This morning, the Royal Court of Sweden announced that the children of Prince Carl Philip (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s middle child) and Princess Madeleine (the King and Queen’s youngest child) would no longer be members of the Royal House and would lose their Royal Highness status.

Both Princess Madeleine and Prince Carl Philip and his wife, Princess Sofia have reacted to the announcement on their Instagram accounts.

Madeleine, who lives in Miami, Florida, with her family posted a photo of her with her three children (Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne) saying, ” Leonore, Nicolas and Adrienne will no longer belong to the Royal House. This change has been planned for a long time. Chris & I think it is good that our children now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives as individuals in the future.”

HRH Princess Madeleine / Mr Christopher O’Neill/ HRH Princess Leonore / HRH Prince Nicolas / HRH Princess Adrienne. Photo: Lena Ahlström/Kungahuset.se

She also posted on her Facebook account writing, “Today the Court announced that Leonore, Nicolas and Adrienne should no longer belong to the Royal House, while remaining part of the Royal Family. This change has been planned for a long time. Chris and I think it is appropriate that our children will now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives as private individuals.

“We were honoured when my parents bestowed upon Leonore a royal title when she joined Estelle as the 2nd grandchild of our Swedish Royal Family. We have always believed in giving our children the freedom to choose their future, that’s why we welcome this decision wholeheartedly. I will continue with my royal responsibilities by supporting my parents and my sister.”

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, who share two sons named Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel, said on their Instagram, “Today, the King announced the decision that our children no longer hold the Royal Highness position. We see this as positive as Alexander and Gabriel will have freer choices in life.

“They will retain their prince titles and their duchies, Södermanland and Dalarna, which we value and are proud of. 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 Crown Princess – our future head of state – and participate in the Royal’s House activities as we wish.”

Kungl. Hovstaterna