The change King Carl Gustaf made that had everyone talking

King Carl Gustaf of Sweden made a change in 2019 that had everyone talking.

In October 2019, he announced that he had revoked the Royal Highness style and place in the Royal House from all of his grandchildren but Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar. In other words, only the grandchildren in the direct line of succession would hold the style and place in the Royal House.

This change applied to Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne (at the time). Prince Julian was born after the change, making him the first of the King’s grandchildren to be born without those privileges.

The King made the change to allow his other grandchildren to have more private lives and more freedom as they grow older. They will not be expected to carry out royal duties in adulthood and will be free to choose their professions.

People questioned why the King made the decision, but the answer was simple: to streamline the monarchy and cut down on costs.

Also, these grandchildren are so far down the line of succession that their chances of ever taking the throne are slim.

“The purpose of these changes is to establish which members of The Royal Family may be expected to perform official duties incumbent on the Head of State or related to the function of the Head of State,” the Royal Court explained.

This also allows them to be private citizens without the stress of having to undertake royal duties on behalf of the Crown when they are adults. By the time Alexander, Gabriel, Julian, Leonore, Nicolas and Adrienne are adults, their aunt, Crown Princess Victoria, will more than likely be on the throne or close to being on the throne. As Victoria’s children come of age, marry, and have their own children, the Royal Family will continue to grow. The elder child of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Princess Estelle, is a future queen, and her firstborn will also be a future king or queen. Thus, it makes sense why the direct heirs to the throne remain in the Royal House while their cousins do not.

This decision by King Carl XVI Gustaf slims down the monarchy so that the state will not be paying for the ever-growing Swedish Royal Family. It is in line with what has been done in Norway and the Netherlands, where the younger children of the monarch or nieces and nephews of the monarch, respectively, do not have the styles of Royal Highness or even titles. In neighbouring Denmark, the grandchildren of Queen Margrethe, through her younger son, Prince Joachim, have also had their titles revoked recently for similar reasons. The Swedish royal grandchildren, at least, get to keep their titles of prince/princess and their dukedoms, whereas the aforementioned children in Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands were not granted those honours or had them taken away.