Prince Joachim Hasn't Spoken To Queen Margrethe Since She Removed His Kids' Royal Titles

Prince Joachim of Denmark is getting candid about his relationship with his mother Queen Margrethe II after she stripped his children of their royal titles.

On Saturday, Prince Joachim, 53, claimed to Danish outlet B.T. in a joint interview with his wife Princess Marie that he hasn't spoken to his mother, his brother Crown Prince Frederik or his sister-in-law Crown Princess Mary since the major shakeup.

He claimed that relations remain strained since the palace announced that his four children will lose their prince and princess titles next year.

Prince Joachim told B.T. that Queen Margrethe, 82, "unfortunately" had not connected with them since releasing the news of the title change.

"It's also family. Or whatever we want to call it," he said, according to People.

When asked if the dynamic within the family felt difficult, Princess Marie said, "It's complicated, namely. That's it."

She added that she and her husband "would have liked to have had time to talk about it" with their family.

The royal couple shares son Prince Henrik, 13, and daughter Princess Athena, 10. Prince Joachim also shares two sons with his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg: Prince Nikolai, 23, and Prince Felix, 20.

On Wednesday, the Danish royal palace announced that as of Jan. 1, Joachim's four kids will lose their royal titles and instead be known by His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat.

The change did not affect the four children of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary: Prince Christian, 16, Princess Isabella, 15, and 11-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

It's speculated that the reason why Prince Joachim's children's titles were changed was to streamline the future of the monarchy.

"The reality must still be: whether you modernize or slim down, it must be done in a proper way," Joachim told B.T. "It's about children. Orderliness and children. It is a very heavy matter."

In a previous interview with national newspaper Ekstra Bladet Thursday, the Danish prince claimed he was given only five days' notice of the change in titles.

Prince Joachim, who is sixth in line to the Danish throne, claimed that he was previously presented with a plan that stated the change would happen when his "children each turned 25." He noted that his youngest child, Athena, will only turn 11 in January.

"We are all very sad. It's never fun to see your children being mistreated like that," he told the outlet, according to a translation provided by People. "They find themselves in a situation they do not understand."

When asked about his relationship with his mother at the time, Prince Joachim looked emotional and declined to share the details. "I don't think I need to elaborate here," he told the outlet before he turned to walk away.

His eldest son Prince Nikolai also spoke to Ekstra Bladet in a separate interview. He admitted that they were "very sad" and "confused" over the decision of his grandmother.

"My whole family and I are, of course, very sad," he said. "We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone. I am very confused as to why it has to happen like this."

The Danish royal palace insisted that the decision was a "long time coming" and should not come as a surprise.

The Queen said in her announcement that she wanted her four grandchildren with Prince Joachim to "shape their own lives to a much greater extent without being limited by the special considerations and duties that a formal affiliation with the Royal House of Denmark as an institution involves."