King Charles wouldn’t be the first sovereign to slim down a monarchy. In recent years, some European royals have had their titles changed, while others have been removed from their family’s royal house – both moves to streamline the monarchy.
“We’ve long heard about Charles’s plan to slim down the monarchy when he came to the throne, but the number of senior working royals has fallen organically over the years so it’s hard to see how it can be slimmed much further,” HELLO!‘s Royal Editor Emily Nash says.Â
“But once the full extent of the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor situation has emerged, the monarchy may need a clean slate so the next generation can steer it into the future without fear of further scandal.”
The King could take a cue from Sweden’s king or Denmark’s former queen, who both made changes within their families.
Sweden’s removal of members from the Royal House
© Sara Friberg/The Royal Court of SwedenPrince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine’s respective kids were removed from the Royal House in 2019
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf made headlines in October 2019 when he reduced the size of the Swedish Royal House by removing the children of his son, Prince Carl Philip, and daughter, Princess Madeleine, from it. The changes, the Marshal of the Realm explained, were made “to clarify which persons within the Royal Family can be expected to be called upon for such official assignments that are incumbent on the Head of State or are related to the office of Head of State”.
While Madeleine and Carl Philip’s respective children lost their “status of Royal Highnesses,” it was confirmed at the time that they would continue to bear the duke and duchess titles that had been granted by their grandfather, the king.
Madeleine reacted to the change, writing on her personal Instagram that it had “been planned for a long time”. The mom-of-three also admitted that she and her husband Christopher O’Neill thought it was “good” because their kids, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne, “now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives as individuals in the future”.
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, whose son Prince Julian and daughter Princess Ines had not been born yet, expressed a similar sentiment in their joint statement on Instagram. “We see this as positive as Alexander and Gabriel will have freer choices in life,” the prince couple penned, noting that their kids would “retain their princely titles and their duchies, Södermanland and Dalarna, which we value and are proud of. Our family has strong connections to both regions and we maintain our commitment there”.
The Marshal of the Realm’s announcement also indicated that the Swedish king and his heir, Crown Princess Victoria, together with King Carl XVI Gustaf’s wife Queen Silvia and Victoria’s husband Prince Daniel, are “Sweden’s foremost representatives within the country and towards other states”.
In his Christmas speech that year, King Carl XVI Gustaf elaborated on his decision “to define” the royal house.Â
He said: “The decision means that it is made clear who within the royal family will act as official representatives of Sweden in the future. For me, this is a way of clarifying what expectations there are. Hopefully, it can be helpful when my grandchildren eventually chart their own future. But, that day is a long way off.”
The action her father took in 2019 has admittedly given Princess Madeleine the “opportunity to do other things”. “I can understand their concerns and the critics that they have, but [a] couple of years ago, there was a big decision that they’re slimming down and focusing more [on] my sister, the Crown Princess [Victoria],” Madeleine said in a 2025 interview with RTL News’ Frauke Ludowig. “Many monarchies in Europe are doing that, and with that, they slimmed it down and they said, ‘Okay, we’re focusing more on the Crown Princess Family.'”
“So, me and my brother [Prince Carl Philip], it kind of gave us an opportunity to do other things,” Madeleine added. “Nowadays, I don’t have that many official duties anymore, or I should not do that many. And they say, ‘Okay, now feel free to do other things.’ So then I said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it!'”
Denmark royals’ loss of titles
© Patrick van Katwijk/Getty ImagesPrince Joachim’s children lost their princely titles in 2023
Three years after the Swedish king’s decision, another Scandinavian monarch made a change that affected members of her family. In late September 2022, the Danish Royal House announced upcoming changes to the titles of Queen Margrethe II‘s younger son, Prince Joachim‘s children.Â
Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, Prince Henrik and Princess Athena, as they were formerly known, had their princely titles discontinued at the start of 2023. Joachim’s children now use the titles count and countess of Monpezat, which Queen Margrethe bestowed upon her sons, their spouses and descendants in April 2008.
With only her grandson Christian, now heir to the throne, “expected to receive an annuity from the state as an adult,” the Royal House stated that “as a natural extension” the Queen “decided that, as of 1 January 2023, His Royal Highness Prince Joachim’s descendants can only use their titles as counts and countess of Monpezat, as the titles of prince and princess that they have held up until now will be discontinued. Prince Joachim’s descendants will thus have to be addressed as excellencies in the future. The Queen’s decision is in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses have made in various ways in recent years”.
The Royal House further noted that the queen, with her decision, wished “to create the framework for the four grandchildren to be able 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”.
Queen Margrethe later explained in an interview with Weekendavisen that it was better she be the one to make the change, rather than Joachim’s older brother, Frederik, who ascended the throne following her abdication in 2024.
UK
© Samir Hussein/WireImage“The monarchy may need a clean slate so the next generation can steer it into the future without fear of further scandal,” Emily says
Like Queen Margrethe, King Charles has already stripped the title of a British royal family member. In 2025, His Majesty removed the titles and style of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, amid his ongoing scandal over his past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Whether Charles will pursue further changes within the British monarchy remains to be seen. Though some see the current moment as an opportunity to remove titles from relatives who are not full-time working members of the royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
As Emily notes: “Removing the titles of those unlikely ever to end up on the throne would more clearly distinguish those who are officially working for the monarchy and those who are pursuing their own business interests outside it.”