It was decided that from January 2023 the children of her younger son Prince Joachim, Count Nikolai, Count Felix, Count Henrik, and Countess Athena, would not be styled as Prince or Princess and His/Her Highness but would remain in line to the throne.
While the move initially sparked unease, Joachim, who moved to the US for work, declared they “moved on” and he was even seen attending his brother, King Frederik’s, ascension ceremony last year. Recently, he expressed his wish to “come back home”.
Ms Hunt suggested this could be the “perfect blueprint” in order for Prince William to keep his “hands clean”, and said King Charles could “sacrifice” himself to save the future of the monarchy by taking the blame for Archie and Lilibet’s titles removal.
She wrote: “Adopting the Danish royal family’s blueprint for title removal could potentially not only keep William’s hands clean, but it may even hold the door ajar (even if by just an inch!) for a future reconciliation between the warring brothers. But it requires the agreement and participation of King Charles.”
She added: “What the British incumbent can do during his time in charge is provide surety and stability for the next generation by making a tough call.
“Like Queen Margrethe did at the end of her reign, King Charles has the power to cut the HRH cord from Prince Harry’s children, once and for all, confirming that their future lies beyond the Royal Family.”
The commentator went on to say that such a decision will likely cause “backlash and upset from Harry and Meghan”.
But she stressed it could provide a “glimmer of hope” for any royal reconciliation in the future, when things have calmed down.
Ms Hunt said: “While the situations are certainly not identical, it would bear consideration for William to advocate that his father follow Margrethe’s example by being the one to make the decision on Archie and Lilibet’s royal titles while still the reigning monarch. In the short term, blowback is to be expected. Harry will likely be upset.
“But, as seen in Denmark, Margrethe’s self-sacrificial decision to remove the titles and bear the brunt of the fallout before her reign ended may well have had the effect of limiting the rift between her sons, Frederik and Joachim.”
She concluded that a reconciliation between Harry and William would be “far more likely” if the “job” of stripping Archie and Lilibet’s titles didn’t fall on the future King.
