Will King Charles III Follow Danish Queen in Stripping Minor Royals' Titles?

The official British Royal Family grown rapidly multiplied in recent years as the younger princes and princesses produced heirs. But lesser-known members of the House of Windsor include the late Queen Elizabeth II's cousins the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent, along with their wives, and Princess Alexandra.

Danish Queen Margrethe II decision to strip four of her grandchildren of their royal titles has prompted that the UK's King Charles III will follow suit.

The Danish monarchy said in a statement that the move was "in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses have made in various ways in recent years."

Margrethe reportedly said it was "for their own good".

Princes Nikolai, Felix, Henrik and Princess Athena, the four children of Margrethe's second son Prince Joachim, will all lose their styles of 'his/her highness'.

Royal experts argued that her cousin King Charles should take a leaf out of his cousin Margrethe's book and downsize the "bloated" royal family.

"We are all very sad. It’s never fun to see your children being harmed. They are been put in a situation they do not understand," said Prince Joachim, who complained that he had only been given five days' notice of the move.

Countess Alexandra, Joachim's first wife and mother of Nikolai and Felix, was said to be "in shock" at the queen's decision. "She can't believe why and why now, because there's no good reason," said her press secretary Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen.

Joachim and his children are currently ranked sixth to tenth in the line of succession, after Crown Prince Frederik and his four heirs.

Nikolai, best known as a fashion model since dropping out of customary military service, said he was "sad, shocked and confused" at his grandmother's decision. He must now make do with merely being dubbed "His Excellency Count Nikolai of Monpezat".

"My whole family and I are of course very sad," the young prince said. "We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone."

Queen Margrethe is related to the UK's Charles through his late father, Prince Philip, who was born into the Greco-Danish royal family before he married then-princess Elizabeth in 1947.

Former British MP Norman Baker, a leading expert on royal finances, told the MailOnline that King Charles should follow Margrethe's lead — starting with Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, now residents of the US. and no longer performing royal duties.

"Why is Harry still an HRH?" asked Baker. "Charles says he wants to slim down the monarchy, but this must be real, not just superficial. He must slim down the costs to the taxpayer."

"It just needs it be him, Camilla, William and Kate and their children. The rest of them should get their P45s and retire or go out an earn a living," he stressed.

The official British Royal Family includes not only Harry and Meghan — as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — but lesser-known members of the House of Windsor. The list includes the late Queen Elizabeth II's cousins the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent, along with their wives, and Princess Alexandra, whose mother Princess Marina was another Danish royal.

"The need to slim down the bloated British royal family has been clear for decades and only become more clear as other European monarchies like the Danish slim down as befits the 21st century," Baker continued. "It is increasingly absurd that minor bit players like the Gloucesters and the Kents still come as part of the package."

Harry and Meghan sparked a battle royale with their televised accusations against 'The Firm' last year — just weeks before Prince Phillip passed away.

"The Sussexes’ problem is that their financial survival depends on spewing venom against the Royal family in their book and their Netflix series," said author and investigative journalist Tom Bower, who has just completed a biography of the duchess. "Charles’ best tactic would be to threaten to remove their titles if they are disloyal."

Princess Anne, Elizabeth's second child, and her husband Captain Mark Phillips chose not to have royal and aristocratic titles bestowed upon their two children Peter and Zara.