in September, and show the royals dressed in their regal best.

The gala portraits were released four days before a major change is made permanent for the Danish royal family. On Jan. 1, 2023, Prince Joachim's four children — Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, Princess Athena, 10 ­— will lose their prince or princess and "His/Her Highness" styling and instead be known by His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat. The siblings will retain their places in the order of succession; they are currently seventh through to the tenth in line to the Danish throne.

The Danish Royal House announced the news on Sept. 28 via a press release, and it's speculated that the move was made to streamline the future of the monarchy.

MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Prince Felix, Princess Marie, Prince Joachim, Princess Athena, Prince Henrik and Prince Nikolai

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The sudden announcement created strain within the royal family. Joachim, 53, told the press he felt blindsided by the bombshell and claimed he was only given five days' notice. Queen Margrethe, however, has maintained that the plans had been in motion for a while and said the decision was made in the best interests of her grandchildren. She also issued an apology saying she "underestimated" how greatly the shock of the news would affect the family dynamic.

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"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," she said in a statement on Oct. 3.

"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."

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"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," she concluded. "I now hope that we as a family can find the peace to find our way through this situation."

The decision does not affect the four children of Prince Frederik and Princess Mary. Unlike their cousins, Prince Christian, 17, Princess Isabella, 15, and 11-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine remain in the royal house for the foreseeable future as the children of the Crown Prince couple.

In the first shot of her Jubilee photos, Queen Margrethe sits beside her eldest son and successor, Crown Prince Frederik, while his wife Crown Princess Mary rests her arm on his chair. Margrethe's younger son Prince Joachim and his wife, Princess Marie, stand behind the Queen. In the second picture, signaling the line of succession, Queen Margrethe sits as Frederik, 54, and Mary, 50, softly smile behind her.

"Throughout the year, Her Majesty the Queen's 50-year Government Jubilee has been marked with events in several places in the country," the Instagram caption began. "It is an old tradition that on anniversaries in the Royal Palace, new portraits are published, and as an end to the jubilee year, two new gala portraits of the Queen and the royal family are published today."

Margrethe became Queen in 1972 at age 31 following the sudden death of her father, King Frederick IX, and has reigned ever since. The palace previously announced that her jubilee festivities, planned for the second weekend in September, would be modified following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8. The Queens were third cousins, and Queen Margrethe attended Queen Elizabeth's funeral in London.