Queen Margrethe's sons reportedly have a 'complicated' relationship after she stripped 4 grandchildren of their royal titles

• Relations between Queen Margrethe's sons are reportedly tense, according to the Danish publication B.T.
• It comes after she announced her youngest son's children will no longer have royal titles in 2023.

Tensions inside the Danish royal household appear to have increased after Queen Margrethe's youngest son reportedly acknowledged he and his brother have a "complicated" relationship.

The Danish queen has two sons – her eldest and heir, Crown Prince Frederik, and her youngest, Prince Joachim. Both have four children that are part of the royal household's line of succession. However, on September 29, Margrethe announced that Joachim's four children will no longer be able to use royal titles in 2023.

Explaining the decision via a statement on the royal website, Margrethe said she wanted her grandchildren "to be able to shape their own lives" without royal affiliations.

The decision affects Prince Nikolai, 23; Prince Felix, 10; Prince Henrik, 13; and Princess Athena, 10. They will still be able to use the titles of counts and countess of Monpezat, according to the statement.

In the aftermath of the announcement, Joachim spoke out against the decision publicly and said his mother's plan to strip his children of royal titles upset them. Meanwhile, Frederik's four children remain unaffected by the queen's decision. His eldest son, Christian, is second in line to the throne.

According to Danish publication B.T., there has since been a meeting between Joachim and Margrethe – an effort, the publication reports, between both to calmly navigate the divisive decision.

"Everyone agrees to look forward, and as the Queen herself has expressed, she and Prince Joachim want calm to find their way through this situation," Lene Balleby, Head of Communications for the Royal Household, told the outlet.

However, the royal household also confirmed the one person notably missing from the talks was Frederik. According to B.T. royal correspondent Jacob Heinel Jensen, the absence is likely due to Joachim's relationship with his brother and his sister-in-law, Crown Princess Mary.

"Prince Joachim himself has acknowledged that the relationship with the Crown Prince couple was complicated, so it is not surprising that he was not there," Jensen said. "It is the queen's decision, and she is the one who must bear the brunt of it."

The Danish royal household did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

But despite talks between Joachim and Margrethe, it appears the queen remains intent on her plan to remove the royal titles of the four grandchildren by the new year. Writing on the Danish royal family's website on October 3, Margrethe said she viewed the move as essential to "future-proofing" the monarchy.

"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 wrote, adding that her 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," she added.