Denmark’s popular monarch, Queen Margrethe II, has apologized for upsetting members of her family with a decision to strip the royal titles from four of her grandchildren, but has refused to change her mind.

TOKYO, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 18: King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden speaks during a press conference at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation on February 18, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan. King Carl Gustav is visiting Japan with the Royal Technology Mission (RTM), an international delegation with a focus on technology, science and business. (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)COPENHAGEN – Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf said Thursday he believes his country has failed to protect the elderly in care homes from the effects of the pandemic. It said that elderly care in Sweden has major structural shortcomings and authorities have proved unprepared and ill-equipped to meet the pandemic. Sweden has seen a rapid increase in new coronavirus infections that strained its health care system.