King Carl Gustaf removed five of his grandchildren from Sweden's royal house

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine react to their kids being removed from Sweden’s Royal House

King Carl XVI Gustaf made the decision to strip 5 of his grandchildren of their royal titles

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UPDATED DECEMBER 4, 2019 7:09 AM ESTDEC 4, 2019, 7:09 AM EST

Major changes to Sweden’s royal family were announced on Monday, October 7. The Swedish Royal Court released a statement revealing that King Carl XVI Gustaf decided that Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia ’s sons— Princes Gabriel , two, and Alexander , three—as well as Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill’s kids— Princess Leonore , five, Prince Nicolas , four, and Princess Adrienne , one, will no longer be members of the Royal House.

Princess Madeleine's three kids won't be expected to carry out royal duties

While his grandchildren—with the exception of Crown Princess Victoria ’s daughter Princess Estelle and son Prince Oscar —will no longer enjoy the style of Royal Highness, they will retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by His Majesty, and will continue to be members of the royal family, but they won’t be expected to perform official royal duties. The statement noted that the King and Crown Princess Victoria, together with Queen Silvia and Prince Daniel , are “Sweden’s highest representatives within the Realm and vis-à-vis other States.”

Following news of the royal family’s changes, Princess Madeleine took to her personal social media account to react to the news. “This change has been planned for a long time,” she revealed. “Chris and I think it is good that our children now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives as individuals in the future.”

Prince Carl and Princess Sofia's sons were removed from Sweden's royal house

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia echoed Madeleine’s sentiments on their respective account as well. “We see this as positive as Alexander and Gabriel will have freer choices in life,” they captioned a picture of themselves with their boys enjoying a beautiful fall day. “They will retain their prince titles and their duchies, Södermanland and Dalarna, which we value and are proud of.”

The Prince Couple continued, “Our family has strong connections to both landscapes and we maintain our commitment there. We will continue to focus on our heart issues and commitment. We will also continue to support the King and the Crown Princess - our future head of state - and participate in the King's activities in the way we wish.”