THE Swedish king has removed five of his grandchildren from the royal household in a bid to save his nation's taxpayers millions.

King Carl Gustaf XVI's decision means the children no longer have the title of royal highness and are not expected to perform official royal duties.

4 Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia with their children, Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel - the youngsters will no longer be royalty

Princess Madeleine's children Leonore, 5, Nicolas, 4, and Adrienne, one, and Prince Carl Philip's children Alexander, 3, and Gabriel, 2, will no longer belong to the royal house.

They won’t have to perform royal duties but will lose their share of the roughly £11.6 million that the royal family receives annually from Swedish taxpayers.

Republicans in the UK called for the same to happen here - which would see several of the Queen eight grandchildren losing their royal status.

Prince Andrew's daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, and Edward's children Louise and James, could be among those culled if the same were repeated in Britain.

The royal family costs the UK taxpayer £67 million but the Queen and other Royals have income of their own.

Princess Madeleine, who is married to English-American businessman Chris O’Neil, responded to her father's move by posting a picture of herself and her three children on Instagram.

The 37-year-old princess can be seen holding her youngest daughter with the caption in Swedish reading: “This change has been planned for a long time.

“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.”



TRIMMING COSTS

Fredrik Wersäll, the Marshal of the Realm, the most senior official in the Swedish court, said: "We have a large royal family.

“When you include the next generation, there are nearly ten people in line to the throne. They cannot be expect to have their living costs covered to any extent by the grant to Royal Court."

Observers believe the 73-year-old king is trying to safeguard the future of his dynasty by minimising the scope for scandals and criticism involving minor royals.

Swedish historian Dick Harrison said the decision was likely to have been made to meet the modern needs of the family.

The children will be able to lead "live ordinary lives" though they will remain “members of the royal club”, he told the BBC.

4 Princess Madeleine with her children Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne

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The two children of 42-year-old Crown Princess Victoria, Estelle, seven, and three-year-old Oscar will keep their full royal status, but her nieces and nephews will be cut out.

Opinion polls in Sweden suggest about half the population is broadly supportive of the monarchy, while a quarter want a republic.

Lisa Bjurwald, who head’s the country’s republican association, told the Expressen newspaper that the decision was "a major victory in the republican battle".

The news prompted Republic, which demands an elected head of state in the UK, to call for the British monarchy to follow suit.

Chief executive Graham Smith told the Independent: “At least they have done something to cut the cost.”

4 The Swedish royal family pictured in 2017 Credit: The Royal Court

4 King Carl XVI Gustaf his daughter, Crown Princess Victoria and her eldest child, Princess Estelle

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