Danish royals deliver valuable lesson for Prince William amid turmoil

The Danish royals, King Frederik and Queen Mary, have close ties with Prince William and Kate Middleton as they have been seen together having pleasant exchange on number of occasions.

Queen Margrethe, who abdicated the throne in 2024, was also a cousin to Elizabeth II which binds the Danish royals and British royals in a stronger bond. However, a close bond is not the only thing that these two royal families across Europe share, it would appear that the two of them are facing a similar crisis.

Both the families are wracked with the challenge of having fewer remaining royals and the duty of protecting the monarchy amid tensions. The British royals face scandals regarding Andrew while the Danes have a political crisis about the ownership of autonomous territory, Greenland.

Can Prince William take note as Danish royal family sets major example

According to royal commentator Sharon Hunt, the Danish royals have demonstrated how a family dispute can destabilise the monarchy’s reputation but a “decisive intervention can begin to repair the damage”.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had stepped back from their senior positions in 2020, but Queen Margrethe had removed the royal titles of her four grandchildren, Athena, Henrik, Felix and Nikolai. They were downgraded from Prince and Princess to Count and Countesses.

Prince Joachim and his wife Princess Marie did not hide their bitterness for being blindsided by the decision. Meanwhile, Frederik and Mary’s children retained their titles.

However, things improved over time as Frederik and Mary took initiatives to honour the disgruntled royals. Notably, Frederik gave his nephews Grand Cross of the Order of Dannebrog last year. Now there are even chances of Joachim’s family returning and the public appears happy about it.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle hopes for UK return: ‘not impossible’

Hunt suggested that the British royals could benefit from the return of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex especially during a time when the turmoil does not seem to end for the royals.

Also, given the fact that they are short on working members of the royal family, Harry and Meghan could “inject fresh energy, renewed purpose, unity, and much-needed extra hands on deck”.

This would ultimately strengthen William’s reign if he is willing to look past the five years and the Sussexes are also willing to offer their support.